Beer Braised Lamb Chops are so tender you can cut them with a fork. Braised in a Guinness beer gravy with caramelized onions. Perfect for spooning over mashed potatoes!
Ingredients
Scale
- 6 lamb loin chops (about 1 1/2 inch thick chops, if you have thicker chops the cooking time will be longer)
- Kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder for seasoning the lamb chops
- Olive oil for searing the lamb chops
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups sliced onions
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 (12 ounce can) dark beer (whatever kind you like, we use a dark stout but you can use whatever beer you prefer)
- 1 cup beef broth (might need more or less depending on how thick you lamb chops are)
- 2 bay leaves
- 5-7 sprigs of fresh thyme (tied together with butcher’s twine, see note)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Season the lamb chops generously with the salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Add the oil to a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the lamb chops and sear for 4-5 minutes on each side until browned. Remove the lamb chops to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low, then add the butter to the skillet and let melt. Add the onions along with the 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Stir often and cook for 10 minutes until the onions have softened and caramelized.
- Pour in the beer and simmer for 2-3 minutes to reduce, then add the beef broth, bay leaves and thyme.
- Place the lamb chops back into the skillet, turning to coat in the broth and beer. You want the liquid to come up only about 2/3 of the way up the chops otherwise they’ll boil instead of braising. Add more or less beef broth, depending on the thickness of you lamb chops. Cover and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours until tender. Test with a fork to see if the lamb is tender, this will depend on how big and thick the chops are, if not fork tender, return to the over for another 30 minutes.
- Remove the skillet from the oven, take the chops out and place on a serving platter, cover with foil to keep warm.
- Stir the cream into the sauce and place the dutch oven over a burner on medium heat. Bring the gravy to a boil and let thicken and reduce for 5 minutes. You can add a cornstarch slurry (see note) to thicken the gravy more if you like, even a couple of tablespoons of butter, which we personally love.
- Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems from the gravy. Pour the gravy over the lamb chops and garnish with chopped parsley if desired.
Recipe Notes
If you want to thicken the gravy more, whisk together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water. Whisk into the gravy and bring to a boil to thicken.
Store: Store the lamb chops in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Reheat: Reheat the lamb chops in a 350 degree over, covered, until warmed through. For a faster reheat, the microwave works fine, too.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven / Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
