Grilled Lamb Chops – These juicy and smokey lamb chops are marinated in a 5-ingredient marinade oozing with rosemary, garlic, and herby flavors with a little kick in between bites. This recipe is easy, fancy, and finger-licking good! It’s a must-have for your spring and summer grilling repertoire.
There are those few people who find lamb’s meat flavor too strong for their liking, and I’m one of them. In fact, I realized that this one was only my second lamb recipe after nearly four years of blogging. Lamb lovers, please don’t hate me!
But that all changed after I went to a restaurant with my hubby and ordered some fancy grilled lamb chops. Oh, my word! If I had been at a backyard BBQ, I would’ve chowed down on those babies until nothing was left but the bone. 😀 And thus, the urge to nurture my love for anything lamb was born.
Content…Why Grill? |
Why Grill Lamb Chops?
If you’re still on the fence about lamb, try this recipe. I swear you’ll be a convert as soon as you finish your first chop. I like to choose a cut from the lamb’s center (rib) section, which features long rib bones with meat at the end. It may not be the meatiest of all chops, but they make a lovely visual presentation with a smooth, tender flavor – something you’d pay a hefty price for at a restaurant. Herby flavors highlight the lamb’s best flavor qualities here and will have you heading back for seconds and maybe even thirds! 😆
Recipe Ingredients
- Lamb Chops – A tender cut of lamb that is flavorful and pairs well with herbs and garlic.
- Fresh Herbs – Fresh rosemary and thyme leaves, along with fresh garlic cloves, add so much flavor to these chops. Of course, you can always use the dried variety in a pinch.
- Spices – White pepper and Creole seasoning add flavor and spice to the chops. If you prefer something milder, replace the Creole seasoning with paprika.
How to Make Grilled Lamb Chops
Prep the Chops and Seasonings
- Season the Chops – Salt and pepper the lamb chops. Set aside.
- Grind the Herbs – In a food processor or mortar and pestle, blend the rosemary, garlic, Creole seasoning or paprika, thyme, and white pepper.
Marinate
- Marinate – Rub the lamb chops with the herb mixture, ensuring each chop is covered evenly.
- Chill – Place the chops in an airtight container in the fridge while marinating. Let the flavors penetrate for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge for best results. The longer, the better.
Grill the Chops
- Room Temp – When ready to grill, bring lamb chops to room temperature. Remove the marinade from the chops.
- Fire up the Grill – Heat up your grill or a cast-iron grill pan until hot.
- Grill Those Babies – Cook the lamb chops for 3½-5 minutes per side (flipping once) until browned to the desired doneness.
- Rest – When the lamb chops are done to your liking, take them off the grill and let them rest for about 10 minutes. Serve!
Tips and Tricks
- Trim off any hard pieces of fat around the edges of the chops to reduce the flareups on the grill.
- Adjust your grilling time to your preferred doneness of the meat. And don’t forget to let the chops rest for 10 minutes before serving them so the juices can distribute evenly.
- Rib chops are already tender, so your marinade is all for flavor. If you can, marinate your chops overnight for maximum flavor. Give them at least an hour even if you’re pressed for time, and they’ll taste great. 😉
- Goat meat is popular in Africa and the Caribbean. Please don’t repeat my mistake by using lamb and goat interchangeably. They enjoy distinct flavor profiles, meaning different spices work best for each. For example, there’s nothing like a good goat curry.
Make-Ahead Instructions
The best way to enjoy grilled lamb chops is fresh off the grill. So, yes, prepare your herbs and spices and marinate these chops ahead of time (the day before), but grill when you’re ready to eat! It only takes a few minutes for these bad boys to reach grilled perfection.
If you do grill these ahead of time, you can reheat them in the oven or grill them on low heat; just note that they will be well done when you eat them. You won’t get that juicy medium-rare texture from fresh grilled chops.
Serving and Storage Instructions
Serve grilled lamb chops 10 minutes after grilling. Ask your guests how they like their chops cooked (i.e., rare, medium, or well-done) to calculate when to take them off the grill. I like to time when they go on the grill so that they all come off the grill at the same time.
