Tender Sous Vide Lamb Chops Recipe with Video
on Oct 19, 2023
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These Sous Vide Lamb Chops are super tender, juicy, and so flavorful! The lamb loin chops are precisely and evenly cooked to the temperature you set with your desired doneness! You’ll never undercook or overcook your lamb chops again. The sous vide method produces a guaranteed result every time!
Serve with a side of salad or vegetables for an impressive meal for holidays or an easy weeknight dinner!
What Is Sous Vide?
Sous vide means “under vacuum” in French. It’s a water bath cooking method by sealing food in a bag, then cooking for a long time to a very precise temperature in the water bath. If you are new to sous vide cooking, you’ll find everything you need to know in this Sous Vide Cooking Guide.
Why Sous Vide Lamb Chops?
- Lamb chops are usually bone-in lean meat that is loaded with flavor. They cook very quickly and can easily be overcooked. Sous vide cooking allows you to set the temperature precisely, therefore avoid the risk of overcooking.
- With traditional methods, the outside of the lamb is often overcooked and chewy when the middle of the meat is still raw. With the sous vide method, it will cook the chops evenly all the way through, and you’ll get a juicer and more tender meat with an even doneness edge to edge.
- You can walk away while it’s cooking, as it’s low-stress cooking by eliminating short windows of time for perfect doneness.
Equipment For This Recipe
- Sous Vide Immersion Circulators
- Sous Vide Container or A Large Pot
- Zip-loc Bags
- Kitchen Tongs
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Lamb Chops: Lamb chops are usually bone-in meat chops. You can also use lamb steaks, forequarter chops, rib chops, or cutlets instead of these loin chops.
- Olive Oil: Use regular olive oil for this recipe. Avoid extra virgin olive oil as it has a lower smoke point.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic for the best results.
- Rosemary: It adds a smoky, flavorful boost to the lamb seasoning. I used fresh rosemary, but you can use dried ones.
- Lemon Juice: It helps to tenderize the meat while adding a wonderful flavor.
- Salt: I used regular salt, but you can use coarse salt or sea salt.
- Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper works best.
How To Sous Vide Lamb Chops With Step-By-Step Photos
Step 1: Make the seasoning
In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
Step 2: Season the lamb
Rub the mixture into the lamb and place the seasoned lamb chops in a zip-top bag.
Step 3: Vacuum seal the bag
Seal the bag using the water displacement method: Seal all but one corner of the bag, and slowly place it in the water bath. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
Step 4: Sous vide
Place the bag in the sous vide water bath and cook for 2 hours at 135°F (57°C).
Step 5: Sear
When the lamb chops are cooked, remove the bag from the water and transfer it to the refrigerator. Let it chill for about 10 minutes.
Pat dry the lamb completely. Grill or sear for about 2 minutes per side, just to caramelize the outside.
Important Tips
- Season generously before sous vide cooking for the best flavor.
- Buy thick lamb chops: Look for thicker chops. Ideally, you want to buy lamb chops that are more than an inch thick, as thicker chops produce juicer meat.
- Cool down the chops before searing: After the chops are cooked in the sous vide water bath, it’s best to cool it down in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before searing.
- Pat dry the meat before searing: Use paper towels to wipe off any extra moisture on the surface of the meat as it inhibits proper searing.
- Cook to medium-rare to medium: It’s best to cook it to medium-rare or medium for the most tender texture. Don’t cook your lamb beyond medium.
Temperature Chart For Sous Vide Lamb Chops
Target 131°F for medium-rare, or 135°F for medium. My favorite doneness is to cook the lamb to medium doneness which is very tender and juicy. If you’d like to try other doneness, below are the guidelines:
| Sous Vide Lamb Temperature | Doneness |
| 115°F to 124°F | Rare |
| 125°F to 134°F | Medium-rare |
| 135°F to 144°F | Medium |
| 145°F to 154°F | Medium-well |
| 155°F and above | Well-done |
How Long To Sous Vide Lamb Loin Chops
Like central steak cut, lamb doesn’t require a long cook time. It varies slightly depending on the thickness of your lamb chops. For the 1-inch thick lamb chops, it takes about 1 hour to cook, and thicker ones will take about 2 hours to cook. It’s ok to leave the lamb in the water bath for an extra 1 or 2 hours.
