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1
Prepare a wood or charcoal fire and allow it to reach maximum heat — the coals must be white-ashed and glowing, with no visible flame. A gas grill is not a substitute; the surface temperature and smoke character of live fire are not reproducible by gas. Preheat the grill grate until a drop of water evaporates on contact.
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2
Lay each rib chop flat on a board and pound the eye to approximately 1 cm of uniform thickness. This is not optional: uniform thickness is what allows the 1–2-minute cook time to work from the outer crust to the bone simultaneously. The chop should be even across its entire surface.
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3
Season each chop generously with coarse sea salt on both sides immediately before placing on the grill — not in advance. Pre-salting draws surface moisture and impedes crust formation. Dip a branch of rosemary in olive oil and brush both faces of each chop lightly; this perfumes the meat without depositing excess fat that would cause flare-ups.
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4
Place the chops directly on the grill grate over maximum heat. This is where the dish lives or dies: the crust must form in the first 30 seconds of contact — insufficient heat means the lamb steams rather than sears, and no amount of additional cooking will recover the surface. An immediate aggressive sizzle on contact is the only acceptable result.
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5
Grill 1–2 minutes per side without moving. The chop is ready to turn when the underside is visibly charred and releases cleanly from the grate. Turn once only. The finished chop must show char on the exterior and remain pink-to-rare at the bone. Grey lamb throughout is a ruin of the dish.
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6
Transfer immediately to the table and eat at once. The scottadito tradition — burnt fingers from eating directly off the grill — is not affectation; held chops lose the essential crust quality as steam from the interior softens the char. No sauce is served. Lemon, cut to wedges, or thin crispy artichokes (cicarelli) may accompany.