Cook Lamb Spare Ribs

Lamb spare ribs are an uncommon yet tasty cut of meat. They can be cooked in several different ways, but slow cooking them over low heat typically draws out the most flavor and best texture.

Ingredients

Oven

Makes 3 to 6 servings

  • 4 to 6 lb (1800 to 2700 g) lamb spare ribs
  • 3/4 cup (180 ml) olive oil
  • 1-1/4 cup (310 ml) balsamic vinegar, divided
  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
  • 3 Tbsp (45 ml) garlic, smashed
  • 3 Tbsp (45 ml) fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) honey

Grill

Makes 2 to 4 servings

  • 4 lb (1800 g) lamb spare ribs
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) Dijon mustard
  • 8 tsp (40 ml) dried rosemary
  • 4 tsp (20 ml) salt
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) ground black pepper
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • Additional olive oil, for brushing
  • Additional salt and pepper, to taste

Slow Cooker

Makes 2 to 4 servings

  • 4 lb (1800 g) lamb spare ribs
  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 3 to 4 cups (750 to 1000 ml) barbecue sauce

Steps

Method One: Oven

  1. Whisk together the vinegar and oil. Combine 3/4 cup (180 ml) of the balsamic vinegar with the olive oil. Whisk until well combined.[1]
    • Note that you should still have 1/2 cup (125 ml) of balsamic vinegar left after completing this step.
  2. Add the garlic and rosemary. Stir the garlic and rosemary into the vinegar-oil mixture. Pour the entire marinade into a large resealable plastic bag.
  3. Season the ribs with salt. Sprinkle the salt over the ribs, then use your hands to massage the salt into the meat as evenly as possible.
  4. Marinate the ribs for 6 hours. Place the ribs in the bag of marinade. Seal the bag, then refrigerate it for at least six hours.
    • To further intensify the flavor, massage the marinade into the meat through the plastic bag after sealing it and before refrigerating it.
    • You can marinade the lamb spare ribs overnight for a stronger flavor, as well.
  5. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit (120 degrees Celsius).[2] Meanwhile, remove the ribs from the marinade and place them on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
    • To minimize the mess, spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray before placing the ribs on top. Doing so will help prevent the meat from sticking to the metal.
    • Discard the leftover marinade after removing the ribs from the bag. Do not attempt to reuse it.
  6. Combine the remaining vinegar with the honey. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup (125 ml) balsamic vinegar with the honey to form a glaze.
    • Loosely cover the glaze mixture with a paper towel, lid, or piece of plastic wrap after combining the two ingredients. Set it aside for later use.
  7. Roast the ribs for 2 hours and 30 minutes. Place the roasting pan in the oven, uncovered, and roast the lamb spare ribs for a full 2 hours and 30 minutes.
    • Since lamb spare ribs have a lot of fat, they won't dry out in the oven as easily as many other cuts of meat do. The meat is also fairly tough, so it benefits from slow cooking done at a low temperature.
    • Turn the ribs once after about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or halfway through the full cooking time.
  8. Baste the ribs with the honey mixture. Remove the ribs from the oven and brush the reserved honey glaze over all sides, using as much of the glaze as possible.
  9. Roast for another 30 minutes. Return the ribs to the oven and cook for another 30 minutes, or until done.
    • If you still have glaze left over, you can continue basting the ribs in 10-minute intervals during this last 30 minutes of cooking.
    • At this point, the ribs should be thoroughly browned and the meat should be tender, yet not quite falling off the bone.
    • If you want the ribs to be a bit more tender, you can continue roasting them for another 30 minutes or so after this set, but you should keep a close eye on them to make sure that they do not burn or become too dry.
  10. Serve warm. Remove the lamb spare ribs from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving.
    • To serve, cut the ribs into 2 or 3 rib portions.

