Coarse kosher salt quickly tenderizes cheap cuts of lamb, and oranges and pomegranate molasses combine with roasted golden beets for a lively winter salad.
While I occasionally turn Blue Kitchen over to Marion for a post, in real life, we’re often in the kitchen together making a meal happen. That was the case recently for this quick weeknight dinner. So this week, you’ll find a pair of cooking posts. I’ll start off by telling you about the lamb; then in the second post, Marion will tell you about a beet salad with oranges and blue cheese quickly assembled using beets roasted the night before.
British music hall comedian Max Wall once said, “Show business is like sex. When it’s wonderful, it’s wonderful. But when it isn’t very good, it’s still all right.” That’s pretty much how I feel about lamb. It was love at first bite the first time I had roast leg of lamb. And lamb chops always catch my eye on restaurant menus.
But more modest cuts have their own lamby charm, especially now, with daily economic headlines making us all want to just pull the covers over our heads. One such cut is lamb shoulder arm chops. Cut from the arm portion of shoulder, these inexpensive chops are quite flavorful, but can also be on the chewy side. As Fox Fire Farms’ website puts it, “This does not mean the shoulder chop is not tender or of secondary quality. It simply means you can’t be in a hurry when cooking this delightful lamb chop.” They’re best suited for slow braising, which tenderizes them; but during the week, I have neither the time nor the patience.
Kosher salt to the rescue. Well, and Jaden over at Steamy Kitchen. I first used her technique for tenderizing steaks—by heavily coating them with coarse salt for 15 minutes or so before cooking—when I made Pan Seared Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce back in January. It worked so beautifully that I immediately had to try it on some tough but tasty lamb shoulder chops. What I discovered was a way to enjoy tender lamb without sticker shock or a long wait.
Pan Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops with Rosemary
Serves 2
2 bone-in lamb shoulder arm or blade chops, 6 to 8 ounces each
coarse kosher salt [you can also use coarse sea salt]
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary needles [or 1-1/2 teaspoons dry]
freshly ground black pepper to taste
canola oil [or other high smoke point cooking oil]
Place lamb chops on plate and salt generously with coarse kosher salt or sea salt on both sides, as much as a teaspoon per side. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse chops under cold running water and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Season on both sides with freshly ground black pepper and rosemary. DO NOT ADD ANY MORE SALT.
Heat a ridged grill pan over medium-high to high heat. [You can also use a regular skillet, but lamb tends to be fatty and throw off a lot of rendered fat; I personally don’t get this, because they look so skinny and fluffy.] Drizzle some canola oil in the pan and brush it around to coat the ridges. Add chops to pan and cook on one side for about 4 minutes. Turn and cook on the second side for about 2 minutes for medium rare. Plate and serve.
A couple of quick notes
Lamb and beets? Unbeatable. Marion’s beet salad in the next post was a perfect foil for the meaty richness of the lamb—bright, tart and earthy. A nicely complex mix that comes together quickly.
Read all about it, er, me. I was just interviewed by Nina for the November newsletter of Chicago Locavores, even though I warned her that I’m a locavore newbie. Read the interview and check out the rest of this exciting resource for shopping, cooking and eating local.
Isn’t that a great technique? I first heard about “salting” from Alton Brown. Now I do it with chicken and cheaper cuts of beef. Can’t say that I have done it with lamb. I tend to shy away from the shoulder cut unless I am grinding it or roasting larger cuts.
This dish sounds great expecially with the rosemary.
Thanks Terry,
I am not a big lamb lover and the past few times I’ve had it, it was bland in taste. I didn’t think about the Kosher salt idea and I use the same brand on all my cooking. Maybe now I won’t be afraid to try cooking lamb in the future! 😀
That looks insanely good!
Donald—Rosemary is often my go-to seasoning when I’m cooking lamb. Another is garlic. When we do a leg of lamb, it’s both!
Kim—I’ve heard lamb called many things, but never bland. Try the salt, along with some rosemary. I tend to undersalt food when I’m cooking, but this method seasons the lamb nicely. Too much salt is bad, of course, but I find that if something is tasting a little bland, adding a little more salt doesn’t necessarily make the food taste salty, but instead livens up the flavors there.
Thanks for stopping by, Olga!
What a beautiful blog you have. I love the salt method. I tried it with steaks and pork chops and it worked well.
yum!
honestly, Mark and I have to start cooking more often. It’s embarrassing how often we eat out because of our schedules.
Your blog inspires me to turn on my stove!
hey did you read this amazing article in the New Yorker several weeks ago? It’s about the restaurant Alinea in Chicago. Have you been there?
Here’s the link.
Thanks, Lisa! I haven’t tried salting pork chops yet. Okay, that’s next on my to-do list.
kitty—I totally understand the schedule thing. If you poke around here at Blue Kitchen, you’ll find lots of meals that come together pretty quickly. We have not, in fact, been to Alinea. Achatz, along with the experimental chefs behind Moto here, is redefining the art of cooking with science. And while I’m glad it’s happening here in Chicago, our tastes tend to run more toward Asian and neighborhood bistro cuisines.
