Mastering Mediterranean Sous Vide Lamb Chops: Tender, Juicy Perfection Every Time

Unlock the secret to flawlessly cooked, incredibly tender, and flavorful Mediterranean lamb chops with the precision of sous vide.

My journey with lamb began somewhat unremarkably. My first encounter during my honeymoon left me largely unimpressed. It wasn’t until a decade later, on a trip to New Zealand, that my perception of lamb was completely transformed. The lamb there was exceptionally delicious, sparking a determination to recreate that exquisite experience at home.

After returning from New Zealand, we eagerly sought out quality lamb in the U.S. and experimented with various cooking methods. Our ultimate inspiration came from a cruise last summer, where we savored Mediterranean lamb chops that were truly out of this world. This sparked a new culinary quest: to perfect those flavors and textures in our own kitchen. The answer, we discovered, lay in combining a vibrant Mediterranean seasoning blend with the unparalleled precision of sous vide cooking.

This recipe combines succulent lamb chops with a fragrant Mediterranean spice blend, then utilizes the revolutionary sous vide method to ensure they are cooked to absolute perfection. The result is consistently tender, juicy, and flavorful lamb that will impress even the most discerning palates.

What Is Sous Vide? The Secret to Culinary Precision

Sous vide, a French term meaning “under vacuum,” is a cooking technique that involves vacuum-sealing food in a bag and then cooking it in a precisely temperature-controlled water bath. This method ensures your food cooks evenly from edge to edge, achieving perfect doneness every single time, without the risk of overcooking.

We’ve been championing sous vide for cooking meats for years, and once you experience the difference, there’s no going back. The magic lies in setting the water bath to the exact internal temperature you desire for your meat. The circulating water maintains this precise temperature, gently cooking the food to that specific degree of doneness and holding it there. This eliminates guesswork, delivering perfectly cooked steak, lamb, pork, and more, with consistent, restaurant-quality results.

Why Sous Vide for Lamb Chops?

Lamb, especially delicate cuts like chops, benefits immensely from sous vide cooking. The precise temperature control prevents the meat from drying out, ensuring every bite is incredibly tender and juicy. The vacuum-sealed bag also allows the Mediterranean spice blend to infuse deeply into the lamb, creating a more intense and harmonious flavor profile. Unlike traditional cooking methods where internal temperatures can fluctuate rapidly, sous vide provides a stable environment, yielding a perfectly even cook from crust to core.

Step-by-Step Guide: Crafting Perfect Sous Vide Lamb Chops

Making these tender Mediterranean lamb chops is surprisingly simple, especially with the sous vide method. The preparation is minimal, allowing the technique to do most of the work, resulting in a gourmet meal with little fuss.

1. Prepare the Spice Paste: Begin by gathering all the specified Mediterranean spices and mix them thoroughly with the olive oil to form a thick, aromatic paste. This paste is key to infusing rich flavor into the lamb.
2. Season the Lamb: Generously rub each lamb chop with the prepared spice paste. Ensure every surface is evenly coated. Don’t be shy; a good coating guarantees maximum flavor penetration.
3. Seal the Lamb: Place the seasoned lamb chops inside a vacuum-sealable plastic bag. If you have a vacuum sealer, seal the bag according to your device’s instructions. If you’re using a standard zip-top bag, seal it almost all the way, leaving a small opening. Slowly immerse the bag into the water bath, allowing the water pressure to force the air out through the small opening. Once most of the air is expelled and the food is submerged, seal the remaining portion of the bag completely. This water displacement method creates a sufficient vacuum for sous vide cooking.
4. Sous Vide Cook: Submerge the sealed lamb chops in a preheated water bath set to 131 degrees F (for medium-rare, adjust according to your preference – see temperature guide below). Cook for 90 minutes. This duration ensures the lamb reaches its perfect internal temperature and becomes incredibly tender.
5. Prepare for Searing: After 90 minutes, carefully remove the lamb chops from the water bath. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels and thoroughly pat them dry. This step is crucial for achieving a beautiful, crispy sear. Any residual moisture will steam the meat instead of searing it.
6. Heat the Skillet: Heat a large skillet over high heat on your stovetop. Add approximately 2 tablespoons of high-smoke-point oil (like avocado or grapeseed oil) to the pan. Wait until the oil is shimmering and just beginning to smoke; this indicates it’s hot enough for a quick, effective sear.
7. Sear for Flavor and Texture: Carefully place the dried lamb chops into the hot skillet. Sear them for about 30-45 seconds per side, or until a deep golden-brown crust forms. The goal is to develop flavor and texture without overcooking the perfectly sous vide interior.
8. Serve Immediately: Remove the beautifully seared lamb chops from the pan and serve hot. They are best enjoyed fresh off the sear.

