What's a good marinade for rack of lamb?

[Jennifer Murphy]

I make a loose paste with the things I mentioned and rub it on the lamb, then let it sit for a while. About 30 minutes to an hour if it's lollipop chops or bite size pieces, longer if bigger.

When you say "rub", do you just spread it on all over, massage it, or really rub hard on a cutting board?

What does rubbing do that just marinating in a bag does not do?

 

[dragnlaw]

As pictonguy mentioned, marinating in a bag is usually an acidic concoction that will penetrate the meat, tenderize and flavour it.

Rubbing is only penetrating a bit into the meat, thereby sticking to it while cooking and flavouring it with each bite.

Different techniques for different results. Marinating is almost always for tenderizing, even though marinating also give flavour. Whereas a rub is flavour only. (IMHO)

 

[medtran49]

When you say "rub", do you just spread it on all over, massage it, or really rub hard on a cutting board?

What does rubbing do that just marinating in a bag does not do?

I just drop it on a piece of foil or parchment or even in a bag, put the meat down and rub it just enough to distribute the paste. The lamb doesn't need to be beaten up.

You are seriously overthinking this.

Your last question has already been explained.

 

[Jennifer Murphy]

You are seriously overthinking this.

I guess it time to change my signature...

 

[caseydog]

When I do rack lamb, I chop up a combination of rosemary, thyme, and garlic to spread on the rack after browning it in a skillet and before I finish it in the oven.

That is pretty much exactly what I use on lamb. But I I mix it with olive or avocado oil and rub it all over the meat in a ziplock bag, before any cooking.

I have fresh rosemary and thyme growing in my garden, and they pair perfectly with lamb. I use garlic on pretty much everything savory.

CD

 

[caseydog]

I want to use the sous vide. How about some rosemary and thyme (we don't like garlic) in the bag with some olive oil?

I've put sprigs of rosemary and thyme in my sous vide bags.

NOTE: Just son't use as too much suction on your sous vide bags, or it will press the herbs into the meat and leave an outline of them, LOL. My vacuum sealer has a gentle mode, and I stop the vacuum manually just as the bag begins to cling to the meat. If there is a little bit of air left in the bag, the bag will still sink and the meat will cook as normal.

CD

 

[caseydog]

and a "rub" to me, is generally a dry mix of spices that are physically 'rubbed' onto the meats.

In BBQ, a rub is kind of a misnomer. It is patted onto the meat, not rubbed into it. Sometimes a binder is used, like a thin coating of oil -- or a lot of serious meatheads use yellow mustard. They insist you can't taste the mustard, it just binds the rub to the meat.

CD

 

[caseydog]

When you say "rub", do you just spread it on all over, massage it, or really rub hard on a cutting board?

What does rubbing do that just marinating in a bag does not do?

Like I mentioned above, don't get too aggressive when "rubbing" spices/seasonings into meat. Sprinkle it on, and gently pat it into the surface enough to stick.

For BBQ, a rub adds flavor, and works with the surface of the meat to build a "bark," or you could call it a crust.

For sous vide, I usually use some kind of oil to lightly coat the meat, then add my herbs, spices and seasonings before gently vacuum sealing. It seems to help the meat and flavors get to know each other a bit better. If I sear the meat after sous vide cooking (which I always do), I will remove the sprigs of herbs, and pat the excess oil from the meat with a paper towel before searing.

CD

 

[CharlieD]

What Andy said. No marinading lamb. All it need is salt, rosemary and garlic, add thyme if you like. I like to dry rob night before cooking. Always perfect.