Grilled Veal Rib Chops

Name: Grilled Veal Rib Chops
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: Grilling & Barbeque
Ingredients: bone-in veal chops, about 1½-inches thick; drizzle extra virgin olive oil; kosher salt; cracked black pepper; cup fresh parsley leaves; tablespoons fresh oregano leaves; garlic cloves, sliced; tablespoons red wine vinegar; teaspoon kosher salt; cup extra virgin olive oil; bird’s eye chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

Ingredients

For the veal chops:
2 bone-in veal chops, about 1½-inches thick
drizzle extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
cracked black pepper
For the chimichurri:
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 bird’s eye chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

Takes 45 Minutes, serves 5.

Instructions

For the veal chops: Bring chops from fridge 30 minutes before you intend to grill. Blot dry with paper towel, then drizzle lightly with oil, rubbing into the surface and sides of the chops. Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
Turn left side of grill or barbecue on for direct heat and preheat to 500°F. Leave right side off.
Place chops onto grill over direct heat. Grill for 2 minutes then flip, grilling for 2 minutes more. Transfer chops to the indirect side of the grill and close lid. Grill for 9 minutes then flip, and grill for 9 minutes more. Goal internal temperature of the meat at this point in the process should be 140°F (60°C), just shy of medium-rare.
Once cooked to your preferred level of doneness, tent loosely with foil and rest for 5 minutes to allow meat to settle and reach final temperature.
To serve, thinly slice the veal and serve to plates or transfer to an attractive platter. Top with a drizzle of chimichurri and spoonful or two of a favourite side such as smashed potatoes, sautéed wild mushrooms or a simple green salad.
For the chimichurri: Place the parsley, oregano, garlic, vinegar and salt into into a food processor or hand chopper. Run on a low setting to finely chop, leaving the garlic and herbs somewhat chunky. Slowly drizzle in the oil. Stir in bird’s eye pepper, if using.
Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week (if it lasts that long!).

We’ve all been waiting for these GRILLED VEAL RIB CHOPS WITH FRESH CHIMICHURRI — they’re a taste sensation!

A few months back, we connected with our friends at THINKVEAL.CA. Like so many of us, they too love a culinary challenge. This time, take a superior cut of meat and show us the best way to prepare it. Getting to work on this one, we tried and tested the most trusted techniques to grill veal rib chops, yielding something so tender, juicy and tasty, we savoured every bite. These GRILLED VEAL RIB CHOPS WITH FRESH CHIMICHURRI are sensational.

Before listing our expert tips and suggestions on preparation, we want to invite you to visit THINKVEAL.CA. Their wonderful website offers lots of details on all the ways you can prepare veal. They also have an excellent guide on different cuts, plus suggestions on cooking, doneness and additional resources that may be of interest.

Time to get grilling! Here are our tips and tricks for making GRILLED VEAL RIB CHOPS WITH FRESH CHIMICHURRI.

INGREDIENTS

We love the simplicity of this grilled meat recipe. First, the principal ingredients are a pair of veal rib chops, each weighing a pound—that’s 32 ounces of deliciousness. Instead of doing a marinade, we kept things simple and used extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. There’s also that bowl of a rather fresh-looking sauce, right? That’s our EASY CHIMICHURRI, something we created to have on hand for when we serve the grilled chops. More about that in a bit.

VEAL RIB CHOPS

This is important; when speaking with your butcher about purchasing the meat for this recipe, there are two types of veal chops. We crafted this recipe using veal rib chops, a premium, tender cut of meat from the upper rib section of a young calf. The other chop variety is a veal loin chop, similar to a beef T-bone, featuring a characteristic T-shaped bone with a tenderloin (filet) on one side and a strip loin on the other.

A close up of the seasoned veal rib chop ready to be grilled.

Veal is rich in protein, low in calories and dense with nutrients like vitamin B6, zinc and niacin. We had our butcher French the chop, removing the meat, fat and connective tissue from the bone, leaving just the eye of the meat attached at one end. The butcher also added string to the ribeye and bone to make sure they stayed connected during grilling. This worked perfectly.

Two veal rib chops prepared with a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper.

HOW TO PREPARE VEAL RIB CHOPS FOR THE GRILL

In the VIDEO crafted for this post, we explain how easy the prep time is for this recipe. To prepare the chops, we suggest starting by blotting the meat with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Then, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to the chops, rubbing it across all the surfaces, including the sides of each chop. The final step is to add a sprinkle of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Note the difference between fresh ground pepper and our coarser fresh cracked peppercorns. Cracked peppercorns adhere to the meat on the grill without burning or searing off. Last preparation tip is to bring the veal to room temperature, removing it from the refrigerator 30 minutes before you intend to grill.

