If you had asked me a couple years ago, I would have told you I do not like lamb, it’s too gamey. I may have tried it a long time ago and did not care for the taste. It’s been so long, it’s hard to say. But it was always a cut of meat that I avoided. As of last summer that has changed. My family & I went to a local restaurant and my son ordered grilled lamb lollipops as an appetizer. He commented how delicious they were and offered me a taste. After a lot of persuasion I finally got brave and tried it. Boy! Was I surprised! It had a perfect grilled char on it and it had more of a beefy taste than I was expecting. It was absolutely tender, juicy & delicious. After that I was a fan. It did not take long before we were making them at home on our grill. They are pretty easy to make, too.
Lamp lollipops are just a rack of lamb, usually about 8 ribs, that has had the ends of the rib bones Frenched, or scraped clean, so it looks sort of like a lollipop stick after they are cut apart.
You simply cut between each rib bone and you get 8 pieces from each rack. My family usually needs two racks because we really love these.
Once they are cut apart, lay them out on a foil covered sheet pan and brush them with a marinade. The marinade will help them stay juicy when they are grilled.
After they are brushed with a marinade, put them in a plastic bag and refrigerate for a couple hours. Bring them out of the refrigerator so they come to room temperature about 30 minutes before grilling them. This will help them grill evenly.
Grill over hot coals for about 4 minutes per side, for medium to medium-rare. Not every rib will be the exact same thickness so some might get more cooked than others. Be careful not to overcook them because they will won’t be as tender and juicy.
Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy.
- 4 cloves fresh garlic
- 2 T. fresh rosemary leaves
- 2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
- 4 T olive oil
- a pinch of Kosher salt
- 1 rack of lamb chops, about 8 ribs
- Chop the garlic, rosemary & thyme leaves until fairly fine.
- Mix together with the olive oil, & salt.
- Brush mixture onto each lamb lollipop.
- Place in a plastic bag & refrigerate for a couple hours.
- Bring to room temperature before grilling.
- Grill about 6" from hot coals for 4 minutes per side.
