When it comes to a recipe that will impress at your next dinner party, bookmark these oven-roasted lamb ribs. They are succulent, tender, and full of flavor, and you’re guests are going to be raving about this dish for weeks to come.
If you haven’t tried lamb ribs yet, we encourage you to give them a go. Whether you’re making smoked, roasted, or grilled lamb ribs, the meaty flavor and fall-off-the-bone texture put these at the top of our lamb recipe in the Girl Carnivore Meat Labs.
What we love about these lamb ribs cooked in the oven is the robust layers of flavors you can get with a relatively simple list of ingredients. They have a Mediterranean feel with wonderful aromatics like lemon and garlic and a savory blend of spices that reminds us of cooking with Grandma. And when slow roasted, we feel that the ‘gamey‘ lamb flavor people are turned off by vanishes, making them a perfect hearty Sunday dinner or show-stopper for special occasions.
Rack of Lamb vs. Lamb Ribs
Also called lamb riblets, lamb ribs are from the rib area of the animal. But unlike a rack of lamb, which is a cut of lamb from further up the rib cage, towards the back, the lamb ribs are cut from down towards the belly, like pork ribs. Lamb spare ribs are meaty and hearty but need to cook low and slow to become fork tender, unlike lamb chops or a rack of lamb recipe, which can cook hot and fast to medium rare. They have a meaty bite like beef ribs but cook in a fraction of the size because they are smaller.
We don’t see lamb ribs at our local grocery stores, so we recommend ordering them from a local butcher or from our favorite places to buy meat online.
Ingredients
This easy lamb ribs recipe doesn’t require a marinade or a ton of prep work, just a simple rub and some veggies in the pan for an amazing meal.
- Lamb Ribs – We find one rack of lamb ribs is enough to feed 4 to 6 people due to the rich meat.
- Dijon Mustard – we love Trader Joe’s garlic dijon aioli for an extra flavor.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Dried Rosemary – minced fresh rosemary would work great, too.
- Spices: Ground anise, Celery seed, and Coriander
- White wine – we love a dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc.
- Onion
- Fennel
- Garlic
- Lemon
How to cook lamb ribs in the oven
Don’t let this outstanding main course intimidate you; cooking lamb ribs is really simple.
Prep the lamb ribs
- Start by removing the lamb ribs from their package and patting them dry with paper towels. Trim off any extra fat if needed, keeping at least 1/4″ of the fat over the top of the ribs. Remove the membrane from the back by sliding a butter knife under the silverskin and gently pulling up and back. Peel the whole silverskin off. Then, coat the ribs with mustard to act as a binder.
- Next, combine all the spices in a small bowl to combine. Then sprinkle them liberally all over the lamb ribs on both sides. While the ribs sit at room temperature, preheat the oven to 400°F. Adjust the oven racks so that the pot can slice in easily from the middle rack.
- Place the roughly chopped onion and fennel in the bottom of a braiser or roasting pan. Then, chop the tops off the garlic to expose the cloves of garlic. Add them and the chopped lemon to the bottom of the pan as well. Pour in the white wine, then nestle the seasoned lamb ribs over top of the onions and veggies, cover, and transfer to the oven.
Cook the lamb ribs
- Braise the lamb ribs in the preheated oven for 45 minutes to an hour, slow roasting the meat until the meat pulls back, exposing the bones, and reaches an internal temperature of 170 – 175 degrees F with an instant-read thermometer.
- Next, remove the lid and baste the ribs with the cooking liquid. Then, allow the ribs to cook, browning on top for another 15 to 25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 190° F and is tender with the probe of your digital meat thermometer.
- Carefully remove from the oven and transfer the roasted lamb ribs to a clean cutting board. Tent with foil and rest for 10 – 15 minutes before carving into single ribs with a sharp knife between the bones.
- Garnish your perfectly tender lamb ribs with a pinch of lemon zest, a spritz of lemon juice, and freshly minced parsley, and serve hot. We also added olives, the roasted garlic from the pan, and some pomegranate seeds to the platter for color.
What to serve with roasted lamb ribs
Pair these delicious lamb ribs with your favorite side dishes like roasted green beans or garlicky broccolini, or any roasted vegetables. They are also great with a leafy green salad, creamy risotto, or polenta.
Wine Pairing
Where cooked lamb ribs can go with a red wine, we felt that the flavors of this recipe paired well with a buttery Chardonnay to cut through the fat, a dry Sauvignon Blanc, or a light Pinot Noir.
Leftovers and Reheating
Wrap any leftover lamb ribs tightly in tin foil with the pan juices. Once cooled, store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat leftover lamb ribs, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place the foil-wrapped lamb ribs on a baking sheet and place in the oven to reheat for 10 to 15 minutes.
