Charcoal-Grilled Loin or Rib Lamb Chops
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 5, 2009
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
While loin and rib chops are especially tender cuts of lamb, they tend to dry out if cooked past medium because they have less intramuscular fat than shoulder chips. To make these chops worth their high price, keep an eye on the grill to make sure the meat does not overcook. These chops are smaller than shoulder chops; you will need two for each serving.
Instructions
- Light a large chimney starter filled with hardwood charcoal (about 2 1/2 pounds) and allow it to burn until all the charcoal is covered with a layer of fine gray ash. Build a two-level fire by stacking most of the coals on one side of the grill for a medium-hot fire. Arrange the remaining coals in a single layer on the other side of the grill for a medium-low fire. Set the cooking rack in place, cover the grill with the lid, and let the rack heat, about 5 minutes. Use a wire brush to scrape clean the rack.
- Rub the chops with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Grill the chops, uncovered, over the hotter part of the grill, turning them once, until well browned, 4 minutes. (If the chops start to flame, drag them to the cooler part of the grill and/or extinguish the flames with a squirt bottle.) Move the chops to the cooler part of the grill and continue grilling, turning once, to the desired doneness, about 6 minutes for rare (about 120 degrees on an instant-read thermometer) or about 8 minutes for medium (about 130 degrees).
- Remove the chops from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
Yield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Lamb loin and rib chops are often cut quite thick—about 1 1/2 inches was the thickness we often encountered—so the challenge in developing our grilled lamb chops recipe was to cook them through without overbrowning the exterior. We found that when grilling the chops for our grilled lamb chops recipe, using a two-level fire was best—the chops could be seared on the hotter side of the grill, then moved to the cooler side to cook through. This method also reduced potential flare-ups (which often occur with lamb).
Before You Begin
While loin and rib chops are especially tender cuts of lamb, they tend to dry out if cooked past medium because they have less intramuscular fat than shoulder chips. To make these chops worth their high price, keep an eye on the grill to make sure the meat does not overcook. These chops are smaller than shoulder chops; you will need two for each serving.
Instructions
- Light a large chimney starter filled with hardwood charcoal (about 2 1/2 pounds) and allow it to burn until all the charcoal is covered with a layer of fine gray ash. Build a two-level fire by stacking most of the coals on one side of the grill for a medium-hot fire. Arrange the remaining coals in a single layer on the other side of the grill for a medium-low fire. Set the cooking rack in place, cover the grill with the lid, and let the rack heat, about 5 minutes. Use a wire brush to scrape clean the rack.
- Rub the chops with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Grill the chops, uncovered, over the hotter part of the grill, turning them once, until well browned, 4 minutes. (If the chops start to flame, drag them to the cooler part of the grill and/or extinguish the flames with a squirt bottle.) Move the chops to the cooler part of the grill and continue grilling, turning once, to the desired doneness, about 6 minutes for rare (about 120 degrees on an instant-read thermometer) or about 8 minutes for medium (about 130 degrees).
- Remove the chops from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
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