James Whetlor’s Barbecued Lamb Ribs with Tamarind Glaze

preparation 40 minutes, plus marinating
cook time 3 hours 15 minutes
Serves 4-6

These slow cooked lamb ribs are perfect for those who want to try out a long cook on the barbecue. Make sure you fill your barbecue up with as much coal as possible. After about 10 minutes, you should now see a nice even burn spreading out from the centre of your coals. Close the lid and wait for the barbecue to hit its target temperature.

Recipe taken from Cooking on the Big Green Egg: Everything You Need to Know from Set-Up to Cooking Techniques, with 70 Recipes, by James Whetlor (Quadrille, £25)

Ingredients Method

2 racks of lamb ribs, about 800g each (you may think this is a lot but they shrink)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp toasted ground cumin seeds
2 tbsp toasted ground coriander seeds
Dried chilli flakes, to taste
1 tsp salt
Chilli sauce, to serve
For the tamarind glaze
150g tamarind paste (from a block, not a jar)
250ml boiling water from the kettle
6 tbsp brown sugar, plus extra to taste
1 tsp dried chilli flakes, plus extra to taste
1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
2 tbsp fish sauce (or use salt)
Salt, to taste

Using a sharp knife, remove the membrane or flap from the bony side of the ribs. Mix the oil, garlic, spices and salt, then rub this all over the ribs. Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour but overnight is best.

Meanwhile, make the tamarind glaze. Break the tamarind into small pieces, place in a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water. Leave to soak for about 30 minutes, mashing it a bit every now with your fingers and removing any seeds or large fibres as you go. Strain through a sieve into a pan to remove any remaining fibres and seeds. Add the sugar and remaining ingredients to the pulp, then gently cook until the sugar is dissolved, adding more sugar, salt or chilli to taste.

Get your barbecue up to a target temperature of 110–130°C. Place the lamb on the grill, close the lid and cook for 3 hours until soft, brushing with 2 tbsp of the tamarind glaze during the last hour.

Remove the lamb and rest for 10 minutes while you increase the temperature of your barbecue to 220–250°C. Cut the lamb into ribs, brush with a little more glaze and then crisp on the grill with the lid closed for 2–5 minutes on each side, until sticky and beginning to char.

Ingredients

2 racks of lamb ribs, about 800g each (you may think this is a lot but they shrink)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp toasted ground cumin seeds

2 tbsp toasted ground coriander seeds

Dried chilli flakes, to taste

1 tsp salt

Chilli sauce, to serve

For the tamarind glaze

150g tamarind paste (from a block, not a jar)

250ml boiling water from the kettle