Keens Steakhouse’s Mutton Chop
New York
Keens serves incredible prime aged steaks grilled to perfection, but the steakhouse’s most famous cut of meat is not beef—it’s the prehistorically sized mutton chop. In one of the restaurant’s few nods to modernization, the mutton is now lamb, but you wouldn’t know by looking at it: Each 2-inch-thick chop is 26 ounces of well-marbled meat. The saddle chop is sometimes called the double loin or the double rack, as it’s really two loin chops attached by the backbone. The cooking technique is as simple as the ingredient list—each chop is very generously salted, seared under the kitchen’s scorching-hot broiler, and finished in a hot oven. Diners at Keens used to receive a baked potato alongside their jaw-dropping chop, but these days the dish is served with garlicky sautéed escarole instead.
Yield
1 Large Serving
Ingredients
- 1 (26- to 30-ounce) saddle-cut mutton chop, or 2 (16-ounce) lamb chops
- Kosher salt
- Large-flake sea salt for serving
Method
Remove the chop from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. If you have a separate broiler, preheat it as well.
Place the chop on a large cast-iron skillet. (You can use a baking sheet if need be, but a cast-iron skillet will yield the best results.) Season all sides liberally with kosher salt.
Place the chop under the broiler until the top of the chop is nicely browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the chop so the fat cap is facing up and place under the broiler to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Finally, turn the chop onto the remaining side and place under the broil to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the chop to the oven and roast for 11 to 12 minutes for medium-rare or 13 to 14 minutes for medium.
Remove the chop from the oven and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Season with sea salt to taste and serve.
https://www.jamesbeard.org/recipes/keens-steakhouses-mutton-chop