Chuletillas al Sarmiento

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.