Chef Isabel
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Chuletillas al Sarmiento
Created by
La Rioja's little lamb chops are grilled over burning vine cuttings, sarmientos, where the quick fierce fire and clean smoke do the seasoning before salt finishes the job.
Main Dishes
Spanish
BBQ
Outdoor Dining
Celebration
20 min
Active Time
8 min cook•28 min total
Yield4 servings
Chuletillas al sarmiento are La Rioja's little lamb chops, cut from young lamb and grilled over the dry vine cuttings left after pruning. That is what makes them this dish and not just lamb on a barbecue: the sarmiento burns fast, hot, and fragrant, and the chop is thin enough to catch that smoke before it overcooks.
The method that decides it is the fire. Let the vine cuttings burn down until you have fierce embers with small lively flames, then grill the chops close and fast. No marinade. No garlic paste. No clever sauce. Salt, heat, smoke, and good lamb. If you cook them slowly, the fat dries before it has a chance to gloss the meat, and you've missed the point.
If you can't find sarmientos where you are, use untreated grapevine cuttings if a vineyard will sell or give them to you. If not, use hardwood lump charcoal and add a small handful of dry fruitwood twigs for a little clean smoke. It won't smell exactly of Rioja, and you should know that, but it will still give you a proper chop if the lamb is good and the fire is hot. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Chuletillas al sarmiento belong to La Rioja and the vineyard country around it, where winter pruning leaves bundles of dry vine shoots that burn quickly and aromatically. In wine villages, those sarmientos became the natural fuel for grilling young lamb, especially for outdoor meals tied to the vineyard calendar. The dish's plainness is part of its record: the vine wood gives the smoke, the lamb gives the fat, and salt is enough.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
milk-fed lamb rib chops
Quantity
16 chops, about 800g total
1.5-2cm thick
coarse sea salt
Quantity
12g
dry untreated sarmientos (grapevine cuttings)
Quantity
1.5-2kg
for the fire
hardwood lump charcoal with dry fruitwood twigs (optional)
Quantity
as needed
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| milk-fed lamb rib chops1.5-2cm thick | 16 chops, about 800g total |
| coarse sea salt | 12g |
| dry untreated sarmientos (grapevine cuttings)for the fire | 1.5-2kg |
| hardwood lump charcoal with dry fruitwood twigs (optional) | as needed |
Equipment Needed
- •Shallow charcoal grill or brasero
- •Long grill tongs
- •Wire grill grate set 8-10cm above the embers
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the lamb
Take the chops from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Pat them dry and leave them uncovered on a tray. Do not oil or season them yet; salt pulls moisture to the surface, and on a thin chop that steals you a little browning.
- 2
Build the fire
Set the sarmientos in a shallow grill or brasero and light them. They catch quickly, so keep the grill clear and let the first high flames settle into fierce glowing embers with a few small flames licking through. Use only dry, untreated vine cuttings; sprayed, painted, or moldy wood has no place under food.
If you are using charcoal, get it fully lit and very hot, then add a small handful of dry fruitwood twigs just before the chops go on. That gives smoke without making the meat taste sooty. - 3
Grill close and fast
Set the grate about 8-10cm above the embers. Lay on the chops in one layer and grill 2 minutes on the first side, then turn and grill 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on the second side. The fat should blister and gloss, the edges should char in spots, and the inside should stay rosy. This is quick work, not slow barbecue.
- 4
Salt and serve
Move the chops to a warm platter and salt them at once with the coarse sea salt, using about 3g per person. Rest them only 2 minutes, no more, then serve immediately with bread to catch the juices. Tal como se hace allí: hot from the vine fire, simple, and gone before anyone starts talking too much.
Chef Tips
- •Buy the smallest good lamb rib chops you can find, ideally milk-fed lamb, lechal. Bigger lamb chops can still be good, but they need a minute or two longer and taste stronger, so the dish becomes less delicate.
- •Sarmientos must be dry and untreated. Ask a vineyard or a wine grower for pruning cuttings, not decorative vine wood from a shop unless you know it has not been treated.
- •Do not marinate these. If the lamb needs garlic, herbs, and oil to taste of something, buy better lamb. The whole dish is the lamb fat meeting vine smoke.
- •Serve with simple bread, roasted red peppers, or a Rioja salad of tomato, onion, and olive oil. Keep the plate plain so the chops stay the point.
Advance Preparation
- •The sarmientos can be bundled and kept dry for weeks; damp vine cuttings smoke badly and give a harsh taste.
- •The lamb can be trimmed and arranged on a tray a few hours ahead, covered in the refrigerator. Bring it out 30 minutes before grilling and salt only after cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 170g)
Calories
390 calories
Total Fat
32 g
Saturated Fat
14 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
17 g
Cholesterol
100 mg
Sodium
1250 mg
Total Carbohydrates
0 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
24 g
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