You can store grilled lamb chops in an airtight container in the fridge. Leftovers will stay good for three to five days when refrigerated.
To reheat grilled lamb chops, set your grill or oven to a medium-low heat setting and reheat the chops until they are hot or about 10 minutes.
FAQs
That depends on your personal preference. Rare chops are ready at 120°F/49℃, medium rare at 125°F/52℃, medium at 130°F/54℃, and if you want well done, 145°F/62℃ or more. Lamb can take on a gamey flavor when cooked past medium.
With lamb chops, it’s all about the temperature. Undercooked lamb chops are too chewy, and overcooked chops tend to be tough and dry. For rib chops, aim to cook them to an internal temperature of 130℉/55℃. For loin chops, anywhere from 135-140℉/57-60℃ is ideal.
The USDA doesn’t recommend washing raw meat since it increases the risk of cross-contamination or spreading bacteria from raw meat to other foods and kitchen surfaces. That said, I wash my meat, then disinfect my work surface coz you don’t really know what happened to it before you got it. They say modern processing cleans meat, so further cleaning at home isn’t necessary. You can decide for yourself.
Since lamb chops have a more intense flavor than other meats, it’s nearly impossible to overdo things in the spice department. Earthy herbs and spices complement lamb nicely, such as fresh oregano, basil, sage, mint, thyme, and rosemary, as we use in this recipe. Robust spices like paprika, mustard powder, chili powder, coriander, cumin, and creole seasoning work well too. The sky’s the limit here, folks, so feel free to go wild with the seasonings.
What to Serve with Grilled Lamb Chops
I love to pair grilled lamb chops with fresh salads on the hearty side, such as a three-bean salad or a refreshing Greek salad. I almost always pair my chops with a side of potatoes, too. Fondant potatoes or garlic mashed potatoes are family faves around here. 🤤
More Recipes for the Grill
- Marinated Grilled Shrimp – These juicy shrimp are so delicious fresh off the grill and taste great over a bed of warm white rice.
- Jamaican Jerk Chicken – With the perfect balance of spicy and sweet, this chicken recipe is always a hit.
- Hawaiian Grilled Chicken Thighs – Pineapple and lemon make this dish incredibly moist, juicy, and flavorful.
- Spicy Grilled New York Steak – This is the perfect recipe for those of you who love to enjoy a restaurant-quality steak in the comfort of your own home.
- Caribbean Grilled Whole Red Snapper – This is THE grilled fish recipe for fish lovers. Loaded with flavorful spices, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it once you’ve tried it.
Conclusion
Heat up the grill and get those chops marinating! Even non-lamb lovers will adore this recipe, myself included. And don’t forget to let me know what you think about these juicy, flavorful chops in the comments section below. 😘
This blog post was first published in April 2018 and has been updated with an additional write-up and new photos.
Grilled Lamb Chops
Ingredients
- 6 lamb chops, about ¾-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
- Creole seasoning (or replace with paprika)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
- Salt and pepper the lamb chops. Set aside.
- In a food processor or mortar and pestle, blend the rosemary, garlic, Creole seasoning or paprika, thyme, and white pepper.
- Rub the lamb chops with the herb mixture, ensuring each chop is covered evenly.
- Place the chops in an airtight container in the fridge while marinating. Let the flavors penetrate for at least an hour or overnight in the fridge for best results. The longer, the better.
- When ready to grill, bring lamb chops to room temperature. Remove the chops from the marinade.
- Heat your grill or a cast-iron grill pan until hot.
- Cook the lamb chops for 3½-5 minutes per side (flipping once) until browned to the desired doneness.
- When the lamb chops are done to your liking, take them off the grill and let them rest for about 10 minutes. Serve!
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 them tender enough for grilling.
- 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.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
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 wasn’t necessarily your favorite. It isn’t 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 wife’s 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! 🙂
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. 🙂
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 don’t dry out the meat, as it allows the flavors to penetrate a bit into the meat as well help tenderize it. Especially if it’s 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 .