These grilled tandoori lamb chops are prepared with a simple spiced yogurt and Kashmiri chili marinade before fired on the grill for a beautiful charred finish.
These grilled lamb chops are marinated in a spiced yogurt marinade before cooked hot and fast over flame. The Kashmiri chili and yogurt marinade helps relax the meat, guaranteeing that these seared lamb chops are as tender as possible when served.
Serve these succulent lamb chops with a drizzle of cool yogurt sauce, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lemon, or pair with warm naan or basmati rice for something more filling. However you serve them, they’ll go down a storm.
Tandoori Lamb Chops Explained
With their perfect balance of meat to fat, lamb chops are a natural fit for cooking over fire. Their sweet, slightly gamey flavor is perfectly complemented by the char of the grill and the kiss of smoke.
The name ‘tandoori’ comes from the traditional Indian clay oven called a tandoor, which is used to cook meats and bread at high temperatures, creating a smoky, charred flavor. This method of cooking is thought to date back around 5000 years! And while most of us don’t have a tandoor casually lying around, the hot and fast cooking style can be replicated on your outdoor grill to give you that same perfectly spiced chop with outrageously tender meat within.
For this recipe, we use lamb rib chops. Taken from the rack, this lamb cut is sweet, with tender meat and flavorful fat. Thanks to being quite thinly cut (usually one rib bone per chop), keeping the lamb on the pinker side of medium is possible while still nicely rendering the fat. If you can’t find rib chops, those cut from the loin would be the next best choice. These can be slightly thicker than rib chops, so add a little time to the cook and remember to judge their doneness by the internal temperature (full target temperatures can be found in our recipe below).
Spice Marinade
The marinade is key to this recipe, and serves two purposes: First, it imbues the lamb with rich Indian flavors. Second, the acids in the yogurt and lemon juice help to break down the meat’s proteins, making it more tender.
Yogurt is mixed with garlic, ginger, green chili paste, and spices to form a flavorful paste. The mixture is then massaged into the lamb chops, which are left to marinate for at least one hour, but preferably overnight to really work in those spices.
How to Grill Tandoori Lamb Chops
While the flavors of these tandoori chops are rich and complex, the recipe itself is straightforward compared to many other BBQ dishes. Here’s how to do it:
1. Marinade
Add garlic, ginger, green chili paste, lemon juice, garam masala, Kashmiri chili powder, ground coriander, cinnamon, and salt to yogurt. Add the lamb chops to the marinade and use your hands to massage it into the meat. Fully coating the lamb will ensure a greater flavor distribution.
Leave the chops to marinate for at least two hours to absorb all the flavors and tenderize the meat.
2. Fire Up
Take the lamb out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking—this will help it to cook evenly throughout. Then, fire up the grill to high, 450-550°F (232-288°C).
3. Grill
Move the coals to one side, creating areas for direct heat (over the coals) and indirect heat (away from the coals). First, place the lamb over the indirect heat and cook gently for 5-10 minutes—this process will begin to tenderize the meat
Next, place the lamb over the direct, high heat for 2-5 minutes to replicate the fierce temperatures of a traditional tandoor oven. Finishing them this way helps to crisp the fat and adds a charred flavor to the lamb chops.
4. Serve
Once the chops are cooked, remove them from the grill and rest for five minutes. As the meat cools slightly, the lamb’s proteins firm up and lock in its moisture and flavor.
Quick Tips
- Tweak the Heat: For a milder version, reduce the chili powder or use sweet paprika instead of Kashmiri chili. Kashmiri is very mild, so if you do swap it for another chili powder make sure you use less!
- Marinate Overnight: For the most tender and flavorful chops, let them marinate overnight. The longer they marinate, the deeper the flavors will penetrate.
- Oil the Grates: Lightly oil the grill grates to further prevent sticking and make flipping the chops easier.
Grilled Tandoori Lamb Chops
Ingredients
- 12 lamb rib chops
Marinade
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 thumb fresh ginger
- 2 green chilis
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp salt
Instructions
- Add the garlic, ginger, and green chilis to a food processor or spice grinder and blend into a paste
- Add the paste to a large bowl along with the remaining marinade ingredients. Stir to combine.
- Toss the lamb in the mixture and massage to thoroughly coat. Cover the lamb and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight
- Take the lamb out of the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature and cook more evenly on the grill
- Preheat the grill to high, 450-550°F (232-288°C). Move the coals to one side, creating areas for direct heat (over the coals) and indirect heat (away from the coals).
- Place the lamb over indirect heat, cooking until the outside is slightly browned and the fat begins to crisp, about 5-10 minutes
- Move the chops over to the direct heat and cook for a further 2-5 minutes until they reach your desired doneness: 125°F (52°C) for rare; 132°F (56°C) for medium-rare; and 140°F (60°C) for medium. Use a temperature probe to check the internal temperature of the lamb.
- Rest the cooked chops for 5 minutes before serving
