Grilled Lamb Chops

Grilled Lamb Chops (2 of 5 recipes for First Officer Diaz's Dinner)

Let me tell you a quick story about a chef named Jim Murray.  We met in 2006 in nippy Chicago, over an ideation session for the biggest fast food chain in the world as he was my counterpart for the North America business.  Jim can easily pass for a rock star (he looks and acts like one without having to try, he even dresses the part).  He was considered our "man of the hour," because he knew everything there was to know about grilled food (which was supposed to be our fearless flavor forecast for our account).  Over a span of a week, several photos of his self-made smokers (contraptions that look like it's ready for take off into space) and recipes that called for tea leaves and molasses to name a few were shared.  And I give him all the credit for everything I know about spice rubs.  Of course, we landed the account and a few months later, I invited Jim to do that same barbie in Thailand in front of 20 other chefs.  I'll never forget the spread.

So to be quite honest, if Chef Jim were reading this post, he would be terribly disappointed, and rightly so.  I didn't make my own spice rub.   I succumbed using a ready-to-use rub without shame because hey, we all have these moments (even Marco Pierre White uses Knorr cubes!).  Honesty is the best policy.  And here it is, my weapon of choice, Texas Jack No. 2, easily found at any Santi's store.  


All you have to do is rub at least a teaspoon or two (depending on the size) per lamb chop and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, plop it on top of a grill with hot charcoal, and wait for it to sizzle to the doneness you like!  I don't even season this with salt and pepper anymore.

This is best served with mint jelly, buttered corn on a cob (sprinkled with paprika), and the roasted capsicums we made for accompaniment.


And Chef Jim, if you're reading this, I promise to share a spice rub, from scratch, just the way you like it, one of these days!