Grilled Lamb Chops

Grilled lamb chops with rosemary marinade

This was SO good! Better than I expected.

I loosely followed Sea Salt With Food's recipe for Aromatic Grilled Lamb Chops, see original recipe here http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2010/11/aromatic-grilled-lamb-chops-recipe.html . 

I didn't have all the ingredients so I "winged" it a bit.  No point walking/biking/running to the store for lemon zest, if you know what I mean!

Parsley, minced garlic, lemon juice, pepper, olive oil, salt, rosemary and lamb chops

The original recipe calls for using a mortar/pestle or food processor to prepare the marinade but it seemed like too much trouble to haul equipment from the cabinets so early in the morning.  Why don't 10-year olds sleep longer?  I used my sharp chef's knife instead to work down the parsley and rosemary.  We still have living potted herb plants in our back sun room.  I just grabbed a few sprigs of parsley and a piece of rosemary, not worrying too much about quantities.

Chop the herbs finely.  Add garlic, salt, and pepper and continue to chop with large knife.  Have more coffee.

This knife work only took a few minutes and I'm not regretting not using the machines.  It would have taken even less time if I hadn't stopped to take pictures at every stage.  You should see how disgusting my new camera is already!  Grease and food stains....ughhh...Whisk in some lemon juice and olive oil to make a nice amount of marinade with the minced herbs and garlic.

I wasn't paying too close attention to the package of lamb chops.  I sort of expected 2 large chops, knowing that our lamb was a little larger and older when butchered.  I was also beginning to worry that this would be tough and stinky.  But no, I was wrong again on every account.

The package contained 4 cute little chops and there was no odor what so ever.  The prized lamb was butchered and packaged perfectly.  I am  humbled at the bounty that we have in our kitchen, thanks to family and friends.

4 lamb chops weigh 1.6 pound (in total)

Rinse and remove obvious strips and chunks of fat.

Chops with a bit of outer fat layer removed

Place chops in a shallow pan and spread with marinade.

Cover and return to fridge until 30 minutes before grilling.  Chops should be a room temp when ready to grill.

Heat grill to high. 

The original recipe had the chops grilling in a closed grill which makes me nervous, I like to watch my food.  Instead, I grilled them over high heat with the lid open. 

If you get any flareups, move the chops to a cooler part of the grill until the flames die down.  After about 4 minutes, turn the chops over and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes.  As always, this varies based on the temperature outside, the temp and thickness of the meat, and the grill temp.  If you use a instant read thermometer, 155° F is medium.  Nine minutes total had the chops come out rare, which was perfect in my opinion, probably closer to 140F.

I served the chops with salad and homemade french fries. 

Enjoy!

Astrid