That salt tip is great – I will be trying that technique very soon!
Your lamb chops looks amazing… I think I might have to buy some lamb in the next couple days!
I’m a huge, HUGE fan of both lamb chops and beets. I need to get some of that Pomegranate Molasses. I keep coming across great recipes in which to ultilize it!
Those lamb chops look really tasty! They would go well with those beets.
Good call on the salting and from a lover of lamb, that whole plate looks delicious! Plus rosemary and lamb are a match made in heaven
thanks for the tip on the coarse salt! never knew that. and this dish looks amazing. gosh im’ hungry already.
I tried the lamb chops (shoulders) with the sea salt changed up on the seasoning but this little trick worked the lamb was great It melted in our mouths thank you very much
Made this last night and it turned out great. Used a cast iron skillet instead of the grill and sauteed some mushrooms in the pan with butter and red wine after the lamb came out. Very easy recipe. We’ll definitely make this again.
Amazing lamb shoulder chops!!! I added some garlic and freshly squeezed lemon and they came out great! Thanks! Great Valentine’s Day dinner! My husband enjoyed it!
I made this last night- added some fresh minced garlic to the pepper/rosemary seasoning before pan searing. Turned out great!
I made this tonight, as well as the beet-orange salad. Excellent! Served w/ grilled asparagus. I salted for 1 hour, then put garlic, rosemary and pepper on the chops until it was time to grill. Thanks for this technique! I didn’t want to spend the time to braise. I cooked to medium rare, and it was acceptably tender.
Bought lamb shoulder chops from the butchers special section… ie: soon to expire… After much searching found your recipe. My hubby is new to lamb, and usually really dislikes dealing with bones and fat… He was literally licking his fingers and telling me to keep checking out the “special” section! Bravo to a quick midweek winner dinner!
Thank you!
Thanks, everyone! I’m delighted that this older recipe keeps seeing some action. And interestingly enough, Denise, I made a version of this for dinner last night. You’re right—it’s a quick and reliable weeknight dinner.
it’s actually best to season the steak (at room temp of coarse) before, but add salt right before it goes on the grill. otherwise the salt draws the juice out. you dont want that.
James, that’s what I used to think too—and the conventional wisdom. But when I tried this method, it made the meat wonderfully tender. The salt does draw moisture out at first, but then it is drawn back into the meat and actually changes the protein cell structure, tenderizing the meat. And Rob Levitt, owner of the Butcher & Larder, confirms its effectiveness. As chef at mado, he said they used to salt pork chops in the morning to make them tender for that night’s diners. I would encourage you to try this method—with the lamb chops or with steaks.
instead of pepper and rosemary, use freshly ground garam masala. you’ll get a burst of flavour from these spices that is much more satisfying than bland herbs like rosemary.
@harold richards
What is this blasphemy? Rosemary is one of my personal favorite herbs and a standby pairing with lamb.
Shoo! Away with your nonsense.
This recipe is golden. I made one change in that I put the rosemary and some garlic on the lamb with the salt to sit. It draws the flavor of the herbs into the lamb and leave it after the lamb is washed off, leaving your lamb flavorful and your grill pan much easier to clean when finished!
Harold, the garam masala sounds like a delicious change up. We eat lamb fairly often and are always interested in new ways to make it.
Nathan, that’s a great idea to let the slat also draw in the flavors of the rosemary and garlic. Thanks!
I stumbled upon this cut at the grocery store last night, googled it and your recipe came up! We’ll be eating lamb and celebrating Valentines Day with this tasty recipe tonight! 🙂
Happy Valentine’s Day, Jess! I hope you like it.
I love lamb chops and this cut was on sale at my local grocery store: 4 shoulder chops for under $5! I tried this recipe and while the salt did a great job of tenderizing the meat, I found it to be far too salty for my taste. Next time I’ll try less salt and some fresh garlic with the pepper and rosemary.
I am a Lamb lover,as it was on our dinner table often,as being Armenian we love lamb,I also let my leg of lamb sit in fresh garlic,red onions and bell pepper any color with burgundy wine or any red will do for kosher salt and pepper cut for shish kebabs One to two days ,then put on a skewer alternate with fresh red,yellow or red bell peppers tomatoes and onions inbetween each piece of lamb,served with wonderful rice pilaf and Armenian or fresh Greek salad, to die for ,you can add olive oil to the marinade also,this is a family favorite better than steak,you can use the cheaper pieces to make a good lamb broth for your pilaf also will be good and flavorful ,hope you try this 🙂
This recipe is quick and easy and so very tasty and tender! I made it last night. I had defrosted the lamb, but then did not have the time to slow cook it in the crock pot like I normally do (which also results in very tender meat), so I googled “fast tender lamb chops” and this recipe came up! I let it sit at room temperature with the salt for 45 minutes while I prepared assorted vegetables, and then rinsed the salt off (very important to do that) and then heavily covered them with fresh ground pepper, fresh ground dried rosemary leaves and garlic. Wow, the flavor was so good that I did not use the red pepper jelly that I usually put on lamb at the table! This is a keeper recipe; Thank you!
