Summary
These sous vide grilled lamb chops start with a bold paste marinade and go into a vacuum-sealed bag and into the sous vide bath, where they cook to a precise internal temperature edge to edge. A quick blast on a screaming-hot grill builds a dark, crackling crust without adding a single degree of unwanted doneness inside. The result is lamb that is simultaneously perfectly rare and beautifully charred — virtually foolproof.
What’s on Your Plate
Sous Vide lamb chops in an Aleppo pepper paste, sous vide at 130°F (54 C) for 2 hours, pat completely dry, season with Mrs. Rubin’s Black Magic, and grill on high heat for 30 seconds per side. Perfect every time.
Some recipes find you. This one came from an Armenian shopkeeper in Glendale, California — passed along the way good recipes always are, casually, generously, with the confidence of someone who has made it a hundred times. It uses loin lamb chops, a cut with enough fat to withstand the grill’s heat and enough tenderness to reward a rare finish.
The sous vide method might seem like an unusual pairing with a backyard grill technique, but the two are made for each other. The sous vide handles the interior — gently, precisely, without drama. The grill handles the exterior — aggressively, in seconds, with a crust that announces itself before you even take a bite. Together they produce something that neither method can achieve alone.
If you are making these for Holy Thursday or Easter, know that you are in good company. Lamb at Passover and Easter is one of the oldest food traditions in the world — and the unleavened cracker and bitter celery on the serving plate are not accidental.
The Ingredients Explained
Lamb has been at the center of spring celebration feasts for millennia, across Jewish, Christian, and Middle Eastern traditions. The loin chop is cut from the lower back of the animal, giving it a small T-bone with loin meat on one side and tenderloin on the other — it is the lamb equivalent of a porterhouse steak, and it rewards the same treatment: high heat, short time, rare to medium-rare finish.
Aleppo pepper is the ingredient that makes this marinade distinctly Armenian-adjacent. Named for the Syrian city of Aleppo, it is a semi-dried red pepper with a fruity, mildly smoky heat and a slight natural salinity — very different from cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes, which are sharper and less complex. It is widely used across Syrian, Turkish, and Armenian cooking. Penzey’s carries it if you cannot find it locally.
Mis’ Rubin’s Black Magic seasoning has been made in Montgomery, Alabama since 1935. The “black” in Black Magic comes from food-grade activated charcoal powder made from coconut husk, which gives meat that deep, just-off-the-grill color and a savory depth that amplifies the char without competing with the marinade.
Why Sous Vide Grilled Lamb Chops Work
The paste marinade vs. liquid marinade. Running all the aromatics through a food processor creates a thick paste that clings to every surface of the chop rather than pooling at the bottom of a bag. More contact means more flavor transfer.
Sous vide precision. A water bath at 130°F (54 C) brings every part of the chop to exactly 130°F (54 C) — no gradient, no guesswork. For medium-rare, use 135°F (57 C).
The dry surface is non-negotiable. Moisture on the meat’s surface causes steaming, not browning. Steam prevents the Maillard reaction — the high-heat chemical process that creates the crust. Pat the chops completely dry before grilling, or you will boil your lamb instead of charring it.
30 seconds per side is enough. Because the interior is already at temperature, the grill only needs to build the crust. Thirty seconds on a 500°F grill is plenty. Any longer and you are adding unwanted doneness to a perfectly cooked chop.
Common Mistakes and Gotchas
A list of common mistakes and Gotchas
- Do not skip drying the chops after the sous vide. This is the single most important step between the water bath and the grill.
- Your grill must be at least 500°F (260 C). A medium-hot grill will not build the crust fast enough.
- If your grill grates are not well-seasoned, oil them before the chops go on.
- Aleppo pepper is not the same as crushed red pepper flakes. The substitution will change the flavor profile significantly.
- Sous vide bags must be fully sealed. Any air gap means uneven cooking.
Serving and Storage
Serving
Serve immediately off the grill. These chops are excellent alongside a crisp Caesar salad — and if you want a dressing that requires no egg, the Good Plate’s Caesar dressing recipe is a natural pairing. The celery in the serving photo is not just garnish — it is the bitter herb, and it belongs there.
Storing
Leftover cooked lamb chops keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a 250°F (121 C) oven just until warmed through — do not use the microwave or you will overcook the interior you worked so carefully to get right. They can also be reheated in your air fryer at 400 F (204 C) for 4 minutes. The uncooked marinated chops can be vacuum-sealed and frozen for up to 3 months; they will continue to marinate slowly as they thaw.
