Don't remove fat from the chops before cooking them. The fat provides lots of flavor and your guests can take care of removing it on their plates.
Heat a dry griddle pan over a high heat until very hot. Put the chops in the pan fat side down and cook for four to five minutes until the fat renders and becomes crisp.
It's actually the spinal cord! A lamb chop is a bit of rib, attached to a bit of vertebra. The channel is the spinal canal, and the white stuff is nerve tissue. It's chewy and delicious, taking on the flavour of whatever it's cooked in.
A rare, or pink, lamb chop that has been seared well on the outside should be fine because any bacteria on the outer surface will have been killed by the heat. But minced or diced lamb or mutton should never be served pink. It needs to be thoroughly cooked and browned.
In our experience, we found most lamb cuts, whether a rack of lamb or lamb loin chops, taste best when served medium rare. So, the meat's internal temperature should reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius). It will have a nice, juicy pink center, and seared exterior.
I want my lamb to taste like lamb, but the more fat you leave on it the lambier it will be. That being said, cooking the lamb fat-side down will prevent a lot of that fat from coating the rest of the meat. It's your call how much you want to trim.
Fat Thickness
Measured at the 12th rib, it is the single factor used in yield grading ribbed lamb carcasses. The normal range is 0.05-. 5 inches with an average of . 25.
They give lamb its particular "gamy" flavor. This is in part because lamb has a strong and distinctive flavor. It's a flavor that comes mainly from its fat—in particular, branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) produced by bacteria in the lamb's rumen.
Use your lamb tallow in hot dishes, such as roasting vegetables, or searing meat, especially lamb. Don't use lamb tallow in dishes that will be cooked and served cold, as the fat will s0lidify. Cook the tallow in a crock pot for the easiest rendering, since cooking it on the stove makes it more likely to burn.
Peanut oil, canola oil, or extra light olive oil are better choices. Rather than using it as cooking oil, adding butter to the pan just a minute or two before you finish cooking is not a bad idea. This adds a buttery flavor and texture to coat the meat, but not so long that it will burn excessively.
Temperature is by far the most critical aspect of cooking lamb chops. Undercooking even tender lamb chops can render them unpleasantly chewy, while overcooking will lead to tough, dried-out meat. Rib chops should be cooked to about 130°F, while loin chops are better at 135°F or even 140°F.
LUMINA LAMB FRENCHED RACK (CAP-ON)
This is a premium cut, beloved by chefs but easy to cook. It is the first eight ribs adjacent to the loin, a very tender cut. This cut has had the backbone removed so it can be easily sliced into small chops or cutlets (aka French lamb cutlets) before or after cooking.
Our new lamb chops are “frenched” and “cap off,” which means that the rib bones have been cleaned of fat and are exposed. We always say that the cleaned bone makes a good handle.
High intakes of saturated fat may increase blood cholesterol levels and your risk of heart disease. But, lamb is a significantly a better source of iron, zinc and vitamin B12 than chicken, meeting 10 percent or more of your daily value.
Rump. Also referred to as chump, rump comes from the back side of the lamb where the top of the leg meets the loin. It's a plump yet lean cut, with a generous layer of fat to keep the meat juicy. Unlike beef rump, lamb rump isn't quite as popular, but it definitely should be.
We often hear "good fat” or “bad fat", but lamb meat consists of unsaturated fat which is considered to be a “good fat”. Unsaturated fats are found in fish and vegetables. These fats help prevent arteriosclerosis, blood clots, and assist in lowering blood pressure and “bad” cholesterol levels.
Grilling temperatures usually range from 375–450°F (190–232°C) and so when lamb is grilled at these high temperatures, the fat melts down and drips onto the grill or cooking surface (which should be wiped and removed as soon as possible).
“It tastes like lamb—a lot. It's not gamey the way a squab breast can taste a little like liver, or venison could be considered gamey, or hare. It's . . . extreme lambiness.”
As the end of the cooking time draws near, press the outside centre of your lamb lightly with tongs or a clean fingertip to judge its degree of doneness. As a rough guide: Very soft = rare – bright red, raw centre. Soft = medium rare – pink inside with a red centre.