How to French a Rack of Lamb

Name: How to French a Rack of Lamb
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 3
Ingredients: One rack of lamb

A "rack" of lamb is a section of ribs, usually 7, sometimes 8 lamb chops in one piece.

A classic way to prepare rack of lamb is with the bones "frenched" or exposed.

These days you can usually find packaged lamb racks already frenched. Or if you have access to a butcher, he or she should be able to prepare it for you.

If not, here is a simple guide to frenching the ribs yourself, as demonstrated by master butcher Mike Carroll, meat department manager of Sacramento's Corti Brothers. Thanks Mike!

corti brothers butcher Mike Carroll with Frenched rack of lamb — Butcher Mike Carroll of Corti Brothers. Elise Bauer

How to French a Rack of Lamb

Prep Time 15 mins

Total Time 15 mins

Servings 2 to 3 servings

Note Mike's butcher gloves in the photos. Mike's a professional butcher, so he's going to wear gloves when working with meat for customers. No need for gloves like these at home.

1 rack of lamb

Make cutting guideline:

Stand the lamb rack up on one end so that you can see the "eye" of the lamb chop.

Score the fat side at the edge about an inch and a half or so up the rib from the eye to use as a cutting guideline. Do the same on the other end of the rack.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Cut fatty side to the bone:

Using a sharp knife, cut through the fatty side of the rib roast, to the bone, from one marked end to the other.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

Then go back over your cut and holding the knife perpendicular to the roast, jab it in several places to go all the way through the other side, so that the reverse site gets "marked" with scores.
Cut around the flesh of the rib bones:

Turn the rib rack over, so that it is now bone side up. You should be able to see the markings made from the knife that got inserted from the other side. Those markings will delineate the boundary beyond which you will not cut.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

Working from the skinny ends of the rib bone, make a cut down along the bone, until you get to the previously scored marking, then cut across to the next rib and cut up to the end of that rib bone. Continue to do this until all of the bones have had the flesh cut around them.
Pull the fat and flesh from the bones:

Turn the rack over again so that the fat side is on top, and begin to pull off the fat and flesh from the bones.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

Use your knife to help cut away any flesh that is sticking to the bones.
Scrape away any residual flesh on the exposed bones:

Use a towel to wipe the bones clean.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer

There you have it! Your rack of lamb is perfectly "Frenched".

One way of presenting 2 racks of lamb is by interlocking the rib bones.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
439	Calories
31g	Fat
0g	Carbs
41g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 3
Amount per serving
Calories	439
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g	39%
Saturated Fat 15g	77%
Cholesterol 131mg	44%
Sodium 114mg	5%
Total Carbohydrate 0g	0%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 41g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 16mg	1%
Iron 3mg	18%
Potassium 420mg	9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.