Usually when I have veal, it is veal chops. If you like veal like I do, you will want to read this all the way through to find out how to grill veal chops that come out super tender and delicious. I don’t have veal chops often, but when I do I grill them up, I find it to be the best way to cook them.
First off when you buy veal from your butcher make sure that the chops are about the same thickness. This helps in that the chops will grill at the same rate. I usually get chops that are right around 1-inch thick. Some people like to pound their veal chops down to make it even more tender, but I usually do not since it usually is tender enough. If you do wrap the chops in plastic wrap and pound with a kitchen hammer.
I prefer to marinate my veal chops with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs. I place the chops into a shallow baking dish and drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper, and add some fresh sprigs of thyme on the tops and bottom of the chops. Finally I’ll squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice over all of it. I usually let this marinate for about 30 minutes.
The grilling of veal chops is pretty quick and easy. You will want to set up your gas or charcoal grill for direct cooking over high heat. I like to get a good hardwood flavor in my chops, so I will use chunks of oak, cherry, or apple wood. I won’t soak these chunks I’ll just use them along with charcoal or sometimes instead of charcoal.
Know if you are using a gas grill you can’t use wood chunks, you will have to use chips. Read my post on smoking with a gas grill for tips on creating a smoker pouch or using a smoker box. Again as with the wood chunks do not soak the chips. We are not looking for smoke flavor here; we are looking to get the hardwood flavor into the chops.
Once your grill is ready and the wood chunks or chips are smoking a bit, place the veal chops on the grill. Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes per side, or to your preferred level of doneness. Once they are done, remove from the grill and let them rest for a few minutes before serving. I like to drizzle a bit more extra virgin olive oil on them before serving.
Learning how to grill veal chops is a pretty simple process, once you’ve done it a couple times you will be a master. What is left after that is experimenting with different marinades and trying out different hardwood for the added flavors.
image courtesy of stu_spivack/flickr