This lamb ribs recipe was inspired by a visit to Melbourne many years ago. Trying to find somewhere to eat late in the evening, my wife and I stumbled across a little salumi bar called Ombra which had just opened.

I’d never tried lamb ribs before, but they had these flash fried in a share plate with an incredible house-made chilli jam that was the most iridescent red colour I had ever seen (to the point we convinced the chef to part with some more and left with a jar of it).

This variant adds an extra layer of flavour to it – smoke. This is essentially a reverse-sear on the lamb ribs, bringing them to temp in the smoker and then a quick fry in a skillet. You won’t need any fancy rub for these either – salt and pepper will do the trick, or you can use rosemary salt.

A note on the ribs – they can be quite fatty depending on which ones you get, so trim if necessary but leave a little of the fat on in any case.

The chilli jam will keep for a week in the fridge.

LAMB RIBS RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• Rack of lamb ribs
• Salt
• Pepper
• Rosemary salt (optional)
• Cherry wood
• Sunflower oil

METHOD

• Prepare your smoker to cook at 225F, add a chunk of cherry wood
• Remove the membrane from the back of the lamb ribs and trim any excess fat. Leave a small amount of fat on as this will add to the flavour.
• Season with salt and pepper (alternatively use rosemary salt)
• Add ribs to smoker and cook until 165F internal temperature
• Remove from the smoker, wrap and rest.
• When ready to serve, cut rack into individual ribs
• Add enough sunflower oil to a skillet or frypan to be 5-10ml deep. Heat oil over a medium-high heat until a piece of bread browns quickly, and then add lamb ribs to the oil, frying on all sides for 30-40 seconds.
• Remove from pan onto paper towel

CHILLI JAM RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 5-6 long red chilli
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small brown onion
• 2 cups sugar (white)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 TBS lime juice
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp fish sauce

METHOD

1. Roughly chop the chili, garlic and onion and blitz in food processor or blender with the water until finely chopped and forming a loose paste
2. Add to a saucepan over a low heat with sugar, vinegar, fish sauce and lime juice until the sugar dissolves. Make sure to keep stirring.
3. Bring to the boil, skim any scum off the top and reduce to a simmer for 30-45 minutes.
4. It will be done when it reduced and comes to a jammy consistency
5. Remove from the heat and allow to cool
6. Store leftover in the fridge in a sealed container or sterilised jar

To serve, pile finished lamb ribs into a bowl or on a board, and serve with the chilli jam in a small bowl where people can dip or spoon onto their ribs.

Enjoy!