Most folks in the stores are used to seeing the little leg chops that are used for grilling etc, but when you buy a whole lamb, you are going to get a fair number of packages of Shoulder Chops as well, they are bigger, have a bit more bone to it, and can be a little tougher then the leg chops.

Anyone who has been following along this spring knows that I love my apple mint and that I grow a huge! amount of it, for fresh use, for making jelly with, for drying for winter use and in different recipes, here is another wonderful use for it.. Ideally this should be Apple Mint but if you don’t have it, any fresh mint will work in a pinch.

2 to 4 pds of Shoulder Chops, (I tend to go light on meat when it comes to lamb, as I find that a little goes a long way but if you want the typical portions N.A. like it eat, you will need to cook more of these then I would per person)

• 1 cup of fresh apple mint leaves
• 1 cup of boiling water
• 1 pint of strong apple Juice or 1 can of apple juice concentrate, thawed out.
• a heaping tablespoon of raw local honey.

combine your water and fresh leaves and let steep for 15 to 20 min, Drain out the mint leaves, combine the apple juice with the honey and stir together, pour this over your meat in a flat bowl that is then covered or in a plastic bag and allow to marinade in the fridge for at least 4 hours up to 24 hours.

Now you have a couple choices, put the chops and the juice into a crock pot on high for a hour and then low for another 3 or 4 hours till fall apart tender. Serve it over rice.

You can put it into a oven proof pan and bake it for about 30 to 40 min and serve it with sides of roasted veggies mix, (I recommend potato, turnip, onion and carrot)

You can put them on the grill and serve with baked potato and corn on the cob.. any way you want to try it, it will take a shoulder chop to a new heights in yum!