Hoisin Glazed Lamb Chops

I was very social while visiting Copenhagen and wanted to share with you the wonderful Chinese barbecue marinade I made for the lamb chops we had. Now that I am back in Seattle, I know I want to recreate this dish many times, because it was divine! 

Lamb is a relatively new food for me as I was never served it in my childhood, mostly because my mother has a pretty severe distaste for it. Then my subsequent attempts often involved Sunday roasts at my boyfriend's house and usually included mint jelly.  Unfortunately a lot of that lamb tasted a lot more like mutton and it was too gamey for me.  It's only been recently that I started eating lamb more regularly and I particularly like Chinese sauces with it although a good wine for a lamb roast is wonderful too. So, I learned that the most important thing is to buy really good lamb and for that, it's best to visit a butcher to buy the Rib Lamb Chops.

I made the barbecue sauce and put the lamb in to marinate the night before so the flavors would really permeate. Then, I commissioned the guys to barbecue them as that is a cooking technique that I simply have not mastered.  Being barbecue purists, they chose to use wood charcoal and after the wait for the charcoal to get hot enough, the lamb chops only took about 10 minutes for the thinner rib chops and about 14 minutes for the thicker ones if you like your lamb chops to be medium rare to medium. This would also be a really great marinade for Pork Spareribs too. And, it would be quite easy to broil these in the oven instead if you don't have a grill. I served them with a big stir fry of various green vegetables and rice. I really cannot tell you how good these were - you are just going to have to try them yourselves!

Hoisin Glazed Lamb Chops

12 Lamb Chops, cut from the rib (about 3 pounds)

3 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce

3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoons Chinese Shaoshing Rice Wine (or you can use Riesling)

1 Tablespoon Sriracha Chili Suace

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

1 large or 2 small garlic  cloves minced fine with 1 teaspoon of sat

Mix together the Hoisin Sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, Sriracha, garlic and brown sugar together in a small bowl until smooth.  Put into a large Ziploc bag and add the lamb chops.  Seal and shake the bag until all the lamb is covered.  Put into the refrigerator and marinate overnight or at least 2 hours.  When ready to cook, remove from bag and place on grill or in oven broiler. Cook for about 10 minutes per side.  

Five Element Analysis

Lamb is a Fire Element Food, so this is a good meat to add when you need fire in your meal and the Sriracha Chili Sauce and rice wine adds even more fire. The Hoisin Sauce and the Soy Sauce add the Water Element although the sweetness of the Hoisin Sauce also contributes a bit of the Earth Element, which is enhanced even more by the brown sugar.  The Garlic Cloves adds the Metal Element, but to create balance, I served the lamb chops with rice and some stir fried green vegetables that contributed the Wood Element.