Lamb Loin Chops - Minty Cool Refreshment

Long before I started the Year of Meat quest, my wife and I would watch many an episode of many a show on Food Network Channel.  Perhaps our most watched is Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, hosted by Guy Fieri, who would drive his vintage car across the country to find some of the best local grub you could find.  We have been inspired to make dishes we'd never tried, and visit some local Chicago places highlighted on his show.  WhatI hadn't done yet this year was make one of Guy's recipes from FoodNetwork.com.  Well, with the Lamb Chops, we may have just begun an irreversible trend.

As for the Chops themselves, a visit to Paulina provided me three chops weighing in at 2 lbs total.  Now, these are bone-in.  But for context, there are some recipes that call for 8 chops to weigh roughly 2 lbs.  I cooked 3 chops at 2 lbs.  That is how thick these chops are.  Amazing!  As for the recipe found here, I must say that there was a level of ease and simplicity that punched some incredible flavors and "keeper" status when it comes to the likelihood of making these again.  First the rub.  I took olive oil and rubbed down the chops.  I combined some thyme, oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper into a rub, and covered the chops in it.  While that sat (and while the Big Green Egg was getting good an hot), I used a food processor to create a Mint Pesto for the Lamb (post-grilling).  In went garlic cloves, pine nuts, fresh basil, fresh mint, fresh parsley, grated parmesan, salt, pepper and olive oil, and pulsed it to the right consistency.  As for the recipe, it's as simple as that.  A relatively simple rub for pre-grilling.  And a relatively simple pesto for post-grilling.  Throw that on a plate with some crispy potatoes and a side salad, and you have a minty fresh meal that can't be beat.

Now, since this is a blog about meat (and not just about rubs and pestos), let me share a few words about these chops.  In some recipes, it's suggested to cook these for 3 - 5 minutes per side for medium rare.  Because of the thickness of these chops, we had to go closer to 8 minutes per side.  Now, that seems like an eternity for lamb loin chops, and it is.  But there are two very awesome things to keep in mind.  First, these are Paulina extra thick chops (I swear, these are twice as thick as normal), so they'll take longer to get to medium rare in the center.  Second, because of the extra duration (and the amazing rub), these chops got a char on the outside that was absolutely crazy delicious.  Truly crazy.

34 down, 27 to go!