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Prep Time 30-45 Minutes
Cook Time 3 Hours
Serves 6
These tender, flavorful ribs are perfect as an appetizer or complement to the main dish at any dinner. The blend of spices and cabernet jelly add a symphony of flavor, color, and smells to your table. Deceptively simple to prepare, these ribs are sure to impress. The spice blend and cabernet jelly can be prepared a day in advance. The ribs can be cured overnight or in the morning so all you need to do before dinner is glaze, season, roast, and enjoy!
If possible, support your local butcher shop. If they specialize in whole animal butchery, you can request Denver cut ribs. We sourced our lamb ribs from Emigh Ranch in Dixon, CA.
The cabernet jelly is a great way to use up some extra red wine that you may have laying around. If you’re like us and never have any wine left over, just use a splash from a new bottle of Hi No Tori Cabernet Sauvignon. The cabernet jelly takes on the flavors of the wine, filling the kitchen with a wonderful aroma of vanilla and oak.
Vadouvan is an Indian curry spice blend added with shallots and garlic. The mixture is traditionally dried in the sun and rolled into ready-to-use balls that will keep for months.
INGREDIENTS
Lamb Riblets
- 2 racks of lamb ribs (Denver cut preferred)
- 25 grams kosher salt
Cabernet Jelly
- 2 cups red wine, leftover preferred
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 28 grams dry pectin
- 2½ cups white sugar
Vadouvan Spice Mix
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 280 grams thinly sliced shallots
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed, whole or ground
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed, whole or ground
- 1 teaspoon cardamom seed, whole or ground
- 1 teaspoon brown mustard seed, whole or ground
- 2 teaspoons curry powder, Madras preferred
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Recipe
Cabernet Jelly
1.
In a large sauce pot, combine the wine, lemon juice and pectin. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
2.
Add all the sugar at once and stir until completely dissolved. Return to a rolling boil for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
3.
Remove the sauce pot from the heat. While cooking, some foam may form at the surface. If necessary, skim the foam off and discard.
4.
Ladle the hot jelly into warm, sterilized jars, leaving about a ½ inch of space. Once the jelly has cooled fully, seal the jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. The jelly will keep for a few months, perfect for a quick breakfast or giving as a gift!
Vadouvan Spice Blend
1.
Preheat your oven to 350° F with the rack in the center. Make sure that your oven is NOT set to convection so the fan doesn’t blow the spice mix away.
2.
Heat oil in a deep 12 inch heavy nonstick skillet over high heat till simmering. Saute shallots and garlic, stirring often, until golden and browned in spots, about 25-30 minutes. Transfer the shallots and garlic to a medium mixing bowl.
3.
If using whole seed, grind the fennel, cumin, cardamom, and brown mustard seed using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Add the ground spices to the shallot and garlic mixture with the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir until fully incorporated.
4.
Transfer the mix to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and spread as thinly and evenly as possible. Bake at 350° F, stirring occasionally with a skewer or chopsticks until the mix is well browned and most of the moisture has dissipated, about 1 – 1 ½ hours.
Lamb Riblets
1.
On a tray with a rack, sprinkle the lamb ribs with kosher salt, using 10 grams for each rack of ribs. Cure the ribs for 12 hours in the refrigerator. Depending on when you plan to cook the ribs, you can do this at night or in the morning.
2.
Before cooking, remove the ribs from the refrigerator and gently wipe off any excess moisture with a paper towel. Brush the entire rack of lamb generously with the cabernet jelly and then dust heavily with the spice mix.
3.
Preheat your oven to 225° F with the rack in the center. Bake the ribs on a sheet tray lined with aluminum foil on a rack at 225° F for 3 hours, rotating halfway through. The ribs are done when the meat easily separates from the bone. Let the ribs rest for 5-10 minutes before carving and serving.