I pan seared and cooked three lamb shoulder chops. They were doing nicely and all of a sudden they started to curl totally up! I had to get scissors and cut all around to get them to lay flat, but I was never able to flip and get a good sear. Please help me understand why they curled? Was my pan too small, the 3 were laying side by side and touching?
Amy, the probable cause was a strip of fat along the edge of the chops, much like you see on pork chops. The fat tightens up as it cooks (think how bacon shrivels up) and pulls the chops tight, causing them to curl. Next time, try cutting through the fat every inch or so all the way to the meat before cooking. That should help avoid curling. Hope the still tasted good, though.
THANKS! First I want to compliment you on actually “responding” to me! I’ve been on a cooking adventure (with a diet) and have been attempting to bake whole wheat bread and NEVER get a rise. Two sites whose recipes I’ve used have NOT responded to my comments/questions. And then there is YOU! So kudos for your attention and respect to people. You are indeed right, I had forgotten all about cutting the fat and was racking my brain because the only other caveat I could remember was “which side of the fish to put down first” so it wouldn’t curl. The chops tasted GREAT and I will definitely try making them again! Glad to have met you and will certainly sit a bit and go through your website!
Thanks, Amy!
Thanks for sharing your recipe! This was my first attempt cooking lamb chops and I must say they were amazing! Simple recipe, short time required and excellent results!!!
Glad you liked it, Carla! We cook lamb a lot—search lamb on this site for more ideas. But these chops (or some variation) show up in our rotation every month or so.
Made this last night. What a great and easy recipe! Best lamb chops I’ve made. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for this recipe! I have made it at least 3 times…at least the lamb part. It has always come out great! Now I can’t stop myself from buying lamb shoulder chops when I see them at the grocery store, though! I’m not a huge fan of a lot of rosemary, so I actually mix the rosemary (minced) with the salt and then rinse most of it off so I get just a bit of rosemary flavor now. I made it tonight with some frisee sauteed with shallots and chanterelle mushrooms– also a great combo!
Great recipe! I’ve broiled many a lamb chop and brined pork chops before, but I’ve never cooked lamb shoulder or salted meat before, so I’m glad your recipe popped up in my search. We loved it!
P.S. @ Harold Richards – you must be using dried rosemary. Get some of the real stuff and you’ll never call it boring again. I chopped the stuff from my garden about an hour ago and I can still smell the marvelous resin on my fingers even after washing the pots and pans.
This is brilliant! I use grass-fed butter instead of canola (check out how it is made, it will put you off forever!) and I also rosemary I had dried myself. It was grand, fresh rosemary would be better but home-dried was pretty amazing. I buy California (where I live) lamb and I love to pay the cheaper prices for the ‘lesser’ cuts. When I was a kid lamb was dirt cheap and was not imported from New Zealand. This recipe has a blissful flavor that is not al all gamey. Thank you!
Simple, quick and tasted fantastic! I think the only thing I was concerned about was not to overcook the lamb. I used two pans, inch- thick cuts in one and sauteed fresh veggies in the other. Besides the time to let the salt sit, this came together quickly and was surprisingly tender! Your cook times for medium rare were perfect. Will certainly share this with friends and do again with confidence. Thanks!
This sounded so good, So we made it the other night. And was absolutely delicious. Thanks do much for sharing. Simon
Delicious! Happy to have this easy method to prepare lamb shoulder chops. We have these often since they are so economical. Tonight’s chops were quite thin so I only cooked them about 2 minutes or so per side. Sides were roasted vidalia onion halves and boiled mini potatoes with butter, salt and parsley. A fall dish if I’ve ever seen one!
I had picked up Ratatouille fixings and a lamb shoulder blade, and was concerned about how to cook the lamb so that it would be tender. I tend to cook bone in leg of lamb, so I’m all over that. This was quick, easy, and delicious. Thank you! My new go to cut of meat.
Came out way too salty for my wife–she could not eat the steak.
This will be my 1st atempt at Lamb shoulder chops, I sprinkled it with a small amount of tenderiser, Bottled crushed garlic, and about 1 1/2 tbs. of fresh chopped rosemary. covered with clear wrap for 2 hours in fridge. will brown on both sides for 2 min. each in iron skillet and then trans fer to Pressure cooker XL with 1 cup of beef bouilion with 1 lemon juiced. will cook on 30 mins. then check to see if tender. If not tender will set for 15 mins. and cook until tender. will add white wine ,1 ounce also . Just a trial. Hope it comes out well. Aquila Shaw