Serving Suggestions
These lamb chops go well with many side dishes like potatoes, broccoli, and carrots.
Sauces For Sous Vide Lamb Chops
A delicious sauce will take your love for lamb chops to a new level. Here are some of my favorite sauces:
- Chimichurri Sauce
- Seafood Boil Sauce
- Soy Ginger Sauce
- Red Wine Reduction
- Rosemary Garlic Butter
Lamb Chops vs Rack Of Lamb
Lamb chops are cut from the loin or rib section. They are individual portions and cook much faster than rack of lamb.
A rack of lamb has several rib chops that are attached to the rib bones. It has a beautiful presentation and is often used for a special occasion. Here is my favorite recipe for Sous Vide Rack of Lamb.
FAQs
How to seal the bag without a vacuum sealer?
Just place your food in the bag, including seasonings or marinades, and seal all but one corner of the bag. Slowly place it in the water bath, and make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
Can you sous vide lamb chops ahead of time?
Yes, one of the best things about sous vide cooking is that you can cook it in advance. For this lamb chop recipe, you can make everything ahead before searing.
How long to sear lamb chops after sous vide?
After your lamb chops are fully cooked, you’ll want to sear or grill them to get a nice, crispy skin. This should only take 2 minutes on each side.
Can you sous vide frozen lamb chops?
Yes, you’ll need to add 30 minutes of cooking time in the sous vide water bath.
Is sous vide medium rare lamb safe?
Yes, medium rare lamb is safe to eat. Medium rare lamb has a temperature of 145°F (63°C), which is perfect to eat.
Can you overcook lamb chops?
You won’t overcook lamb chops with sous vide as the precise temperature control ensures that the lamb won’t exceed the set temperature. However, if you leave the lamb chops in the sous vide water bath for too long, the texture can become mushy.
Other Sous Vide Recipes
If you’ve tried these sous vide lamb chops, leave me a comment. I love hearing from you!
Sous Vide Lamb Chops Recipe (+VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 8 lamb chops, (loin chops or rib chops)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic , (about 3 cloves)
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary , (plus a few more sprigs for searing)
- kosher salt to taste, (I used 1 teaspoon salt)
- ground black pepper to taste, (I used 1/2 teaspoon pepper)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil , (divided)
Instructions
- Preheat the sous vide machine: Fill a large container or pot with water, attach the sous vide precision cooker and set the temperature to 135ºF/57ºC for medium doneness*.
- Season lamb chops: In a medium bowl, whisk together garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
- Sous vide lamb chops: Rub the mixture into the lamb chops and place them in a zip-top bag. Make sure to arrange them in a single layer.
- Seal all but one corner of the bag, and slowly place it in the water bath. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag. (You can also use a vacuum sealer if you have one.)
- Leave the bag in the sous vide water bath and cook for about 2 hours.
- Once the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath. Chill the lamb in the fridge for about 10 minutes and then cook them immediately or store them in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Remove the lamb from the bag and wipe off any extra moisture with paper towels.
- Sear lamb chops: Place the skillet on medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Once it’s smoking hot, add the lamb chops and sear for about 2 minutes per side until nicely browned. (You can also add some rosemary sprigs if preferred).
- Transfer the lamb to a cutting board, and cover it with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes, and serve.
Video
Notes
- * 135°F is my favorite doneness as the lamb is super tender and juicy at this temperature. Anywhere between 125°F to 134°F will produce medium-rare doneness, if it’s below 125°F, it will be very rare and tastes almost raw.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
These were so good and came out perfect!
This recipe was so delicious! My husband loved it! I can’t wait to make this again!
Thanks Beth. Glad your family like it.
Loved them‼️❣️
getting ready to try this out, do you cover the instant pot or not?
Perfect! I feel no need to search further for another recipe.
I seared on my indoor grill. Very simple and straightforward. Thanks
Was perfect at 130 degrees. Thank you
So simple, these were outstanding. Thru them on the cast iron pan to finish.
I made these in June 2021. They were delicious! We’ve been sous videing most of our meats for years. We thought they were perfect at 131 for 3 hrs. Medium rare. We did the exact ingredients with 4 Costco lamb chops.
Can you leave in marinade for several hours before cooking?
Very good! Made for a pleasant dinner with my wife,