FAQ
Can I use rib chops instead of loin chops?
Yes. Rib chops are more elegant in presentation but have less meat. The same temperatures and times apply.
What if I don’t have a sous vide machine?
You can grill these directly from the marinade, but you lose the precision. Use a meat thermometer and pull at 125°F for rare, knowing carryover will bring you to 130°F.
Can I marinate longer than a few hours?
Yes, overnight is fine. Do not go beyond 24 hours or the texture will soften too much.
What is Mis’ Rubin’s Black Magic?
A seasoning blend made in Alabama that gives meat a grilled, smoky depth. *Available online. A good all-purpose steak seasoning will work in a pinch, though the flavor will differ.
Is 130°F safe for lamb?
Yes. Sous vide cooking at 130°F for 2 hours achieves pasteurization through time-at-temperature. The extended time makes the chops safe at rare doneness.
Step by Step Photos
Sous Vide Grilled Lamb Chops Recipe
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Sous Vide Grilled Lamb Chops
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 1 pound Lamb, loin chops
~~ Marinade ~~
- 1 teaspoon Cilantro
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Parsley
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Red Wine
- 2 tablespoons *Olive Oil
- 1 cup Tomato
- ½ cup Red Onion
- 4 cloves Garlic
~~ Garnish ~~
- 4 teaspoons *Mis’ Rubin’s Black Magic
Instructions
- 1 pound LambWipe the lamb and remove any excess fat.
- 1 teaspoon Cilantro, 1 teaspoon Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon Parsley, 1 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper, 1 tablespoon Red Wine, 2 tablespoons Olive Oil, 1 cup Tomato, 1/2 cup Red Onion, 4 cloves GarlicPut the marinade ingredients in a food processor until they become a thick paste.
- Put the paste on the chops.
- Put the chops in a vacuum sealable bag.
- Remove most of the air and seal the bag. You may marinate up to 24 hours if you are going to grill.
- Otherwise, set the bag in water and add your sous vide immersion cooker. Set it for 130 °F (54 °C) for 2 hours.
- 4 teaspoons Mis’ Rubin’s Black MagicRemove the lamb from the bag and dry completely with a paper towel. Sprinkle Mis' Rubin's generously on both sides.
- Heat a cast iron grill to 500 °F (260 °C). If your grill is not well seasoned, oil it. Put the chops on the grill and grill on each side for 30 seconds. Serve.
Video
Nutrition
Transcript of Sous Vide Grilled Lamb Chops
Transcript
Good afternoon and welcome to the Good Plate’s Kitchen.
Today, we’re making lamb chops… be a sous vide.
Let’s talk about the ingredients for a moment.
The first one is loin lamb chops.
The ones you see here were frozen and are going to be marinated.
Marinade has cilantro, black pepper, parsley, and Aleppo pepper.
Aleppo pepper is a mild, slightly smoky salty, dried pepper from Syria,
and is popular all over the Mediterranean.
We also use fresh tomato, red onion, and a good amount of fresh garlic.
All those ingredients are put into a food processor to make a thick paste.
And we spread the paste on the lambs generously.
After that, it’s time to prepare.
for the a sous vide machine, we put the chops in a vacuum sealable bag.
Flatten it to remove air.
Then use a good vacuum sealer to remove the rest of the air and seal the bag.
Then it’s time to put the bag in the water.
Great thing about sous vide
is you can choose whatever temperature you want…
and always have it precisely that temperature.
We like our lamb rarer, so we set the sous vide 130 degrees for two hours.
If you like your lamb, medium rarer, set it for 135.
Now let’s talk about what happens after the sous vide.
The lamb will be wet.
To get a lovely grilled crust, it’s important
to remove as much moisture as possible.
If you don’t, the lamb will boil and never get the Maillard reaction.
After you remove the moisture, generously sprinkle on Mis’ Rubin’s Black Magic.
It makes me taste just like it came off the barbecue.
Then heat a grill to at least 500 degrees.
If your grill is not well seasoned, oil it. Put the lamb on.
On the grill for about 30 seconds on each side.
Now you can serve your perfectly grilled loin
lamb chops with whatever sides you’d like.
Thank you for watching.
We’ll see you next time on the good plate.
And remember, ever forward, ever flavorful, yum yum!
Yum! Yum!
