Smoked Lamb Chops

Don’t be intimidated by lamb. These are easy and absolutely delicious and one of the most flavorful cuts of Lamb. When smoked, it really balances out the traditional gamey flavor.

Try this Smoked Lamb Chops Recipe. Many people will say lamb is best done hot and fast on a grill. Although I agree with that, I don’t agree that it’s not a candidate for cooking in a smoker. You may use this recipe on lamb roasts and chops with great results. The steps are:

1. Marinate
2. Sear
3. Smoke in a preheated smoker

Ingredients

Marinade

4 large shallots
4 cloves garlic
2 T rosemary
1 serrano pepper, seeded
3/4 C olive oil
2 t cracked black pepper
1 t juniper berries
1 T spice rub
1 t salt
1 T orange zest
juice of 1/2 orange

Lamb Rub

Qty     Unit
0.25   C      Paprika
0.25   C      Garlic Powder
5.00   t      Onion Powder
1.00   T      Salt
1.00   T      Black Pepper
1.00   T      Cane sugar
1.00   T      Sage
1.00   T      Thyme
1.00   T      Smoked Tomato
1.00   T      Guajillo Chile
1.00   T      Pasilla Chile
1.00   t      Cumin
1.00   t      Ginger
1.00   t      Clove
1.00   t      Caraway
0.50   t      Juniper

Directions

Stick all the marinade ingredients into a food processor and whizz it up. I use a mortar and pestle, but an FP works just fine. Cover the meat with the marinade and let it sit at least two hours, preferably overnight.

Remove the meat from the marinade and sear it on a very hot grill or cast iron pan.

Preheat your smoker to the highest possible temperature. I get mine up to about 250 F with full smoke. Put in the meat and cook it until it’s just medium rare. I like about 130 – 135 F internal, but this will vary by taste and by the cut of meat (large roasts should come out a little earlier because of temperature overshoot).

If you want, you can also use a dry rub.  You can substitute or leave out any of the hard-to-find ingredients, like smoked tomatoes. Don’t worry about that part of it, just have fun and experiment a little.