Seared Lamb Ribs With Spicy Yogurt Sauce

Recipe from Flora Bar

Adapted by Florence Fabricant

Published January 24, 2017

  • Sasha Maslov for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
4 hours, plus brining and marinating
Rating
4(43)
Comments
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These crisp-edged lamb ribs, from the chef Ignacio Mattos, are a fine match for a spicy Corsican red wine. If you are unable to special-order lamb ribs from your butcher, you can trim your own. Buy a rack of lamb, neither Frenched nor baby, and remove the meaty eye section, saving it for another use. You will be left with the ribs. This recipe takes time, but can be made up to two days in advance. Give the ribs their final sear just before serving. —Florence Fabricant

Featured in: Corsican Reds, a Case Study in Wine Terroir

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Ingredients

Yield:3 to 4 servings

FOR THE RIBS

  • 3 tablespoons sea salt

  • 2 cloves garlic, slivered

  • 3 pounds lamb ribs, in one piece (about 8 ribs), trimmed

  • 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard

  • 1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns

  • 1 tablespoon crushed dry green peppercorns

FOR THE SAUCE

  • ½ cup Greek yogurt

  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

  • 1 jalapeño chile, seeded and minced

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground

  • Sea salt, to taste

  • 1 lemon, in wedges, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 to 4 servings)

6 grams carbs; 263 milligrams cholesterol; 1325 calories; 48 grams monosaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 53 grams saturated fat; 120 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 991 milligrams sodium; 53 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Brine the ribs: Dissolve salt in 5 cups cool water. Pour into a roasting pan or baking dish that will hold the lamb and brine without much room to spare. Add the garlic. Remove thin membrane from the bone side of the lamb. Place lamb in brine. It should be just covered with the liquid; if not, add a little more water. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 24 hours, turning once.

  2. Step 2

    Marinate the ribs: Rinse lamb and pat dry. Discard brine. Smear mustard on both sides of lamb, and sprinkle with black and green peppercorns. Place lamb on a rack in the roasting pan and set aside at room temperature for 2 hours.

  3. Step 3

    Make the sauce: Mix yogurt with mustard, chile, cumin and salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (It will keep several days.)

  4. Step 4

    Heat oven to 250 degrees. Bake lamb for 2 ½ hours. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 30 minutes. The final sear for the lamb can be done immediately, or the lamb can be wrapped in foil, refrigerated and seared before serving, up to 2 days later.

  5. Step 5

    To finish, slice between the bones to separate each rib. Heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high until very hot. Reduce heat to medium. Sear ribs on all sides until browned. Serve with lemon wedges and yogurt sauce on the side.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
43 user ratings
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Comments

Figaro

I've made lamb ribs for years, usually mid-eastern style. Use lamb breast; it's cheapest and unctuous. Diagonally slash both sides of meat. Make paste; fresh mint, ground coriander, cumin, garlic, harissa and olive oil; rub on lamb, mostly on fat side. Preheat oven to 350; place lamb, fat-side up in roasting pan. Roast for ½ hr; reduce temp to 225; cover pan; roast 3-4 hrs until lamb is brown and fat has rendered. It should be falling off the bone. Drain fat; brown under broiler.

AstroTurk

Followed the recipe exactly and truly enjoyed the dish. It is important to bake the lamb on a rack in the baking pan, so that the excess fat can drip off the ribs. I think the yogurt sauce can be scaled back quite a bit as it distracts from the excellent flavor of the lamb itself. We barely touched the yogurt sauce as we gobbled up the lamb. Now that the ribs are gone, we need to find a way to use all the leftover yogurt sauce. I will definitely cook this again.

isfandyar

Made it today and a full hit, I did not brine for 24 hours just 4 hours and it did the trick. I resisted to use rosemary and oil and that was wise. It cooked in 2hours. Searing not to be missed. The yougart sauce was ok, needed garlic likely.

Savilac

I think this is a good recipe, I just didn’t like the cut of meat.

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Credits

Adapted from Flora Bar

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