Grilled Lamb Chops

Lamb is unfamiliar to many Americans. When you first taste it you will either love it or hate it.

Lamb is generally on the menu in some better US restaurants. It is always served in Arabia countries and is a popular dish in France.
Lamb is meat from sheep less than 1 year old. Most are brought to market at about 6 to 8 months old. Lamb is usually tender because it is from animals less than 1 year old. However, look for good marbling (white flecks of fat within the meat muscle), and meat that is fine textured and firm. In color, the meat should be pink and the fat should be firm, white, and not too thick.

There are five basic major (primal) cuts into which lamb is separated: shoulder, rack, shank/breast, loin, and leg.

The "rack" is the un-split primal rib (sometimes called the hotel rack) of the carcass which includes ribs 6 through 12. The rack is split to make two primal lamb rib roasts. A "lamb crown roast" is made by sewing two rib roasts together to form a circle or crown.

Chops can come from various primal cuts. "Loin" chops and "rib" chops are the most tender. Less expensive "blade" and "arm" chops (from the shoulder) and "sirloin" chops (from the leg) can be just as tender, but they are not as visually attractive because the meat is separated by bands of connective tissue.

The fell is the thin, paper-like covering on the outer fat. It should not be removed from roasts and legs because it helps these cuts retain their shape and juiciness during cooking. The fell has usually been removed at the market from smaller cuts, such as chops.

Defrost any ground frozen lamb or lamb chops in the refrigerator then bring the lamb meat to room temperature before cooking it. If you have a frozen leg of lamb, let it defrost in the refrigerator and allow it to age for one week before cooking. When cooking lamb, do not cook it above medium rare. There are recipes that call for the use of raw lamb, raw lamb is safe to consume as long as it has been constantly refrigerated at 38-40-F (4.C) and if frozen, thawed out in a refrigerator at that temperature until preparation. Enjoy.

Below is a cooking chart to use.

Cut of Lamb	Size	Cooking Method	Medium Rare (145 degrees F)	Medium (160 degrees F)	Well Done (170 degrees F)
Lamb Leg, bone in	5 to 7 pounds	Roast 325 degrees F	20 to 25 min./lb., 145 degrees F	25 to 30 min./lb., 160 degrees F	30 to 35 min./lb., 170 degrees F
Lamb Leg, bone in	7 to 9 pounds	Roast 325 degrees F	15 to 20 min./lb., 145 degrees F	20 to 25 min./lb., 160 degrees F	25 to 30 min./lb. 170 degrees F
Lamb Leg, boneless, rolled	4 to 7 pounds	Roast 325 degrees F	25 to 30 min./lb., 145 degrees F	30 to 35 min./lb., 160 degrees F	35 to 40 min./lb. 170 degrees F
Shoulder Roast or Shank Leg Half	3 to 4 pounds	Roast 325 degrees F	30 to 35 min./lb., 145 degrees F	40 to 45 min./lb., 160 degrees F	45 to 50 min./lb. 170 degrees F
Cubes, for Kabobs	1 to 1-1/2 inch	Broil / Grill	N/A	8 to 12 minutes, 160 degrees F	N/A
Ground Lamb Patties	2 inches thick	Broil / Grill	N/A	5 to 8 minutes, 160 degrees F	N/A
Chops, Rib or Loin	1 to 1-1/2 inch thick	Broil / Grill	7 to 11 minutes, 145 degrees F	15 to 19 minutes, 160 degrees F	N/A
Leg Steaks	3/4 inch thick	Broil / Grill 4 inches from heat	14 to 18 minutes, 145 degrees F	14 to 18 minutes, 160 degrees F	N/A
Stew Meat, Pieces, Shanks	1 to 1-1/2 inches thick, 3/4 to 1 lb.	Cover with liquid; simmer	N/A	1-1/2 hours to 2 hours, 160 degrees F	N/A
Breast, Rolled	1-1/2 pounds	Braise 325 degrees F	N/A	1-1/2 to 2 hours, 160 degrees F	N/A

Source: USDA

Grilled Lamb Chops ingredients list



Rack of lamb.
1 cup of redcurrant jelly.
1 cup of poupon mustard.
1 cup of white wine.
½ cup of butter.
½ cup of minced shallots.
2 teaspoons of crushed rosemary.


Instructions for Grilled Lamb Chops

Mix the red currant jelly and poupon mustard in a suitably sized saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes to melt the jelly.

Remove the lamb chops from rack and French cut.

Allow the sauce to completely cool. Submerge the chops in sauce and allow to marinade overnight in refrigerator.

Grill over coals for 5 minutes, basting with sauce as it cooks. Turn once halfway through.

Prepare garnish sauce by browning shallots in butter and stirring in the wine and the crushed rosemary.

Serve the lamb with garnish sauce.