BBQ94/17 – Grilled Lamb Chops:
UK BBQ Week has started and this weekend is a curry themed weekend. We have been supported by Dan Toombs (aka The Curry Guy) who has allowed us to use some of the fantastic recipes from his wonderful book. I wanted to cook something from his book and as I read through the recipes I stopped at “Grilled Lamb Chops”. Recent trips to Dishoom have had me feasting on their char-grilled, tasty lamb chops and I was keen to try and make my own.
The Prep:
I placed an order with Turner & George for 800g (2×4 bone) rack of lamb (£18.50) and when they arrived I cut the chops by slicing between the bones then removing the skin and fat from the outside.
In a glass bowl I mixed rapeseed oil, chilli paste (green chilli and water), ginger paste (I cheated and used those jars of ginger and garlic then blitzed them with some water), garam masala (I had my own I had made the other week), turmeric, chilli powder and lemon juice. Once mixed I placed the lamb chops in the bowl and massaged the marinade over them before leaving them for 20 minutes.
I whisked the yoghurt in a cup with a fork then spooned it over the meat before flipping the chops and repeating. I left this in the fridge for 24 hours.
The Cook:
I fired up a full chimney of Oxford Charcoal Hardwood Blend and once it was fully lit I poured it into the charcoal baskets which I placed right in the centre of the grill. I was planning to use the hellfire halo again and wanted to cook the chops on the sear grate. I put the halo on the grill and left it for 10 minutes to heat up before I placed the lamb chops on to cook.
I gave the chops between 3 to 5 minutes per side and kept checking the temperature. I was aiming for 55C internal as I wanted it medium rare. Charred on the outside but nice and soft on the inside.
We are running competitions for UK BBQ Week, to enter you have to take a photo of your food, the bbq and the hashtag #ukbbqweek – like this:
Once the lamb chops hit 55C I took them off to rest for a bit then seasoned them with salt and pepper.
Time to Eat:
There were 7 chops and 2 of us eating them which meant we had a spare one right? Cooks treat!
The first bite was incredible, the char-grilled exterior led to very soft lamb meat which was followed by a kick from the spices. I was lost for words, this was better than the chops I love so much at Dishoom and I had made these myself!
I didn’t say anything and waited until my wife eat hers, she said they were the best chops she had ever eaten! We served them up with coconut and lime rice but could have eaten lamb chops all night long! Next time I will cook more of them and I will try to get some bigger, meatier lamb chops too.
I only marinated these for 24 hours, it would be interesting to push that out to 72 hours to see how much difference it made.
Overall, this was a fantastic dish. Thoroughly enjoyed it and it will go onto the hitlist to be cooked again!
Cook Equipment: | Hellfire Halo |
Cook Method: | Direct on the sear grate |
Charcoal: | Oxford Charcoal Hardwood Blend |
Smoking Wood: | None |
Cook temperature: | 250C |
Cook time: | 10 minutes |
Internal temperature: | 55C |
Notes: | 1: Buy more lamb chops!
2: Try and get bigger chops |