While this recipe features a delightful Mediterranean spice blend, feel free to use your favorite seasoning mix. The beauty of sous vide is that the temperature settings and cooking times for achieving perfect doneness remain consistent, regardless of the flavor profile you choose.

Essential Sous Vide Tips for Flawless Results

To ensure your sous vide lamb chops (or any sous vide dish) turn out perfectly every time, keep these expert tips in mind:

• Always Sear the Meat: Searing after the sous vide bath is non-negotiable. It creates the desirable Maillard reaction, developing complex flavors and a beautiful crust that sous vide alone cannot achieve. The contrast between the tender interior and crispy exterior is what elevates the dish. Ensure the meat is thoroughly patted dry before searing, as moisture will inhibit browning and lead to steaming.
• Achieve Maximum Pan Heat for Searing: Your lamb is already cooked to its ideal internal temperature thanks to the sous vide. The searing stage is purely for developing a crust. To minimize the time the meat spends in the hot pan (and thus prevent overcooking), it’s crucial to have your skillet blazing hot with shimmering oil before the lamb touches it. This allows for a quick, intense sear without further cooking the interior.
• Season Generously: Don’t be afraid to use a liberal amount of seasoning. The vacuum-sealed environment of sous vide helps to really push flavors into the meat. While the spice mix might seem like a lot, it’s designed to impart deep, rich flavor that perfectly complements the lamb. Consider creating custom blends with herbs like oregano, basil, and marjoram, alongside garlic powder and onion powder, for a truly personalized touch.
• Cover the Water Bath: For longer cooking times, covering your water bath is highly recommended. You can use a dedicated lid for your sous vide container, or simply a piece of aluminum foil, a cookie sheet, or even a pot lid. Covering the bath significantly reduces water evaporation, meaning you won’t have to constantly monitor and refill the water level. It also helps to maintain a more stable water temperature, conserving energy and ensuring more consistent cooking.
• Prevent Floating: If your sealed bag of lamb chops floats to the surface, it won’t cook evenly. To prevent this, weigh down the bag with a sous vide rack, clips, or even a heavy ceramic bowl placed on top. Ensure the entire bag is submerged for consistent heat transfer.
• Ensure a Good Vacuum Seal: A tight vacuum seal is essential. It prevents air pockets that can insulate the food from the water, leading to uneven cooking. If using the water displacement method with a zip-top bag, take your time to expel as much air as possible before sealing the last bit.

Achieving Your Desired Doneness: Sous Vide Lamb Temperature Guide

One of the greatest advantages of sous vide is the ability to achieve your preferred level of doneness with absolute precision. Here’s a guide to help you choose the ideal temperature for your lamb chops:

For those who love a beautifully pink and tender center, 130°F to 135°F is typically the sweet spot. If you prefer your lamb cooked a bit more thoroughly, increasing the temperature to 145°F or 155°F will yield a firmer texture while still maintaining juiciness, something often difficult to achieve with traditional methods.

Optimal Timing: How Long to Sous Vide Lamb Chops

The cooking duration for sous vide lamb chops is primarily dictated by their thickness, as well as the desired tenderness. The standard thickness for lamb chops usually falls between 1 to 1.5 inches. For chops of this size, a cooking time of about 90 minutes is ideal to ensure they are fully cooked through and wonderfully tender.

The beauty of sous vide is its forgiving nature. You can safely leave your lamb chops in the water bath for longer than the minimum recommended time without fear of overcooking. For instance, chops cooked for 90 minutes can remain in the bath for up to 4 hours without any noticeable degradation in texture. This flexibility is a huge advantage, allowing you to time your meal preparation more easily. If you happen to find exceptionally thick chops, say 2 to 2.5 inches, you’ll want to extend the cooking time closer to 2 hours. Again, they can remain in the bath for up to 4 hours, which provides a wide window for perfect results.

