Smokey Grilled Lamb Chops

grilled lamb

it's no secret, I have a deep love for lamb.

If I go out to a restaurant and see lamb on the menu, I usually stop looking.  My mind has been made up.

I think its because I grew up with it as often as I did with your more common meats like beef and chicken.  Lamb was typically part of a weekly meal. For me, lamb is comfort food.

I know many people still stay away from it saying is has a "gamey" taste but I believe its all in how you clean it. Lamb does have a lot of fat, and when that fat isn't trimmed properly, that gamey taste is more pronounced. I trim off as much fat as possible - I also hate chewing on fat so that most definitely has a lot to do with it.  I also do a quick rinse in white vinegar.  And when I say a "quick rinse", I mean no more than 30 seconds.   I'm not really 100% sure why, but this is how my parents have always cleaned meat and I just continue it. My mom used to say that if its in vinegar for long it would start to cook the meat and we're not trying to do that just yet!

While my parents prefer all of their meats cooked well done, I prefer mine medium rare - especially lamb. Its such a delicate meat when cooked this way. And it takes less time to cook, which is perfect for those nights when you just came home from work and nothing is prepared. 

Which is why this recipe is so perfect. it's quick and easy. And I love easy.

I made mine on a cast iron grill but you can easily do this on the barbecue. I added a little bit of liquid smoke (a little goes a long way!) because I love that smokiness. You can find the liquid smoke at most grocery stores now and of course at your local specialty shops as well.  Because you only need so little for each recipe, the bottle lasts a long time! Everything else in this recipe, you probably already have in your fridge.

smokey BBQ lamb chops

Smokey Grilled Lamb Chops

Serves: 4

Prep time:

Cook time:

Ingredients:
  • 4 lamb shoulder chops
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 4 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2-3 shakes liquid chipotle smoke
  • 2 garlic cloves – roughly chopped
  • a few slices red onion
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions:
  1. mix all ingredients together
  2. Preheat a cast ion grill to medium high heat
  3. grill on each side for 2-3 minutes for a medium rare (or longer if you prefer a more well done lamb).