I will apologize now. It’s January, that time of year when many of us torture ourselves with resolutions. New diet, no drinking, eating less meat…sound familiar? This week’s recipe, on the other hand, is all about decadence and indulging. It’s a dish so delicious that it will have you reaching for your favorite glass of red. So…I’m sorry, Dry-uary is out the door as we cheers to a memorable meal.
This week on the menu, wood-fired lamb rib chops. I take a beautifully marbled rack of lamb, cut it down into individual chops, and cover it with a marinade of fresh herbs, garlic, ginger and lemongrass. The chops turn crispy, golden brown as they cook over the direct, intense heat inside the Bull pizza oven. Hot, cherry wood embers sit directly below the lamb as the fat drips down onto the fire. A smoky cloud hugs the meat, intensifying the flavor and texture of the chops. If I haven’t said it before, hands down, this is the most delicious way lamb chops should be cooked and enjoyed.
Chef’s Note:
- For this recipe, I used Bull’s stainless rectangle flexi grilling basket to cook the chops. The basket has a flexible wire that expands to fit the shape of your food. The latch at the bottom closes together each side of the basket, making it easy to flip over the fire. This feature also securely holds the chops into place.
- 10 lamb rib chops (around 2 - 2 ½ pounds total)
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, smashed and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemongrass, bottom section, smashed and roughly chopped
- ½ cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Marinade: In a bowl, add the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, parsley, salt, pepper and olive oil. Mix with a spoon. In a non-reactive dish, place the lamb rib chops down and add the marinade on top. Using your hands, work the marinade all over the chops and allow to sit in the fridge for 1 to 4 hours. Remove from the fridge 35 minutes prior to cooking to allow the meat to come to room temp.
- Building the fire: Preheat the Bull pizza oven to 450 - 500 degrees. Allow the fire to burn about 30-40 minutes until embers start to form.
- Bricks and hot ember placement: Blace two bricks near the opening of the pizza oven. Space the bricks apart so the Bull grilling basket edges will rest on the bricks. Using the Bull ash shovel, spread the hot embers in between the two bricks and and back far enough so that the entire area of the basket is directly over the hot embers to cook with direct, intense heat.
- Placing lamb into basket: Open the basket and place the marinated chops down. Season again with kosher salt and pepper. Close the basket and secure close with the latch.
- Cooking the lamb chops: Carefully place the basket on the bricks directly over the hot embers. Allow the chops to turn crispy, golden brown, about 4 minutes. Carefully flip the basket over and allow the chops to finish cooking, another 4 minutes.
- To serve: Place the chops onto a plate, season with kosher salt, drizzle with your favorite extra virgin olive oil, and enjoy with a glass of your favorite red wine.
♥ Chef Amy
FabUlous! A complete meal with a glass of Red! Great January pleaser!
You bringing the red??