Ina Garten Grilled Lamb Chops

Fire up your grill for this Ina Garten grilled lamb chops recipe! And swap traditional mint sauce for an incredible Moroccan marinade.

Her sauce includes pungent ingredients like mint, yogurt, lemon zest, and turmeric. And by marinating the chops for up to 24 hours, you ensure the meat absorbs all those delicious flavors.

I’ve reworked her recipe to suit my own tastes, but it still has her touch!

How To Make It

First, place the garlic, spices, lemon zest, mint, and 2 ½ teaspoons of kosher salt in the food processor bowl. Run the processor until everything is finely chopped.

Then, pulse the appliance while you drizzle 5 tablespoons of olive oil into the mix. Set aside.

In the small bowl, add the yogurt, lemon juice, and sriracha, stirring to combine.

When you remove the meat from its package, pat it dry with paper towels. Then, place the pieces in a single layer in the non-metal dish.

If necessary, use two dishes to ensure there’s only 1 layer of lamb chops.

Then, rub the finely-ground herb mixture evenly all over each chop. On top of that, only on one side of the meat, spread the sriracha-yogurt sauce.

Now, cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate the marinated meat for 6 to 24 hours.

When you’re ready to cook the lamb chops, get your coals hot. Then, rub the cooking grate with olive oil.

Make sure the grate is about 5 to 6 inches above the charcoal.

As soon as the coals are hot, sprinkle more kosher salt on the lamb chops. Next, place them on the cooking grate, with the yogurt side facing up.

Cook the lamb for 4 to 5 minutes on the first side, and then flip it. Continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes.

At this point, your lamb should be medium rare, but you can cut into it or use a meat thermometer to check.

When your meat is cooked through, remove it from the grill and place it on the serving plate. Then, cover it with aluminum foil and let it sit for 10 minutes.

That way, the juices will redistribute and stay in the meat when you cut it. Serve.

Easy Tips

• For a great-tasting dish, you need to start with high-quality meat. For good lamb chops, choose meat that has a light pink color. Also, you want the fat to be evenly distributed and to see streaks of red passing through the bones. Meat that looks like this will be very tender, and it will have a good flavor that’s not too strong. In general, these cuts are best for tossing on the grill: loin chop, rack or rib chop, rump, shoulder, and leg.


• If you see excess fat around the edge of your cut, trim it off. Because it’s on the exterior, you won’t get any extra flavor from it.


• Grilling Lamb chops is easier if they sit for a little before you place them on the grill. So, when you take them out of the refrigerator, pat them dry, add seasoning, cover the dish with foil, and let the meat rest.


• For the best grilled lamb chops, you want a tender center with a crispy crust. To achieve this, use 2 grill zones (or 2 grills if you have them).
  That way, you can sear the outside on a hot grill, and then slowly cook the inside on a cooler one. With this method, you won’t overcook the inside or burn the outside.


• Once you take your racks of lamb off the grill, cover them with aluminum foil, and let them sit for about 10 minutes before you cut into them. By doing this, you let the juices in the meat redistribute themselves. Otherwise, the liquid will pour out if you slice the meat immediately, and your lamb won’t be as juicy. As well, the meat will keep cooking even once it’s off the grill, so resting lets the internal temperature reach the right degree.

How to Reheat Grilled Lamb Chops

Microwave

First, put your leftover chops in a dish that’s safe for the microwave. Then, pour 2 or 3 tablespoons of broth or stock over them.

The liquid will help keep the meat tender.

Run the microwave for 30 seconds on high. Depending on your microwave, the meat may be ready now.

If it’s still cold, cook it for another 30 seconds, and then put it on a new plate for serving.

Oven

First, set your oven to 350 degrees F and allow it to preheat. While it’s heating, put your leftovers into an oven-safe dish and place two layers of aluminum foil on top.

Then, cook the leftovers in your hot oven for approximately 7 minutes. Next, flip the chops over, recover the dish, and bake them for another 5 minutes.

Keep cooking and flipping twice more, and your lamb should be nice and hot!

Grill

First, set your grill to 400 degrees F and let it preheat. When it’s hot, place the leftover chops in a single layer on the grate.

Then, cook them for about 4 to 5 minutes, flip them, and continue cooking for 5 minutes more. Finally, let them sit for 2 to 3 minutes once you remove them, and then serve.

Stove

Place a skillet on the stove over medium heat. Melt some butter or drizzle a little olive oil in the pan, and then put the leftover chops in.

Cook the lamb for about 3 to 4 minutes before flipping. Continue cooking and flipping every few minutes until the meat is hot.

Finally, remove the lamb from the pan and dig in!