How to Grill Lamb Chops

Step 1

Trim the fat. Since we are grilling these lamb chops, it is best to trim the excess fat from the edges of the chop to reduce the flareups.  This fat won't add flavor in the cooking process (it's the marbled fat throughout the meat that adds flavor), and will only lead to oily flare ups.

Step 2

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Step 3

Clean and season. Rinse and pat dry the chops.  Brush both sides of the chops with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the dried rosemary, salt and pepper.  So far, pretty easy!  Leave the meat out of the refrigerator to come up to room temperature for about 1/2 hour.

Step 4

Grill prep. Next prepare your grill.  We'll be cooking with an open lid on direct high heat.  If using a gas let the grill heat up with the lid closed for 10 to 15 minutes before grilling.  This will allow the grates to get hot which will make nice grill marks and add to the radiant heat.  If you are using charcoal, start your coals in a chimney and then spread out the coals to create the three zones: no coals; 1 layer of coals; and 2 layers of coals.

Step 5

Once the grill is ready and the chops have been out of the fridge for 1/2 hour,  carefully oil the grates with a paper towel dabbed in vegetable oil (peanut works great).

Step 6

Grill the chops. Add the lamb chops to the grill and grill over high heat with the lid open.  If you get any flareups, move the chop to a cooler part of the grill until the flames die down.  After about 4 minutes, turn the chops over and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes.  As always, this varies based on the temperature outside, the temp and thickness of the meat, and the grill temp.  If you use a instant read thermometer, 155° F is medium.

Step 7

Let it rest. Remove the meat from the grill, cover and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Step 8

Eat and enjoy! In this case I served it with roasted garlic and smoked tomato couscous and grilled asparagus. Don't forget the mint sauce.