Corinne Trang

flipping meat back and forth every few minutes will ensure even cooking throughout, a beautiful golden color, and no burning! (it's almost there, another 5 to 10 minutes and I'm digging in.)

It’s lunch time and a rack of lamb, trimmed French-style, seasoned with a sweet and savory Chinese five-spice rub, sounds really good served with a mixed green and fresh herb salad. This is a perfect meal that is neither too light nor too heavy but just right and satisfying.

Charcoal baskets filled and set inside my Weber Performer, I fire up the grill and let the flames settle. Like all cooking techniques, grilling  requires some imagination and close attention. I don’t just throw a good piece of meat on a hot grate and leave. Any good meat has a fair amount of fat, which will cause flare ups, and I’m not really looking for an amazing cut like a rack of lamb to be engulfed in flames and charred beyond recognition. When grilling over direct heat I like to doctor the meat, meaning keep a close watch while flipping it back and forth so as to distribute the heat evenly throughout while crisping it to a rich golden color. (The alternative is burnt meat, which tends to taste bitter and is considered a carcinogen, which I would imagine is undesirable!).

I love grilling lamb, more so than roasting or braising it. Gamy in flavor, it’s enhanced with a

a refreshing summer salad helps digest the heavier part of the meal, in this case a delicious rack of lamb!

subtle smokey flavor that pairs well with the spices used. I have to admit that this Chinese style spice rub is something I am still developing, which is why this weekend I’ve applied it to a small portion of meat cooked over direct heat in preparation for the big July 4th weekend when I’ll be doing brisket, pork shoulder, and ribs. I’m a bit nervous because so far it’s an experiment. I’m playing with Asian spices, which for the most part, tend to be more pronounced than those used in classic American BBQ dry rubs. Additionally, in Asia, herbal pastes are used in combination with dried spices to flavor meats such as the popular skewered meats known as satay. While I test the waters, I’ll be light handed to make sure that at the very least I’m going in the right direction. Here I’ve combined both wet and dry ingredients. Nothing fancy, but definitely delicious! Check out the recipes below:

CT’s Simple Asian Dry Rub

(makes about 1/4 cup)

2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder

In a small bowl, mix the sugar, salt, and five-spice powder thoroughly.

CT’s Five Spice Rack of Lamb
(serves 4, or less!)

2 racks of lamb
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and grated
1 ounce ginger, peeled and grated
CT’s Simple Asian Dry Rub (see above)

1) Preheat the Weber Performer for 15 minutes.

2) Meanwhile rub each rack with grated garlic and ginger, then sprinkle the dry rub generously on both sides. Shake access rub off and place racks over direct heat, fat side down. Turn every 2 minutes to desired doneness and until golden crisp. Lamb is best when cooked medium rare, or medium.

CT’s Leafy Green Mix
(serves 4)

1 cup tatsoy
1 cup arugula
8 large red oak leaf, each torn into 3 to 4 pieces (don’t tear them too small or they will wilt quickly)
4 leaves curly endive, each torn into 6 to 8 pieces
8 fresh herb leaves (cilantro, parsley, mint, tarragon, etc…torn if leaves are too large
1 ripe avocado, chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon or more dark honey
freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

In a large wooden shallow bowl, toss the leafy greens and herbs together. Drizzle with rice vinegar, followed by olive oil. Dip a fork into the honey jar, letting most of it drip back in. Guide the fork back and forth over the mixed greens so as to distribute the honey all over. Season with salt and pepper and let stand for 15 minutes. Do not toss or the leaves will wilt quickly. Instead let the vinegar and oil trickle down in between the leaves.

This is an easy, elegant, and satisfying meal that can be thrown together in 20 minutes or less. I made this for a friend of mine who walked away with a smile spanning from one ear to the other. I think it’ll make yours happy too!

bon appétit!
CT