Two veal rib chops sitting on a grill over direct heat.

HOW TO GRILL VEAL RIB CHOPS PERFECTLY

For best results, we suggest cooking veal rib chops following a two-step process of direct and indirect grilling. Start by preheating your grill to 500°F with one side of the grill on, the other off. Once the grill is hot, sear the chops over high heat, placing them down to cook over the direct flame. Then, after searing them for two minutes on each side, we flip them over to the indirect side of the grill, close the lid and cook for nine minutes per side. This method yields meat that’s perfectly cooked without flare-ups or burning. Total cook time then is about 22 minutes. Good news! You can use a gas grill or propane, as we’ve done, or try the recipe using a charcoal grill or even a wood-burning campfire or outdoor grill.

A probe thermometer inserted into a grilled veal rib chop.

VEAL DONENESS GUIDE

Three key points on testing the doneness of grilled veal chops. First, and this is me sharing something I learned years ago, never be too proud to test. Maybe seasoned chefs and expert grill masters are able to tell by poking the meat with their finger, but I find a probe instant-read thermometer to be more reliable, LOL! Second thing is about how veal and all grilled cuts of beef continue to cook when taken off the grill. Remember the internal temperature of your chops may increase between 3 and 5 degrees. That said, our final point is that here is a good guide for doneness:

The Grilled Veal Rib Chops thinly sliced showing medium-rare doneness.

The recommended internal cooking temperature for veal is: 135°F (57°C) rare, 145°F (63°C) medium-rare, 150°F (66°C) medium, and 160°F (71°C) well-done.

The rib chops covered loosely with foil, resting for a few minutes.

REST PERIOD

As mentioned, veal chops continue to cook even after they come off the grill. We tented them loosely with foil, leaving to rest for five minutes before serving. This trusted trick accomplishes something very important: perfectly tender, juicy slices of meat. The rest period allows the juices to redistribute throughout the chops. It also gives the muscle fibres time to relax. The moisture stays within the chops, and the result is tender veal that does not disappoint.

EASY CHIMICHURRI

The sauce we paired with this GRILLED VEAL RIB CHOPS really does take the flavour of the entire dish to amazing. Ready in five minutes, we’re chopping fresh parsley, oregano, cloves garlic, kosher salt and red wine vinegar in a small food processor before adding a stream of extra virgin olive oil. We also add a bit of heat by including a finely diced and seeded bird’s eye pepper, AKA Thai red pepper. Red pepper flakes can also work in a pinch. The result is a fresh-flavoured, aromatic sauce that marries perfectly with the tender slices of veal. In case you’re wondering, yes, there are variations for chimichurri. You can make it using fresh mint, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme or cilantro. Sometimes I think of it as an herbed oil sauce and add it to eggs, grilled steak, chicken and fish.

SLICING GRILLED VEAL CHOPS

To serve this meal, we first remove the butcher’s string and then, using a sharp knife, cut the veal chops into very thin slices. It’s amazing how the perfectly medium-rare slices are so tender, the textures silky and juicy. The term “like butter” will come to mind as you enjoy your first few bites, guaranteed. Once sliced, we suggest transferring them to a presentation plate or platter. You can drizzle a bit of chimichurri over the meat, or serve it on the side, inviting guests to help themselves to the delicious sauce.

Grilled Veal Rib Chops topped with a spoonful or two of herbed chimichurri.

WHAT GOES WITH VEAL CHOPS?

For our story, we added these buttery SMASHED POTATOES WITH BLUE CHEESE plus SAUTÉED MUSHROOMS. I’ve also served this main course with a simple EVERYDAY GREEN SALAD. If the idea of salad is to your liking, try a simple green salad tossed with our BLUE CHEESE DRESSING, this glorious GREEN GODDESS or a tangy CLASSIC FRENCH DRESSING. Two other suggestions for vegetables that pair perfectly with grilled veal chops are GRILLED ASPARAGUS WITH TOASTED CRUMB, garlic and lemon and our SEARED ZUCCHINI WITH FETA AND FRESH HERBS.

Grilled Veal Rib Chops with Chimichurri.

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Grilled Veal Rib Chops, thinly sliced arranged on a large platter.

The very best GRILLED VEAL RIB CHOPS WITH FRESH CHIMICHURRI, ever. Bon appétit!

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