There’s something special about combining mint with lamb – the mint really complements the delicate lamb flavour. And when you combine the mint with thick Greek yoghurt and use it as a marinade, you get the juiciest and most tender barbeque lamb chops that you have ever tasted.
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The best barbequed lamb chops
There’s something about the combination of lamb and mint that really sets the taste-buds tingling. Just try these recipes for lamb shanks with minted gravy and minted roast leg of lamb to see what I mean.
So when I was looking for new ways to cook lamb on the barbeque, my thoughts naturally turned to using mint.
I’ve combined mint rub (the powdered sort that you can find in packets in the spices aisle at the supermarket) with Greek yoghurt and tossed in a few sprigs of chopped coriander. This is a really simple marinade that you can literally throw together in seconds.
I think this combination of flavours works really well. The mint and yoghurt marinade keeps the lamb chops moist and juicy and provides a nice fresh tang, while the coriander adds an extra dimension of flavour. And because there is no sugar in the marinade there is less chance of the marinade burning while the lamb chops are being cooked over the hot coals.
With lamb chops being a relatively expensive cut of meat you want to make sure that they are perfectly cooked. I’ve been to far too many barbeques where the meat has been salted, slapped on the grill and left too long so that it ends up being dried out and tough. Half an hour in a tasty marinade makes the world of difference to any barbequed meat. Why not try this recipe for yourself next time you have a barbeque. I’m sure you agree that they are the best barbeque lamb chops you’ve ever tasted.
Recipe information
You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making these barbeque minted lamb chops on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Prep time – 10 minutes
- Marinating time – 30 minutes to overnight
- Cooking time – 10 minutes
- Yield – makes 8 barbequed lamb chops
- Calories – 421 per chop
- Main equipment – Barbeque. This is similar to the one that I use at home, but I like the look of this portable barbeque that you can take with you if you are going on a picnic.
Ingredients
Lamb chops – you can use rib chops as I’ve used here, or you can use the meatier leg chops. You should trim away most of the fat from the chops before putting them in the marinade. The fat takes longer to render out than the meat takes to cook and removing most of the fat makes sure it will be cooked through properly.
Mint rub – I normally buy my mint rub in packets from the spice aisle at the supermarket. It comes in powdered form and is also handy for rubbing over a joint of lamb before roasting it. If you can’t find mint rub you could substitute for mint sauce. Alternatively, you could ask the butcher at the supermarket whether he has any mint rub. You might find (as I did) that he will give you some from his own supply and not you charge for it!
Greek yoghurt – this is very thick unflavoured yoghurt. You can substitute for thick natural yoghurt.
Fresh coriander – this is optional, but I find it adds extra flavour – you can use as much or as little as you like, depending on your own taste.
Finally – I like to add half a teaspoon of salt (not pictured) to the marinade. If you don’t use salt in your diet you can leave this out.
How to make the marinade
This is simplicity in itself!
Place the mint rub, Greek yoghurt, chopped coriander and salt in a dish large enough to hold your lamb chops and give it a good mix to combine.
Submerge the chops in the marinade, making sure that the chops are completely coated.
Cover the bowl with cling film or aluminium foil and leave them to marinate for at least 30 minutes. If you are going to be using the chops immediately, you won’t need to put them in the refrigerator. However, it you are making them the day before you should store in the refrigerator, but allow them to come to room temperature before placing on the barbeque.
Barbeque the chops
Place the lamb chops on the barbeque grill over hot coals. Leave a coating on marinade on the chops, but brush off any excess.
Grill the chops for 8 to 10 minutes, turning frequently and basting with any leftover marinade.
If you have left a layer of fat on the outer edge of the chops, use a pair of tongs to lift the chops and hold them edge-on over the coals so that the fat has a chance to render out.
Allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes then serve with salads and crusty bread rolls.
Salads to serve with a barbeque
I love a good selection of sides and salads with a barbeque. Here are some suggestions that you may like:
- Creamy coleslaw with buttermilk dressing
- Copper penny salad (sweet and sour carrots)
- Salmon and red pepper pasta salad with corn
- Spicy mushroom fried rice
- Crustless broccoli and cheese tart
- Garlic stuffed mushrooms with ham and cheese
- Orzo pasta summer salad
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Frequently asked questions
You can certainly marinade these chops in advance. Just place the chops in the marinade and leave them covered in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Yes, just transfer the lamb chops and marinade into a large ziploc bag and you can freeze them for up to 3 months. To use let them defrost in the refrigerator and then barbeque as per the recipe instructions.
It all depends on the thickness of your lamb chops.
They will be cooked when they reach an internal temperature of between 125F to 130F (52C to 55C). This will cook them between medium rare and medium. If you want well done chops cook until the internal temperature reaches 135F to 140F (50C to 60C).
If you don’t have a digital probe thermometer you can use the palm test –
– Touch your middle finger lightly with your thumb. Press the fleshy part of your palm below your thumb. If the meat feels like this the meat will be medium rare.
– For medium cooked meat, touch your index finger to your thumb, and for well-done meat use your index finger.
Just remember, the firmer the meat feels when pressed, the more well-cooked it is.
Resting the chops for 5 to 10 minutes after removing them from the barbeque lets the juices settle and to allows the meat time to relax, giving you more tender chop.
Additional resources
Don’t forget to check out my handy Cookery Conversion Calculator if you want to convert any of your recipe measurements from grams to cups, ounces, tablespoons or millilitres and vice versa. You can also use the calculator for converting oven temperatures between Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Gas marks.
If you live at a high altitude you may find you need to adjust your baking recipes to compensate for this. You can read all about it in this post on baking at high altitudes.
Pin for later
If you would like to make this recipe for barbeque minted lamb chops, why not pin it to your Pinterest board so you can find it easily. Just click the image below.
The recipe
Barbeque minted lamb chops
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Ingredients
- 8 lamb chops approximately 1 pound or 450g
- 1 cup Greek yoghurt
- 2 tablespoons mint rub
- 1 tablespoon chopped coriander optional
- ½ teaspoon salt optional
Instructions
- Combine the Greek yoghurt, mint rub, chopped coriander and salt in a dish large enough to hold all the lamb chops and mix well.
- Submerge the chops in the marinade, making sure that the chops are completely coated.
- Cover the bowl with cling film or aluminium foil and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Place the lamb chops on the barbeque grill over hot coals. Leave a coating of marinade on the chops, but brush off any excess.
- Grill the chops for 8 to 10 minutes, turning frequently and basting with any leftover marinade.
- If you have left a layer of fat on the outer edge of the chops, use a pair of tongs to lift the chops and hold them edge-on over the coals so that the fat has a chance to render out.
- Allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes then serve with salads and crusty bread rolls.
Notes
If you don’t have a digital probe thermometer you can use the palm test –
– Touch your middle finger lightly with your thumb. Press the fleshy part of your palm below your thumb. If the meat feels like this the meat will be medium rare.
– For medium cooked meat, touch your index finger to your thumb, and for well-done meat use your index finger.
Just remember, the firmer the meat feels when pressed, the more well-cooked it is. Nutrition has been calculated based on each chop weighing 2 ounces or 55g each.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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