Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 1/2 lbs lamb loin chops, bone-in
- 8 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1/2 C fresh parsley
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 C water
- 2 C basmati rice
- 3 tbsp clarified butter (ghee), divided
- 2 tbsp zaatar seasoning
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp kosher salt, divided, to taste
Instructions
- Add the lamb chops, garlic cloves, rosemary, parsley, onion slices, zaatar seasoning, tomato paste, black peppercorns, Worcestershire sauce, extra virgin olive oil, and half a tablespoon of kosher salt to a large mixing bowl. Use your hands to mix everything into a marinade, working it into the meat as you go, until all the chops are well seasoned. Cover the bowl and set aside while you preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Place a large braiser over medium heat and allow it to preheat for 3 minutes. After the pan is hot, add in a few spoonfuls of clarified butter.
- Add the lamb chops in a single layer, leaving 2 inches between each chop – cook them in batches if needed – and allow them to sear undisturbed for 3 minutes, then flip with tongs and sear the other side for an additional 2 minutes. After all the chops have been seared, add the previous batches back to the pan, along with all the aromatics and herbs they marinated in.
- Pour in the water, making sure the chops are all submerged completely in the liquid (add more if needed), then add in one bay leaf. Cover with a lid and transfer to the preheated oven’s center rack. Let cook undisturbed for 2 1/2 hours.
- After 2 1/2 hours, pull the pot from the oven and check the meat. The meat should have shrunken down quite a bit, leaving more of the bone exposed. Use a fork or your finger to pull at a corner of one of the chops, if you have to apply more than a smidgen of force to pull off a small piece of meat, cover the pot back up and return it to the oven for another half an hour. Repeat until the meat is not quite falling off the bone, but obviously tender.
- Once the meat is as I described in the previous step, use tongs to remove the chops from the liquid and transfer them to a bowl. Place a sieve or colander over a large bowl and pour the cooking liquid through it, straining out all the seasonings and aromatics. Measure out four cups of this liquid, and find something else to do with the rest of it: it’s very good!
- Place the emptied braiser back on the stovetop over medium-heat and add the remaining clarified butter. Add the rice to the pan and sauté until it smells nutty and has deepened to a golden brown color. Once this happens, pour in the cooking liquid and stir them together. Give it a taste, and adjust for salt if needed.
- Bring the pot to a simmer, then use tongs to nestle the lamb chops in the rice. Once all the chops have been added, bring the rice back to a simmer, add the bay leaf. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Allow to cook undisturbed for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes. After 5 minutes remove the lid and use a fork to fluff the rice around the chops. Garnish with minced parsley or finishing pepper and serve. Dassit!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
