Pan-grilled Lemon Tarragon Lamb Chops, weeknight quick and naturally tender

A lemon juice/olive oil/tarragon marinade quickly tenderizes lamb shoulder chops and adds a lively citrus note. Recipe below.

Lamb is one of our favorite carnivorous pleasures. And shoulder lamb chops are one of our go-tos for scratching our occasional lamby itch. They’re typically one of the cheaper cuts, they cook quickly and they’re big on flavor. Unfortunately, they can also be chewy. The good news is there are simple techniques to tenderize these delicious chops.

The first is dry brining, which we’ve talked about here before. Essentially, you heavily salt chops or steaks with coarse Kosher salt for 15 minutes or longer, then rinse the salt off and cook them. The ions in the salt  alter the proteins in the meat, tenderizing the meat and keeping it moist during the cooking process. Sounds counterintuitive, but it really does work. This pork chop recipe explains dry brining in more detail.

Another approach is to use citrus juice. Acidic liquids such as lemon juice (or wine or vinegar) naturally tenderize meat—with a couple of caveats. First, keep the marinating time short. About 20 minutes is good. At first, an acidic marinade will break down the bonds in protein, making the meat tender. But after a time, the bonds will tighten up, becoming tough again. So longer isn’t better with citrus marinades—none of that “refrigerate overnight.”

Second, the marinade shouldn’t be too acidic. Combining the juice (or wine or vinegar) with olive oil tames it enough to make it work effectively.

An added benefit of using lemon juice to tenderize shoulder chops is that its flavor nicely balances the lamb’s richness. You don’t get a big, obvious lemon hit in this recipe. It’s more of a subtle citrusy brightness.

And finally, feel free to experiment. This recipe is as much about exploring a technique as it is “cook this dish.” Choose different herbs and different cooking methods (see Kitchen Notes). Choose different cuts of meat. Pork chops would respond well to this approach, as would steak. Switch out lime or pineapple juice for the lemon juice (although those will probably be more assertive in the final dish). Or use red wine or balsamic vinegar. All should work, and all should be delicious.

Pan-grilled Lemon Tarragon Lamb Chops
Serves 2

2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for the pan
1 teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed (see Kitchen Notes for other ideas)
2 lamb shoulder chops, about 8 ounces each
salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil and dried tarragon in a small bowl. Arrange lamb chops in a nonreactive container just large enough to accommodate them in a single layer (I used an 8-inch square glass baking dish). Pour lemon juice mixture over chops and turn chops a few times to evenly coat. Let lamb marinate in the lemon mixture at room temperature for 20 minutes, turning a couple/few times.

Heat a grilling pan over medium-high flame (see Kitchen Notes). Brush with olive oil. Season chops generously with salt and pepper and grill on one side for about 4 minutes. Turn and grill on the other side for 3 to 4 minutes (depending on thickness) for medium-rare; a quick-read thermometer should register 130 to 140°F. Plate and serve.

Kitchen Notes

Choose your herbs. Dried tarragon works nicely here. So would dried thyme. So would fresh tarragon, thyme or rosemary. If you use fresh, go with 2 to 3 teaspoons.

Choose your cooking method. A grill pan is quick and convenient, and it creates nice grill marks. You can also use a skillet (although the lamb produces a good amount of rendered fat, and the grilling pan’s ridges keep the chops from sitting in it). You can also cook them in the broiler or grill them outdoors—in the latter case, the added smokiness would be delicious.