How to Trim Lamb Chops (A Step-by-Step Guide)

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A step-by-step guide to trimming Frenched lamb chops and lollipops. We'll show you how easy it is for the home cook to learn this technique!

Prep Time20

Total Time20

Course: Main Meals

Cuisine: American

Servings: Lamb Chops

Calories: 231kcal

Get Recipe Ingredients

Cut off Rib Bones. Carefully slice horizontally between the tips of the bones and the tendon with a sharp boning knife. Remove the small bone pieces (nubs) and tendon without wasting meat.
Cut Fat Cap From Bones. Using a sharp boning knife, remove the thick layer of fat covering the bones. Be careful not to remove too much meat with the fat.
Trim Away Meat From Bones. Slice downward between each bone, but do not cut into the meat. Expose more of the bone by carefully cutting away excess meat around the bone structure. This will create a cleaner look for your finished product.
Frenched Trimmed Rack of Lamb. Cut the skin away from the fat cap. Create a clean, elegant look by removing meat and fat from the bones, creating a handle-like appearance around the bone. Scrape the bones clean with a knife, removing all fat, meat, and sheath. This technique is often used for a more formal presentation.
Frenched Trimmed Lamb Chops. Cut the frenched rack into individual chops. You can adjust the thickness of the chops based on your preference. Generally, the easiest way to get even chops is to cut directly down the center between two bones.
Extra Trimmed (Lollipops). To create lamb lollipops, remove excess fat from the meat of the frenched chops. This will give them a clean, lollipop-like appearance.

There are 3 different ways to trim chops:

1. Semi-Frenched (Steps 1-3) - Some of the bone is exposed and excess meat has been cut away.
2. Frenched (Step 4-5) - Fat cap has been cut off of the bones. The bones have been stripped of meat and fat, and have been scraped clean with a knife.
3. Lollipops (Step 6) - All fat has been trimmed from the meat.