Simple Juicy Halal Lamb Chops from Costco
Costco. Has. Halal. Lamb. From. New Zealand!!
This is a pretty easy recipe, so I’m just going to get right into it. Because the lamb chops are fairly thick, you’ll have to sear them in a cast-iron pan on the stove and then pop them in the oven. Two step cooking!
Here we go—
Bring your lamb chops to room temperature. If they were frozen, make sure they are completely defrosted (trust me, I’ve been there). If refrigerated, take them out well in advance (depending on the weather/temperature in your home) so they’re ready to go when you are.
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Sprinkle all sides (top, bottom, sides, just not the bone-side) with kosher salt. I used Maldon Sea Salt (which is on sale for cheap on Amazon at the time of posting!) Flakes because I’m convinced it melts and sears nicely on meat like steak.
Heat up a couple tablespoons of canola oil on an 8-10” cast iron pan. Use a bigger pan if you’re going to cook more than 2 chops. If using an electric stove (like me), you might have to heat the cast iron pan up slowly (like two numbers at a time) rather than straight to medium.
When the oil is glistening, it’s go time. Carefully place two chops in the pan and then don’t touch them. The key to getting a good sear is letting it sear. After 2 minutes, carefully lift one piece (with tongs, obviously) and check the sear on it. If it’s nice and deep brown, go ahead and flip it. If not, wait longer (30 sec - 1 min increments).
Repeat this searing process for each side of meat—top, bottom, left, and right. No need to sear the side with the bone of course.
Once the chops are seared nicely, get some aluminum foil and, wearing oven mitts, loosely fit it to the pan. Then pop it in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
You want the internal temperature to be between 150°F and 160°F for a nice medium. I use this meat thermometer and love that it magnetically sticks to the fridge.
Serve! With some crispy greens like, I don’t know, brussels sprouts!
