Lamb Ribs

I'd never really seen lamb ribs for sale until I moved to Europe, and discovered the Turkish grocery store in our small city. I imagine one could get them in Canada from a butcher, but it would likely need to be a special request item, as I've never noticed them on display. Happily, I can get them here any day that I happen by the Turkish grocery - which is also where I get my other lamb cuts - usually cutlets and ground, but they also have whole neck, neck slices, front shoulder, and hind leg. The quality of their lamb is superb, and our intake has gone up significantly since we came here.

Lamb ribs, though, I had no idea what to do with, but I knew that I wanted to try them. The first time I made these, I spread wild garlic leaves (ramsons, or Bärlauch (Bear garlic) in German) and over the ribs, seasoned the meat with salt and pepper, and wrapped them in foil before cooking them in a slow oven for three hours. They were amazing. So, of course I decided to do it again. Wild garlic isn't in season, though, so I went with rosemary. We roasted an extra rack, too, just so that we'd have leftovers to make into sandwiches. I'm so glad we did.

This is easy - quick prep, and little to do but sit around and drink wine while the oven does all the work. It's barely a recipe, and more of a procedure.

You might want to ask the butcher to cut the lamb ribs into two chunks each, for ease of serving later.

Oven-braised Lamb Ribs

serves 2 - 4

1 - 2 slabs lamb ribs, skin on
Fresh herbs - wild garlic, ramps, rosemary, thyme (your choice)
2-4 dried bay leaves
Salt and pepper
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 165°C/300°F with a rack set in the middle. On a large baking sheet (with sides, in case of leaks) lay out enough aluminum foil to enclose the lamb ribs and seal all the edges into a large packet. If you are doing two slabs of ribs, it might be easier to package them separately, depending on your equipment.

Place half of the fresh herbs and a couple of the bay leaves on the foil.

Pat the lamb dry if necessary, and brush lightly with olive oil. You don't need much, because the lamb is a bit fatty and will release quite a bit of fat itself as it cooks. Season each side with salt and pepper (I use ground white pepper) and lay them on top of the herbs laid upon the foil. Add the rest of the herbs to the top of the lamb, and seal the packets - crimping the foil edges as neatly as you can to seal the packet tightly.

Transfer the lamb packets on their baking sheet into the oven, and let cook undisturbed for three hours. You will start to smell the lamb after the first hour, which is your cue to add a tray of veggies to the oven, if that's your plan. Mashed potatoes also go very nicely with lamb ribs.

When the three hours are up, pour yourself a nice glass of wine. Then, take the tray from the oven, and carefully slit the foil open (carefully! The steam that will be released is extremely hot and will burn you if you don't take steps to protect yourself. Use an oven glove, or position your hand away from where the steam will come out).



Push aside the spent herbs, and lift the meat out of the pooled juices. The meat is so rich, you'll want to give it a moment to drain a bit of the fat away before serving, so pile it onto a warmed plate to rest for a couple of minutes while you sip your wine and possibly organize the rest of the meal. Careful, though, the meat will be practically fall off the bones. Divide the lamb chunks between plates, and you're ready to go.