Grilled Lamb Chops with Cumin and Salt

This popular Moroccan street food is as delicious as it is easy to make. These grilled Lamb Chops are packed with flavor and ready in under 30 minutes. Traditionally they are served with a mix of cumin and salt in a cute little ceramic bowl. They remind me of summers spent in my Father’s hometown, Marrakech. 

If you love Moroccan recipes, you know how special Moroccan lamb dishes are. If you’ve been hesitant to experiment with the ingredient, this easy and delicious recipe is perfect for you.

Grilled lamb chops have all of the juicy flavor we love and require no advanced skills. They’re perfect served with any veggies on the grill and Moroccan bread (khobz). All you need is a grill, tongs, cumin, salt and lamb chops.

And if you want to dress them up, try serving over a bed of this romesco sauce or warm lentil salad.

Moroccan Street Food

In Morocco, the street food is actually sold in the street and varies from town to town.

Much of the food feels gourmet like escargot (snails), freshly baked bread, sugar roasted nuts, elegant mountains of cookies, olives, spices, and these grilled lamb chops.

Much of Moroccan street meat is grilled over an open fire and served with the most magical cumin and salt blend.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need for these grilled lamb chops:

• lamb chops (loin, rib, or sirloin chop)
• cumin
• salt

See recipe card for quantities.

Directions

Cooking Times & Temps for Lamb

There are a few things to consider when planning how long you’d like to cook your lamb.

First, make sure you have a cook meat thermometer so you can control how done your lamb is (this will depend on personal preference whether you like it rare, medium, or well done.)

Cooking Temps for Lamb:

• rare – 125F / 52 C 
• medium – 130F / 54 C
• well done – 145F / 62 C 

When using a charcoal grill it’s important to create cooking zones by gathering the hot coals in some areas and leaving others more scarce (as a warming zone for meat that’s already done cooking).

If using a propane grill, you can simply turn the heat down once the lamb has a good sear on it, and continue to cook until done.

The lamb should have good grill marks and read to medium for a perfect Moroccan lamb chop.

Remember to let them rest for at least 10 minutes before digging in!

Marinade Ideas

These Moroccan lamb chops are about as easy as it gets when it comes to seasoning, with no marinade or dry rub necessary.

And while they pack a great deal of flavor served traditionally with cumin and salt, there are lots of ways to get creative with this recipe if you’re looking for maximum flavor.

Here are some of my favorite ways to infuse lots of flavor into your lamb chops:

• Harissa – add a bit of this Moroccan chili paste to your lamb before grilling to give things a spicy kick!
• Chermoula – this traditional Moroccan marinade is a great way to infuse flavor into just about anything thanks to preserved lemons, lots of fresh herbs and spices.
• Dry spice rub – keep things classic with a classic Moroccan dry spice rub known as Ras el Hanout.

More on the Grill

If you liked these Grilled Lamb Chops, you should definitely check out my recipe for Pinchos de Pollo.

These Puerto Rican chicken skewers are super flavorful and perfect for hot summer days near the grill.

More Lamb Recipes

What to Serve with Grilled Lamb Chops

Moroccan salads and our traditional bread (khobz) make the perfect side dish to these lamb chops. The more the merrier. Bonus points if you serve them in small plates around the table to share with bread.

Here are some of my favorites:

• Tomato Salad
• Cucumber Salad
• Lentil Salad (pictured above)
• Eggplant Salad
• Roasted Pepper Salad
• Potato Salad
• Carrot Salad

Enjoy a taste of Morocco in your kitchen,

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