Lamb breast ribs with stout and honey glaze
Lamb ribs cooked in a sticky stout and honey glaze served with smokey and spicy aubergines makes a great informal dish to share with friends this summer.
Ingredients
For the ribs
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp smoked chilli flakes
- 25g/1oz soft dark brown sugar
- 20g/1oz table salt
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary, plus whole sprigs for roasting
- 2 racks of lamb breast ribs (about 1.5kg/3lb 5oz each)
For the glaze
For the smoked aubergines
- 3 aubergines
- 2 tsp chopped parsley
- pinch smoked chilli powder
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 2 tbsp tahini
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
To make the ribs, toast the fennel and the cumin seeds in a pan over a medium heat until fragrant. Grind the toasted seeds in a pestle and mortar to a fine powder then stir in the chilli, sugar, salt and chopped rosemary. Score the fat on the lamb ribs and cover well with the spice mixture. Set to one side.
For the glaze, put the stout in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook until the stout is reduced by half. Stir in the honey and remove from the heat.
Light the barbecue and when it has begun to die down to glowing embers, place the ribs onto the hot griddle and cook for 15 minutes until charred. Brush the ribs all over with the stout glaze. While the ribs cook, continue brushing the ribs with the stout glaze.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 160C/140C Fan/Gas 3. Place the ribs on a roasting tray, pour over any remaining glaze, add the sprigs of rosemary and cover tightly with kitchen foil. Cook in the hot oven for 3 hours until the meat is tender and begins to fall off the bone.
To make the smoked aubergines, place the aubergines directly onto the coals to char and soften. When they are blackened, remove them from the heat and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel off the charred skin and discard. Put the flesh in a sieve and using the back of a spoon press the flesh against the sieve to remove any excess water. Roughly chop the flesh and place in a mixing bowl. Add the parsley, chilli powder and cayenne along with the tahini, grated garlic and lemon zest and juice. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove the racks of lamb from the oven and carve them into individual ribs. Serve in a pile on a board with the aubergines on the side.