Grilled Lamb Chops – juicy and smoky lamb chops marinated in a 5-ingredient marinade; Oozing with rosemary garlic and herb-y flavors with a little kick in between bites. SUPER easy, fancy, and finger-licking good! A must-have on your spring and summer grilling.
There are those few people who find lamb’s meat flavor too strong to their liking – I’m one of those. In fact, this is my second Lamb recipe after nearly four years of blogging. Lamb lovers, please don’t hate me!
But it all changed after I went to a resto with hubby and ordered some fancy lamb grilled chops. Oh boy! If it was a backyard BBQ, I’d eat those by the hands and nibble them down. š And thus, the urge to nurture my love for anything lamb.
And this recipe comes just in time for all the spring and summer grilling. Already dusted off my BBQ grill to get into action!
If you’re still on the fence about lamb meat, fear not. You’ll be a convert right after you finish a chop and would go for seconds and thirds.
This Grilled Lamb ChopsĀ recipe here is nothing but goodness – all the flavors tingling in your mouth in every bite.Ā
These ones that I got here are a cut from the center (rib) section of the lamb and usually come with a long rib bone with meat at the end. It may not be the meatiest of all chops, but these make a lovely visual presentation with a smooth tender flavor – something you’d pay for a price.
While salt and pepper would do fine, these fancy cuts here deserve some effort. Lamb meat complements well with the herb-y flavors of rosemary, thyme, oregano – to name a few.
Lamb rib chops don’t require any wine marinating, as they are already tender compared to the shoulder or leg chops. What I did here is blending all the ingredients in a food processor, for the best flavors, and marinate the lamb chops for an hour. But as always, the longer you marinate, the better.
If you can marinate it overnight, go for it. Otherwise, if you’re press with time, marinating it for an hour would already allow the flavors to blend in with the meat.
What’s even lovable with this lamb recipe, is that you only need 5 simple ingredients for the marinade. Yes! You probably have all 5 of the ingredients sitting in your cupboard.Ā
To add a little kick, I added a dash of my homemade Creole Seasoning for that extra layer of flavor (you can replace it with paprika).
These grilled meat here is perfect for your next backyard BBQ party, like this coming Cinco de Mayo celebration OR simply for an easy indulging meaty dinner. If you want a quick grilled chicken instead, check out my Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast recipe. Pair it with your favorite vegetable salad and a bottle of wine, and you’re all set.; certainly half the price of those you’d order in fancy restaurants. š Happy grilling!
- Salt and pepper lamb chops. Set aside.
- Blend the seasonings: In a food processorĀ or using a mortar and pestle, blend rosemary, garlic, creole seasoning or paprika, thyme, and white pepper.Ā
- Marinate: For at least an hour, marinate the lamb chops with the herb mixture. For best results, let it marinate overnight in the fridge. The longer the better.
- Prep the grill: When ready to grill, bring lamb chops to room temperature. Remove marinate from chops. Heat up a grill, cast iron, grill pan until hot. Cook lamb chops for about 3 1/2 -5 minutes per side flipping once, until browned and cooked to desired doneness.Ā When the lamb chops are done to your liking, take them off the grill and let them rest for about 10 minutes.
Grilled Lamb Chops
Ingredients
- 6 lamb chops , about 3/4-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves
- 2 large garlic cloves , crushed
- Creole seasoning (replace with paprika)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Salt and pepper lamb chops . Set aside.
- In a food processor or using a mortar and pestle, blend rosemary, garlic, creole seasoning or paprika, thyme and white pepper.
- Marinate the lamb chops with the herb mixture for at least an hour. For best results, let it marinate overnight in the fridge. The longer the better.
- When ready to grill, bring lamb chops to a room temperature. Remove marinate from chops.
- Heat up a grill, cast iron, grill pan until hot. Cook lamb chops for about 3 1/2 -5 minutes per side flipping once, until browned and cooked to desired doneness .
- When the lamb chops are done to your liking, take them off the grill and let them rest for about 10 minutes.
Tips & Notes:
- When choosing lamb meat perfect for quick grilling, you choose around these three: rib, loin, or sirloin chops. Shoulder or leg chops need a marinade to make it tender enough for grilling. You can view other lamb cuts HERE.
- Trim off any hard pieces of fat around the edges of the chops to reduce the flareups.
- Let it marinate in the fridge in a dish or container covered with plastic wrap.
- Adjust grilling time depending on your preferred doneness of the meat.
- When you're done grilling, let the lamb chops rest for 10 minutes before serving them.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. Please keep in mind that it is a rough estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary greatly based on the products used.
Viviane says
Hey Imma, It doesn’t say the amount of creole seasoning to be used in the ingredient list just thought I would give you a heads up xx
ImmaculateBites says
I usually season according to preference . J
Don M says
Imma, you nailed this one! It will be a hard act to follow. I just stepped away from the table after having one of the best meals I have ever had. And what surprises me is that it was lamb! What drew me in to this lamb recipe was your comment regarding the fact that lamb wasnāt necessarily your favorite. It isnāt mine, either, so I figured that if you found a way to cook it that you liked, I needed to try it. I was not disappointed.
I prepared it exactly as per your recipe, using the homemade creole seasoning. I highly recommend that for anyone that makes this, to marinate the meat a full 24 hours. I did. I was a little worried that that the spices would be so overpowering that you could not taste the meat at all. Not the case. It complements the meat to make it delicious. The salt did not dry out the meat. Lamb is very fatty, so it would be hard to dry out. Also I highly recommend that it be cooked over charcoal. It adds a nice smoky flavor and you can get a good crisp on the fatty edges.
I served it with a Spanish Roasted Potato Salad https://food52.com/recipes/4734-spanish-roasted-potato-salad and a sweet broccoli, carrot, raisin, sunflower seed salad. (Cheated, bought it at the local deli) Everything went together very well. This was for my wifeās mother day dinner.
My daughter was in town from Houston. She likes lamb and has access to some upscale restaurants that serve lamb, to compare. She loved it too. Everyone was gnawing the tasty, crisp bits of meat off the bone!
Thank You!
imma africanbites says
I’m beyond happy just by reading your comment, Don. So sweet of you to prepare this for your wife’s Mother’s Day Celebration. Indeed, that smokey flavor is a great touch with all the flavors for this meat. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Have a wonderful day! š
Sandra says
Can lamb chops be baked and still come out juicy and flavourful?
imma africanbites says
Hi, Sandra! I haven’t tried baking these, but definitely will try it some other time. I guess it’ll come out juicy except that you won’t have that smokey flavor. Please let me know how it turns out. š
Urban @ urbanskitchen.com says
Great post write up and recipe. luv me some Lamb!! Surely one my favorite meats. These Lamb Chops look awesome. Sating ahead donāt dry out the meat, as it allows the flavors to penetrate a bit into the meat as well help tenderize it. Especially if itās sitting in a seasoned marinade.
ImmaculateBites says
Thank you so much Urban. You always have such insights.
Shaun says
Won’t salting the chops a day previous draw out all the meat juices?
imma africanbites says
Hi, Shaun. Actually it doesn’t. It actually intensifies the flavor while retaining that juice.
Christie says
Did you soak your meat to get the gamey taste out before seasoning?
ImmaculateBites says
No I didn’t .