Method Two: Grill

  1. Combine the seasoning ingredients. In a medium bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard, dried rosemary, garlic cloves, 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil, 4 tsp (20 ml) salt, and 2 tsp (10 ml) pepper until well combined.
    • The ingredients should form a spreadable paste.
  2. Rub the seasoning paste on the ribs. Use your hands to rub the seasoning paste over all sides of the lamb spare ribs, distributing it as evenly as possible over the surface of the meat.
    • Place the ribs on a large plate and set them aside. The ribs should marinate for 20 to 60 minutes at room temperature.
  3. Preheat the grill. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to a medium-high heat setting.[3]
    • If you are using a gas grill, start by turning all the burners to high. After 15 minutes, turn off the center burners and reduce the remaining burners to a medium heat setting.
    • If you are using a charcoal grill, light roughly 50 charcoal briquettes and let them burn down until a thick coat of gray ash covers them. Rearrange them into 2 piles on either side of the grill grate, then place a drip pan between the piles. Set the grill grate over the entire structure.
  4. Scrape off the paste. Use a dull knife or your hands to scrape any thick chunks of paste off the meat.
    • The meat does not need to be perfectly clean at this point, but you should remove excess paste.
    • Discard any of the excess paste you remove. Do not attempt to reuse it.
  5. Season with additional oil, salt, and pepper. Use a basting brush to brush all sides of the ribs with additional olive oil. Sprinkle all sides with additional salt and pepper, as well.
    • You only need enough oil to lightly coat the meat.
    • Similarly, you should only sprinkle a small amount of salt and pepper over the ribs. The seasonings from the paste should still give the meat plenty of flavor, even after most of the paste has been scraped off.
  6. Grill the ribs until done. Place the ribs on the grill fat-side down and grill until they reach your desired doneness.
    • If you want the ribs to be charred on the outside but medium-rare inside, only grill them for about 10 to 12 minutes.[4]
    • If you want the ribs to be thoroughly cooked so that the meat is tender and pulls away at the ends of the bones, grill them for about 15 to 20 minutes.
  7. Serve warm. Remove the ribs from the grill and let them rest for 5 minutes. Enjoy them while they are still hot.
    • For ease, separate the ribs into 2 to 4 rib portions before serving them.

Method Three: Slow Cooker

  1. Preheat the broiler. Turn your broiler on and let it preheat for about 5 minutes.
    • If your broiler has separate "high" and "low" settings, use the "high" setting.
    • Meanwhile, prepare a grill rack or roasting pan with a rack by laying a sheet of parchment paper underneath the rack.
  2. Rub the salt over the ribs. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the ribs. Use your hands to massage the salt into the meat.
    • To make the ribs easier to handle, you may also wish to cut them into 2 or 3 rib chunks at this time.
  3. Broil the ribs for 20 minutes.[5] Place the ribs on the prepared rack and place the rack in the preheated broiler. Broil for 20 minutes, or until well-browned.
    • If you want to brown both sides evenly, turn the ribs once during the middle of the process.
    • If you cannot fit all of the ribs on the rack at once, broil them in batches. Wait until all of the ribs have been broiled before proceeding with the slow cooker steps.
    • Technically, browning the ribs is only optional. If you don't care about browning them, you can skip the broiler steps and only follow the slow cooker steps.
  4. Transfer the ribs to the slow cooker. Remove the ribs from the broiler and place them directly in your slow cooker.
    • For easier clean-up, spray the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or use a slow cooker liner.
  5. Add the onion and the barbecue sauce. Layer the onion over the ribs, then pour the barbecue sauce on top.
    • To make sure that all of the ribs are covered in sauce, you can either brush a little of the sauce over the ribs before adding the onion and the rest of the sauce, or you can stir the ribs inside the slow cooker after pouring the entire batch of sauce on top.
  6. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Cover the slow cooker and cook the ribs on low until the meat becomes tender enough to fall off the bones.
    • If you did not broil the ribs first, you may need to keep them in the slow cooker for up to 8 hours.[6]
    • Keep the slow cooker covered throughout the entire cooking time. Opening the slow cooker can release some of the heat that has built up inside, thereby increasing the necessary amount of cooking time.
  7. Serve warm. Remove the lamb spare ribs from the slow cooker. Let them rest for about 5 minutes before enjoying.
    • If you have not done so already, cut the ribs into 2 to 3 rib sections before serving.

Things You'll Need

Oven

  • 2 small bowls
  • Whisk
  • Large resealable plastic bag
  • Refrigerator
  • Oven
  • Large roasting pan with rack
  • Tongs
  • Basting brush
  • Knife

Grill

  • Medium bowl
  • Mixing spoon or whisk
  • Large plate or platter
  • Grill
  • Butter knife or other dull knife
  • Basting brush
  • Tongs
  • Sharp kitchen knife

Slow Cooker

  • Roasting pan with rack or grill rack
  • Parchment paper
  • Broiler
  • Slow cooker
  • Slow cooker liner or nonstick cooking spray
  • Basting brush
  • Tongs
  • Knife

Sources and Citations