Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops With a Greek Style Marinade

I love lamb and I especially love grilled lamb chops. I rarely have them though because lamb loin chops are so expensive. However, shoulder chops, while not as elegant, provide an economical and flavorful alternative. The trick is to make sure you have a hot fire so you get a nice sear and to not over cook the chops so they are nice and juicy. The chops were the centerpiece of a meal inspired by my garden, which is really starting to produce. I had a couple of nice green peppers and some eggplant so I made a ratatouille. This gave me the idea of putting together a Mediterranean style dinner last night. I made a marinade for the lamb using the Greek trio of garlic, lemon and fresh oregano from my herb garden. I also made a quick rice pilaf. The whole meal was scrumptious.

Grilled Lamb Should Chops With a Greek Style Marinade

4 T olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
juice of one lemon
1 T fresh oregano chopped
1 t. salt
4 grounds of fresh black pepper
6 lamb shoulder chops

Mix together the olive oil, garlic, lemon, oregano, salt and pepper. Marinate the lamb in this mixture for at least 2 hours. Prepare a hot charcoal fire or put the gas grill on high. Sear the chops on both sides. Remove chops from direct heat, put on the grill lid and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Chops are done when clear juice runs from the chops. Cove chops and let them rest for ten minutes.

Enjoy!

Time to Grill! (The best london broil marinade recipe)

Memorial Day Weekend at the Jersey Shore signals many things. For the locals like me, it signals lots of traffic on the weekends and our once lonely beaches crowded with folk from "up north", for several months. It signals the warm and balmy weather, and the date to plant the Big Boy tomatoes, pole beans and squash. For a foodie like me the most anticipated signal is the beginning of grilling season.

I have been trying to hone my grilling skills over the past few years. I used to be a gas grill man. Just step out onto the back deck, fire the grill and throw on the burgers, dogs or steak. It's quick and easy. However, grilling this way does not really add anything to the flavor of the food. So I made the switch back to old fashioned charcoal grilling. There are a couple of essentials for charcoal grilling. I got rid of my gas grill and picked up a Weber Kettle. I also picked up a fire chimney starter. Starting your coals this way eliminates the biggest objection to charcoal grilling which is taste of lighter fluid which can ruin the taste of a great steak. A fire chimney starter is a way to get red hot coals really fast. You put a sheet of newspaper in the bottom chamber of the starter and pile the charcoal in the top chamber. Light the newspaper with a match or lighter and about ten minutes later---searing hot coals. Another step that I took in my development as a charcoal griller was to buy hardwood chunk charcoal instead of briquettes. This kind of charcoal is more expensive, but it is worth the extra money.

Now that you have your grill set-up its time to grill and one my favorite things to grill is Savory Marinated London Broil. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Savory Marinated London Broil

1 4-7 lb. beef round for london broil (the oyster cut is the best if you can find it)

Marinade
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 clove of garlic smashed
3 T ketchup
2 T soy sauce
1 T Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Mix marinade ingredients together, pour into zip lock bag. Put London broil into bag and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Grill London broil until it is medium rare to medium (about 145 internal temp). Rest for 10 minutes. Slice thin across the grain of the meat. (This last step is especially important because if you don't the meat will be tough.)

Enjoy!