These chops are perfect for the grill as they are tender and aren’t tough like a shoulder cut would be. We didn’t want to overpower the delicate lamb flavor. We decided to stick to a basic herb rub to enhance the flavor. Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.Grilling lamb chops isn’t the first thing most people think of when they are asking friends over for a cookout, but it should be! These rich little tender pieces of meat have so much flavor all on their own, you really don’t need to go overboard with dressing them up. Place the lamb chop son a platter, garnish with rosemary sprigs and serve with optional balsamic glaze. Remove from the grill and let rest 5 minutes before serving. For medium-rare, the internal temperature will be about 130 degrees. Move the lamb chops over to the hotter side of the grill and sear on each side about 2 minutes, just so you get a nice crust on them. Close the lid and grill about 10 minutes or until chops reach an internal temperature of about 110 degrees. Increase the heat on another side of the grill to high. You are going to cook the chops at low heat first, then sear them over high heat. Preheat the grill to low-medium heat - about 300 degrees. Remove and uncover the lamb about one hour before you are ready to grill. Cover the dish with plastic wrap, refrigerate and marinate at least 3 hours or overnight. Turn the chops over to cover them completely. In a glass measuring cup, combine the garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Serves: 4 / Prep time: 15 minutes (plus marinating time) / Total time: 45 mintues Garlic, Rosemary and Thyme Marinated Lamb Chops (Just don't overcook.) You can even do a fancy porterhouse-like presentation by cutting the meat from the bone and then serving it alongside the bone.Ĭontact Susan Selasky at 31 or Follow on Twitter. You can think of lamb loin chops as mini porterhouse steaks and cook them to your desired level of doneness, just as you'd cook a steak. In addition, the meat browns better when it's seared at the end of the cooking process.Ī reverse sear has cropped up in the last few years as a popular way of cooking steaks. The theory is that the insides of the chops cook more evenly at the lower temperature. This is commonly referred to as a reverse sear. Many recipes call for searing them first and then cooking them over lower heat. With today’s recipe, I did the opposite: I grilled them over low heat and then gave them a sear over high heat to finish them off. When it comes to cooking, the chops cook quickly. I marinated them three hours, which was plenty of time. The latter provided the acid component as well as a bit of sweetness.īecause lamb loin chops are small, you can marinate them as little as an hour and up to overnight. The herbs went into a basic marinade along with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, seasonings and some balsamic vinegar. Both these herbs have strong flavors, and a little goes a long way. If I order lamb chops in a restaurant, I ask for medium-rare and more toward the rare side to ensure they are not overdone.Ī package of 10 loin chops will easily serve four people. For flavoring, I looked to my herb garden, flourishing with plenty of rosemary, thyme, sage and three half barrels overflowing with basil. Rosemary is a natural choice for lamb, so I chose it along with a bit of thyme. With these chops and with the rib chop, my preferred level of doneness is medium-rare. Lamb should never be cooked more than medium. If the chops are too thin, they easily overcook. Experience has taught me that when cooking loin chops, thicker is better. The chops were nice and plump-looking, about 2 inches thick. When I recently spotted a package of lamb loin chops at a local Sam’s Club, it occurred to me that it had been a while since I'd made them. For imported lamb, used in today's recipe, they're about $10 per pound. Lamb loin chops are a bit less expensive than the luxurious rack of lamb. You can buy big packages of them at warehouse stores like Sam’s Club and Costco. Because of their size, lamb loin chops are ideal if you're watching portion sizes. They're also ideal for feeding a crowd. Even with the bone, each weighs about 4 ounces and yields about 2 ounces of meat. On one side of the bone is the fillet on the other is the loin. They even look like a tiny version of the porterhouse because there's a T-shaped bone running down the middle of the chop. These chops, not to be confused with the rib chop from the rack of lamb, are the porterhouse steak of the lamb. When you're stumped for something easy to toss on the grill, think lamb loin chops.
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