This is a three-part countdown to mastering The Lamb Braai, starting with method to give an overview of the aim, then working back to sourcing the meat and building the fire.
Part three: the lamb braai method (here’s the link if you missed it yesterday)
Part two: selecting and preparing the lamb (below)
Part one: building the braai fire (look out for this on Monday)
Place an order with your butcher this morning for lamb loin chops cut to 3cm thickness and count on two (to three) per person.
And before getting to the preparation, here’s a short piece on why we source Karoo lamb.
Karoo lamb: what makes it special?
‘We are still in the papsak phase,’ said the sheep farmer, expressing frustration at the blanket term ‘Karoo lamb’ and the world of nuance lost on less attuned palates. He could read lamb in the same way a sommelier might identify a vineyard site, just by nosing and tasting a wine.
Why loin chops?
Lamb loin chops are basically like mini T-bone steaks that have a sirloin on one side of the bone and a small, succulent piece of fillet on the other. The fat cap on the loin also tends to be generous.
Rib chops look similar at first, and they do have superb-textured ‘rib eye’ meat, but they lack the little piece of fillet. The fat strip tends to be thin and they have awkwardly curved bones which, when cut thick, turn into dangerous weapons with razor-sharp points. There’s not a lot to be won by doing them on fire, so our choice is to cook them as a rack of lamb.
Loin chops on the other hand can be cut nice and thick – 3cm or more – which is one of the secrets to success. Lamb cooks fast over coal, so having chunky chops makes it easier to get a good sear outside without risking overdoing them. If standard chops are all you can get, the technique remains identical, just adjust the ‘meat-side-down’ cooking time accordingly.