Cooking from Frozen: Can You Sous Vide Frozen Meat?

Absolutely, yes, you can sous vide almost any cut of meat directly from its frozen state. This is a fantastic convenience, especially when meal planning or when you decide on a last-minute gourmet dinner. The key adjustment required is to simply add approximately 30 minutes to your total cooking time.

When you initially place frozen meat into the water bath, you’ll observe a temporary drop in the water temperature as the frozen meat begins to thaw and absorb heat. Your sous vide device is designed to quickly bring the water back up to the desired temperature. After about 30 minutes, the meat should be fully thawed, and the water bath will have stabilized at your set temperature, allowing the precision cooking process to continue effectively. This means you can go from freezer to perfectly cooked meal with minimal extra effort.

Perfect Pairings: What Goes Well With Lamb Chops

Mediterranean lamb chops are incredibly versatile and pair beautifully with a variety of side dishes. Here are some of my favorite accompaniments:

• Scalloped Potatoes: Creamy, rich, and comforting, scalloped potatoes offer a delightful contrast to the savory lamb, creating a hearty and satisfying meal.
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts: With their slightly bitter edge and nutty flavor, especially when roasted with bacon and a balsamic glaze, they provide a lovely balance to the richness of the lamb.
• Texas Roadhouse Rolls: Soft, buttery, and slightly sweet, these rolls are perfect for soaking up any delicious juices from the lamb.
• Sautéed Asparagus: Fresh, crisp, and vibrant, sautéed asparagus offers a light and healthy green vegetable option that complements the lamb without overpowering it.

For those looking to invest in a reliable sous vide immersion circulator, I personally use and highly recommend the Joule by Breville Sous Vide. Its compact design, accurate temperature control, and consistent performance have made it a staple in my kitchen, outlasting other devices I’ve tried over the years.

Explore More Sous Vide Culinary Adventures

Once you discover the ease and precision of sous vide, you’ll want to cook everything this way! Here are some more of my favorite sous vide recipes to inspire your next meal:

• Sous Vide Egg Bites
• Sous Vide Pork Chops
• Sous Vide Chicken Breast
• Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin
• Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes
• Sous Vide Steak
• Sous Vide Ribs

Sous Vide Lamb Chops

By Erin Sellin

Sous Vide Lamb Chops – Mediterranean lamb chops that are super tender, juicy and cooked perfectly every time!

Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 1 hr 30 mins | Total: 1 hr 40 mins | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 – 2 pounds lamb loin chops
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Plus approx 2 Tbsp oil for searing

Instructions

1. Using a sous vide device, preheat the water bath to 130 degrees F (or your desired doneness temperature).
2. Mix together all ingredients (except the lamb chops and the searing oil) until a paste forms.
3. Generously rub the lamb chops with the spice paste mixture until everything is evenly coated.
4. Place lamb chops inside a plastic bag. If using a vacuum sealer, seal the bag. If using a zip-top bag, seal it almost completely, then slowly add the bag to the water bath until just below the top is submerged, allowing water pressure to push out air. Then seal the rest of the bag to ensure most air is removed.
5. Submerge the lamb chops in the water bath once it reaches 130 degrees F and cook for 90 minutes.
6. After 90 minutes, remove the lamb chops from the water and place them on a paper towel-lined plate. Thoroughly pat the chops dry.
7. Heat approximately 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over high heat until it is shimmering.
8. Carefully place the dried lamb chops in the hot pan and cook for about 30-45 seconds per side, until a beautiful, nicely browned crust forms.
9. Remove from the pan and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g |
Calories: 628kcal |
Carbohydrates: 4g |
Protein: 49g |
Fat: 47g |
Saturated Fat: 20g |
Polyunsaturated Fat: 25g |
Trans Fat: 2g |
Cholesterol: 155mg |
Sodium: 140mg |
Fiber: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Author: Erin Sellin

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Course: Dinner Recipes

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Calories: 628

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