A rack of lamb, also known as carré d'agneau (though this term may also refer to other cuts), is a
lamb cut that is perpendicular to the spine and includes 16 ribs or
chops
CHOPS is the stage name of Scott Robert Jung, also known as Scott Chops Jung, an American hip hop producer, rapper and former member of the Asian American Hip-Hop group, the Mountain Brothers. Jung grew up in Philadelphia and has Chinese ances ...
. In retail, it is commonly sold as a 'single' rack, which means it is sawn longitudinally and includes the eight ribs on one side only. However, it may also be sold as a "double rack of lamb," with ribs on both sides. Another presentation involves placing two French trimmed racks together with the ribs interlinked, which is often referred to as a "
guard of honour
A guard of honour (Commonwealth English), honor guard (American English) or ceremonial guard, is a group of people, typically drawn from the military, appointed to perform ceremonial duties – for example, to receive or guard a head of state ...
".
[James Peterson, ''Glorious French Food: A Fresh Approach to the Classics'', 2002, p. 508-9]
Rack of lamb is typically
roasted
Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat where hot air covers the food, cooking it evenly on all sides with temperatures of at least from an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting can enhance the flavor through caramelizat ...
, sometimes with a coating of herbed breadcrumb
persillade
Persillade () is a sauce or seasoning mixture of parsley () chopped together with seasonings including garlic, herbs, oil, and vinegar.
In its simplest form, just parsley and garlic, it is a common ingredient in many dishes, part of a sauté co ...
. To enhance the presentation, the tips of the bones are occasionally decorated with paper frills known as
manchettes.
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Crown roast
Two or three single racks of lamb tied into a circle make a "crown roast of lamb".
Crown roasts are sometimes cooked with (ground-lamb) stuffing in the middle.
Frenching
Rack of lamb is often French trimmed (also known as Frenching in the United States), that is, the rib bones are exposed by cutting off the fat and meat covering them. Typically, three inches (7–8 cm) of bone beyond the main muscle (the rib eye or
Longissimus dorsi
The longissimus () is the muscle lateral to the semispinalis muscles. It is the longest subdivision of the erector spinae muscles that extends forward into the transverse processes of the posterior cervical vertebrae.
Structure
Longissimus th ...
) are left on the rack, with the top two inches (5 cm) exposed.
See also
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List of lamb dishes
This is a list of the popular lamb and mutton dishes and foods worldwide. Lamb and mutton are terms for the meat of domestic sheep (species ''Ovis aries'') at different ages. A sheep in its first year is called a lamb, and its meat is also called ...
References
Lamb dishes
Cuts of lamb
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