Barbecue Lamb Cutlets

Barbecue took its first breath in the early 1500s, when enslaved Africans found inspiration in the local Native American cuisine. As Africans sought to preserve their autonomy in the face of extreme persecution, they developed a food culture unlike any other. Cutlets are the most expensive cuts of lamb, but are also the most delicious and tender. I use 2 per serving but the cost can increase rapidly so serve double the number of guests or half the recipe if you have plenty of other food available and want to lessen the expenditure. Alternatively, keep it at 2 per serving but make it the focal point of a particular single dish. These are 7 day dry aged cutlets but you don't need to specifically seek them out.

Prep Time 70 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 1 hr 20 mins

Cooking Method: Barbecuing and Grilling

Courses: Mains

Servings: 6

Calories: 436

Ingredients

Meat

12 lamb cutlets

Marinade

125 ml red wine vinegar
85 ml olive oil
1½ tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp oregano
1 tsp red peppercorns
2 garlic cloves
1 red chilli
1 tsp thyme

Instructions

1
To create the marinade, place the vinegar, oil, paprika, sugar, oregano, thyme, garlic and chilli in a large mixing bowl, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Should you wish to heat the marinade in a pan on the hob first that's fine, use a low heat and just allow it to cool prior to using.
2
What does heating the marinade achieve? It begins to infuse and intensify the flavours up to 10 fold than if it was created cold. This is especially notable in the paprika and chilli.
3
Add the lamb cutlets to the marinade and turn them to fully coat and work into any areas that are close to the bone. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
4
Heat the BBQ, see the recipe notes, to a medium heat, you can control this fully with direct vs indirect heat, if using coals indirect heat means no coals below with the convection of the lid closed to create a cyclone motion of warm air. This is mimicked on a gas BBQ by means of simply turning a burner on or off.
5
Remove the lamb from the marinade but importantly retain it. Cook the lamb for 1 minute, then turn and brush the cooked side with some of the reserved marinade. Cook for a further 1 minute and repeat the brushing process.
6
Cook the cutlets for a further 2 minutes each side or until cooked to your liking, include additional brushing if you desire.
7
Sprinkle with the crushed peppercorns and set aside for 5 minutes to rest, then simply serve.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 6

Amount Per Serving
Calories 435.73kcal

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 39.73g62%
Saturated Fat 14.93g75%
Sodium 58.92mg3%
Potassium 288.97mg9%
Total Carbohydrate 2.79g1%
Dietary Fiber 0.04g1%
Sugars 0.33g
Protein 15.99g32%

Vitamin C 17.15 mg
Calcium 15.16 mg
Iron 1.18 mg
Vitamin D 0.40 IU

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Note

Do not overcrowd the grill so that as fat drips from the meat and ignites you have the option to move the meat around to avoid charring. As stated in the Char Siu Pork recipe, either a charcoal or gas BBQ is fine, use what you prefer and always use whichever you have to hand.