Karoo-style lamb chops

Name: Karoo-style lamb chops
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: South African
Ingredients: 8 lamb loin chops, about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick; 1 tablespoon coriander seeds; 2 teaspoons coarse salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 tablespoons olive oil; Juice of 1 lemon; 2 sprigs rosemary (optional)

Thick lamb loin chops with salt, coriander and lemon, cooked fast over hot coals with the fat crisped first.

Coals: Hot coals
Prep: 10 min
On the fire: 12 min
Plan ahead: 30 minutes resting with the spices
Serves: 4

Ingredients

8 lamb loin chops, about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 sprigs rosemary (optional)

Method

Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan for 1 to 2 minutes until they smell nutty. Crush them roughly.
Mix the coriander, pepper, garlic and oil. Rub it over the chops and leave them out of the fridge for 30 minutes. Salt them just before they go on the fire.
Stand the chops on their fat edge on the grid, leaning against each other, for 2 to 3 minutes until the fat is golden and crisp.
Lay the chops flat over hot coals. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes a side for a pink middle.
Squeeze the lemon over the chops as they come off the fire. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Done when: the outside is well browned and a thermometer reads 63°C (145°F) in the middle for medium. They keep cooking a little while they rest.

Tips

Thin chops overcook before they brown. Ask the butcher for chops cut at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick.
Lamb fat causes flare-ups. Keep a cooler area on the grid to move the chops to when flames come up.
Use a rosemary sprig as a brush to wipe the lemon juice over the meat.

Karoo lamb comes from the dry interior of South Africa, where the sheep graze on wild herbs and shrubs. Cooks there keep the seasoning simple, and this recipe does the same with any good lamb.