Easy Greek Grilled Lamb Chops with Tzatziki Sauce

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Spring is in the air and Easter is right around the corner. At last, its finally time to take the grill out of the garage to its rightful place on the patio in anticipation for some spring and summer recipes.

Grilled Lamb Chops are one of my absolute favorites to cook on the grill. The meat is tender, flavor packed and is a perfect easy option to celebrate a special occasion. With my fabulous flavor packed herb marinade, your grilled lamb chops will be the star of the show and perfect to serve at your next dinner party.

If you were like me, you probably have a preconceived notion that lamb has too strong of a flavor.  I remember the very first time I tasted lamb off a buffet nonetheless (never a good idea). It was “gamey” tasting and tough as a rock and I swore I would never taste it again. However, I changed my tune quickly, when served a perfectly cooked and tender properly seasoned lamb chop with garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano and lemon. Once your have tasted a perfectly cooked lamp chop, you will be a fan for life. One thing I have learned is that seasoning lamb is one of the best ways to balance out the “gamey’ flavor that you may find in lamb. 

One of the most important things about cooking lamb is buying a good quality piece of lamb. I purchased the lamb in this recipe from Sam’s Club which offers New Zealand grass fed lamb racks. Also higher end grocery stores tend to carry nice cuts of lamb. Another important thing about lamb is that you have to know what ingredients compliment the unique flavor of lamb.  Lamb is excellent when seasoned with garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, lemon, mustard and/or mint. This Greek inspired recipe for grilled lamb seasoning includes salt, garlic, rosemary, oregano and thyme.

I love to serve Tzatziki sauce with my lamb. Tip: Make your Tzatziki sauce the day before so the flavors have time to mingle into the perfect yummy sauce. Also another favorite I like to serve with my lamp chops is Spanakorizo – Greek Spinach Rice.

When cooking the lamb, It typically takes about 6 to 8 minutes to cook grilled lamb chops, though that will depend on the thickness of the chops and the temperature of your coals. Light the grill to medium-high, place the lamb chops over direct heat and grill, turning once about halfway through. They will need about 6-8 minutes for rare, 8-10 minutes for medium, 12-15 minutes for well done. We do not own a fancy grill, just a simple Kingsford Charcoal Grill and it grills perfectly.

If you are not a lamb fan or if you are just not sure you will like, I challenge you to purchase a nice piece of lamb, marinate it the Greek marinade overnight and grill it to perfection. I believe you will change your tune with regard to lamb chops.

Easy Greek Grilled Lamb Chops

Recipe by Cooking with Aunt PamCourse: MainCuisine: American, GreekDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

These Lamb Chops are an easy dinner recipe for that special celebration made with a Greek inspired garlicy rosemary marinade and grilled to perfection!    

Ingredients

• 2 pounds rack of lamb or rib chops

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, finely chopped

• 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme, minced

• 2 teaspoons of fresh oregano, minced

• Zest of one lemon

• Juice from one lemon

• 2 teaspoons of salt

• 1 teaspoon of black pepper

• 1/2 cup of virgin olive oil

• Tzatziki Sauce:

• 2 cups plain whole fat Greek yogurt

• 1 large cucumber, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced

• 1/2 cup lemon juice

• 1/2 cup fresh dill, minced

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Finely chop the garlic, rosemary, thyme and oregano and add to a food processor along with the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper and blend until smooth.
• Place the lamb in a zip lock bag and pour the marinade over the lamb chops, making sure to coat them completely. Place bag in fridge and marinate the chops in the fridge for as little as 1 hour, or as long as overnight. I prefer to marinate overnight or for the entire day.
• When you are ready to cook the lamb, remove the bag from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for one hour before grilling.
• Preheat gas or charcoal barbecue grill to medium-high heat.
• Put lamb chops on the grill, placing them diagonally across the grill grates, and cook until you see nice grill marks, about 4 minutes. Turn lamb chops over and cook to your desired doneness, about 2 minutes more for medium rare, 4 more minutes for medium and 6 to 8 minutes more for well done.
• Let the lamb rest for a couple of minutes when you take it off the grill. Then season with sea salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
• Tzatziki Sauce:
• Place the yogurt, lemon juice, dill, garlic, and cucumber in a food processor, season with salt and pepper and puree until smooth. Transfer to bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.