Grilled Lamb

By Food & Wine
Updated February 27, 2017
These delicious recipes include grilled lamb chops with roasted garlic and juicy lamb burgers.
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Rack of Lamb with Pasilla Chiles

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Grilled Lamb Chops with Garlic, Chiles and Anchovies

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This is one of Ethan Stowell’s go-to dishes when he entertains, because he can do almost all of the work in advance. The marinade is super-flavorful, but if you don’t like very spicy food, cut back on the red jalapeños.

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Tandoori Leg of Lamb

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The tandoor oven is India's version of a grill. Here, Steven Raichlen follows the traditional method of tandoori marinating—a wash of lemon juice followed by a long bath in a yogurt-based marinade—using a tender, succulent leg of lamb. After grilling the lamb, Raichlen says, make sure it rests for at least 15 minutes before carving.

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Grilled Lamb Chops with Roasted Garlic

Con Poulos
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Robert Wiedmaier adds a little bit of cumin to the garlicky marinade on these chops, which highlights the lamb's slightly gamey flavor. He accompanies each serving with half a head of roasted garlic; the sweet caramelized cloves are delicious on their own or blended into the silky white bean puree he serves as a side dish.

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Grilled Lamb Kebabs with Smoky Tomato Sauce

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This simple lamb kebab is inspired by a great summer recipe from Turkey in which lean lamb is marinated with garlic and pepper, grilled, then cubed and simmered with wood-fired tomatoes. Musa Dagdeviren, recognizes the perfection of this recipe, which is why he adds no extra spices or other flavorings.

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Rack of Lamb with Rosemary Butter

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Chef David Kinch grills his lamb racks "low and slow" because it gives him full control of the cooking. The gentle heat keeps the meat juicy, while the rosemary-infused butter he periodically spoons over the racks adds flavor. He sprinkles the lamb with chopped herbs just before serving; the warm meat makes the herbs especially fragrant.

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7 of 25

Leg of Lamb with Tzatziki

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8 of 25

Lamb Chops with Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce

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A nutty paste does double duty as a rub and a sauce for these grilled lamb chops from meat master Bruce Aidells.

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Yogurt-Marinated Lamb Kebabs With Lemon Butter

PHOTO © KANA OKADA
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In the Rajasthani countryside, chefs marinate lamb in yogurt to make it exceptionally tender, then give it an extra burst of tangy flavor with a basting of lemon butter just before serving.

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10 of 25

Lamb Burgers with Green Harissa

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Harissa, a staple in Tunisian and Moroccan cooking, ordinarily contains dried red chiles. Grace Parisi makes her green version with Anaheim and serrano chiles to add bright flavor to grilled lamb burgers.

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Lamb Skewers with Salsa Verde

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Chef Seamus Mullen marinates leg-of-lamb pieces in a mix of more than 10 ingredients (including saffron and Spanish paprika), many of which he also uses to make the accompanying salsa verde. At home, save a step and marinate the lamb in a bit of the salsa verde.

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Grilled Lamb Ribs with Chimichurri

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Chef Santiago Garat grills these lamb ribs at outdoor barbecue parties at the farm so they’re crispy on the outside. The tangy, extra-herby chimichurri is a perfect partner for the rich meat.

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13 of 25

Leg of Lamb Shawarma

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Boneless leg of lamb is great on the grill, especially when it’s been marinated overnight in a mix of roasted garlic, lemon and spices.

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Grilled Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

Thomas Heinser
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Instead of butterflying a boned leg of lamb and cooking it whole, Cal Peternell carefully cuts along the four natural muscle separations (they're easily visible) and pulls the four pieces apart with his fingers. Grilling the lamb this way is quicker, makes it easier to determine doneness, and simplifies carving. Plus the meat develops a mellow flavor and lots of delicious crust.

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Yogurt-Marinated Lamb Skewers

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This dish is great for entertaining: The spiced lamb marinates overnight, and the sauce can be made ahead of time. All you have to do right before serving is grill the skewers for seven minutes.

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Herb-and-Spice Lamb Chops with Minted Asparagus

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After marinating the lamb in an oil scented with marjoram, cumin and fennel seed, grill the meat until slightly crusty, then serve it with asparagus drizzled with mint vinaigrette.

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Grilled Lamb Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette

© Tina Rupp
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For a pretty blend of colors as well as flavors, Sang Yoon lays slices of cumin-spiced lamb on a bed of jicama, carrot and lettuce. “Lamb seasoned with cumin is very Indian, as well as Sichuan and Yunnan. But no one in Asia would serve lamb on a salad; that’s just me being Californian,” Yoon says.

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Grilled Lamb Chops with Ladolemono

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Michael Psilakis dresses these luscious lamb chops with ladolemono, a supersimple Greek sauce of lemon juice and olive oil. The sauce is often spooned over fish, but it's delicious on meat and vegetables, too. "This is real Greek cooking," he says.

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Provençal Grilled Lamb

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Mathilde Dalle and Patrick Thibaud use the quintessentially Provençal combination of rosemary, thyme and garlic to flavor this lamb.

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Lamb Chops with Frizzled Herbs

© Con Poulos
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Frying herbs like rosemary, parsley and sage for less than 45 seconds in a half inch of oil makes them ultracrispy; they are delicious with tender lamb chops.

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Grilled Lamb Chops with Peperonata

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A hearty mix of stewed peppers, onions, raisins and anchovies makes this peperonata more of a side dish than a condiment.

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Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops with Manischewitz Glaze

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The sweet wine glaze for these chops started as a joke. "Someone kiddingly told me to try Manischewitz, so I bought a bottle," says Rich Torrisi. "I found out it was made from Concord grapes, which are my favorite. And the grapes are from New York state, so I love them even more." At Torrisi, the wine-glazed lamb comes with fried Jerusalem artichokes, too.

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Grilled Leg of Lamb, Mexican-Style

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Homemade tortillas are on a whole different level from their store-bought siblings, especially when mixed with bacon fat and the green bite of fresh scallion. Don’t be intimidated—they’re fun to make and fairly simple. Rene Ortiz, from La Condesa, inspired this recipe, which has a roll-your-own element that echos the fun of family fajita night. And parents, please make these tortillas with your little kids, who will go bonkers for the meal if they get to help make it. —Andrew Zimmern

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Grilled Lamb and Red Onion Skewers

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Pairing Tip: The rich lamb will stand up to and mellow a Cabernet Sauvignon's tannin. Opt for one from Argentina.

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Grilled Leg of Lamb with Feta and Herb Salsa

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In this spin on the classic pairing of lamb and mint, the butterflied leg of lamb is rubbed with a garlicky, spicy mint pesto, which is also used to flavor a feta-herb salsa. The salsa makes a fantastic sandwich spread for any leftovers.

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