Lamb shoulder blade chop


 
M

Matt Sanders

TVWBB Pro
I've never cooked lamb before, in any way, shape, or form. But the grocery store had these pretty cheap, so I thought I'd experiment.

What are some good seasonings for lamb? (bearing in mind this is a fairly cheap cut. How should it be cooked? I'll be using my Performer. I was thinking offset to medium rare, with a lightly seared finish?

Thanks.
 
Treat them the same as you would a pork shoulder chop. Reverse sear and your favourite rub would work well.
 
Bob,

Thanks. Do you think it should be cooked to a med. rare, though, like beef loin, more well done, like a pork blade?

I thought lamb was usually rare/med. rare, but this is a shoulder cut, so I assume it's tougher.
 
med/rare should be fine. The more you cook it the tougher it will get. In my poor student days I lived off lamb for 6 months day in and day out so I haven't had it in awhile. It is very similar to pork in texture and cooking characteristics.
 
Excellent. Thanks, Bob.

I was thinking kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper for the rub, with a little olive oil.
 
NP Is this the first time you've had lamb? Hope you enjoy it, it's one of those things that you either love or hate.
 
It's the first time I can remember, anyway. I know it's a cheaper cut, but I figured what the heck. If I like it, I may try one of the fancier cuts.
 
Good luck. The shoulder chop is a fattier cut so would have more of a game flavour to it. Let me know how you like it. Maybe I'll try it again and see if I'm over my "lamb hangover". I used to love it.
 
Matt, I would marinate it with some red wine and Greek seasoning. That is how I usually make lamb. You can either find that seasoning in the dried herb section of the grocery store, or make your own by following one of the recipes on the board in the Rubs, Marinades section or check out the other meat section for lamb. For sure I would make them medium rare though.
 
I marinate my blade chops with chopped rosemary, garlic and lemon zest. This marinade results in a home run on all lamb dishes.
 
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I grilled them tonight.

I'm not a fan of mixing fruit flavors and meat, and I wanted to keep things simple, using ingredients and techniques I'm familiar with, to minimize the variables.

I was very pleased.

I rubbed the lamb chops with a simple mix of kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. I let it sit for about 2 hours, then fired up the Performer (thanks again for the advice on getting the Performer, Regina).

I cooked indirect at around 250 (lid temp) for about 20 minutes, and added a handful of oak chips for some smoke. After slicking the meat with some EVOO, I finished with a high heat sear.

It was very good. Very similar to beef, to my taste, but a little sweeter and more tender. It was more cooked than I thought, being a bit more medium, than med. rare.

I think I'll try a little fancier cut next time.
 
Nice to know it worked out for you. Try it again with the blade chop but give it a coating of the rub (try adding a bit of rosemary and/or marjoram or oregano ) and a coating in yogurt.
Let it sit (marinate) for a few hours or so, refrigerated. Shoot a bit more towards the rare side when grilling. Great stuff!
 
Awe Matt your welcome!
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Glad the chops turned out good for you. I am so happy for you that you bought the performer, cheers to you for many happy and delicious meals!
 
We eat lamb regularly in Australia - we cook it so many different ways. One of the best is grilled natural - Just seasoned with a little S&P
Fire up the grill to the same heat you would grill a steak - for a 3/4" lamb chop grill (lid down) for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes per side.
Enjoy.
If you want a little acidic flavour squeeze some lemon juice on it when you flip it. If you want to try a great flavour - slice a couple of lemons into 1/4 - 5/16" slices and grill them at the same time you grill the lamb turn them when you turn the lamb.

Cheers
 
Matt, yogurt helps to tenderize the meat much like using wine. You have to use plain yogurt. I have never tried this, as I always use red wine. But there are many recipes on the net that do use this, i.e. on the Food Network they have serveral recipes that use this ingredient.
 
Matt, As Regina noted there is some tenderizing benefits from the enzymes and lactic acid contained in the yogurt. It also acts a carrier for the rub. Additional, I sense a very subtle flavor.
A tiny bit of tang. I've always used plain, full fat yogurt in this application. One example.
Works well with chicken as well.
 
This is the way I did them last time. Click here. I have also used yogurt in marinade for chicken and goat. Use Greek yogurt though otherwise you need to put the yogurt on cheese cloth suspended above a bowl to drain the liquid from it. The yogurt basically evaporates away when you cook it.
 
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