Honey Glazed Lamb Ribs

Often overlooked when compared to their more popular Pork and Beef counterparts, Lamb Ribs are an ingredient not to be slept on. They are absolutely packed full of flavor, are juicy and fatty, and are so easy to make at home. Often you may find they are a cost-efficient option too as they aren’t as popular. In this recipe we will show you how to make our amazing Honey Glazed Lamb Ribs that are ridiculously tasty. A sticky, sweet coating to the Ribs that when bitten into reveals the juiciest, tender Lamb that’s jammed full of flavor

How to make Honey Glazed Lamb Ribs

The good news is that preparing Lamb Ribs is straight forward, and like how you would prepare Pork or Beef Ribs. The good news is you don’t really need to do a lot of Butchery before you begin to season and cook the Lamb Ribs. No need to cut away any excess sinew from the underside of the rack, they’re pretty much good to go

Like most Rib recipes, we start by applying a Rub to the Ribs to infuse as much flavor as possible. We’re keeping things simple with our dry rub and using some classic combinations of flavors including Garlic and Onion Powder, Smoked Paprika, Salt and Pepper, and a generous amount of Sugar

When it comes to the Sugar, you can’t beat Brown Sugar for Ribs. It’s got a great flavor and perfect texture for Ribs. Its thick, sticky texture applies perfectly to the Ribs, ensuring the whole rack of Lamb Ribs get beautifully covered

We also add some Rosemary to the Ribs. Rosemary is such a great pairing with Lamb, and it works so well in the Rub for our Honey Glazed Lamb Ribs. You can either use fresh or dried Rosemary, or, in our case, we got our hands on some amazing Rosemary Salt which works so well

Marinate the Ribs in the dry rub overnight for the best flavor

Ribs are one of those dishes that truly benefit from a longer marinating time. The toughness of the flesh (when it’s not cooked anyway) means it’ll take some time for those beautiful flavors in the marinade to really seep into the flesh

So, once you’ve generously applied the dry rub to the Ribs you will need to let them marinade overnight. Just place the Ribs onto a large flat surface like a cutting board and whack it into the refrigerator overnight. A 3 – 4-hour marinading time just isn’t enough, and you’ll find the Ribs will be under seasoned

It’s time to cook our Honey Glazed Lamb Ribs

When it’s time to cook it is very important that you allow the Ribs to come up to room temperature before you whack them in the oven. They’ve been sitting in the refrigerator all night so they’ll be super-cold, meaning they will cook unevenly if you throw them straight into the oven

So, bring the Ribs out at least 1 hour (preferably 2) before you plan on cooking them and just let them sit at room temperature. The cook time will be 3 ½ hours in total, so remember to factor that into your timing for when to take them out of the fridge so you’re not eating at midnight!

To cook the Honey Glazed Lamb Ribs, place them onto a large sheet pan that has high sides tall enough so you can cover the Ribs without foil touching them. Add a bit of water (about 1 cup) then cover it up tightly with foil

Whack the Ribs into the oven set at 340C / 170F and cook for 3 hours. Ribs are a dish that requires a long cook to get the meat nice and tender. The good news is during this 3-hour cooking window you don’t need to do anything. No checking on them or anything, just let them cook away

While the Ribs are cooking you can prepare the Honey Glaze

The Honey Glaze is what gives these delicious Ribs their sticky sweet flavor and texture and it tastes so good. All you need to do is combine Honey, Vinegar (any kind works), Brown Sugar and Worcestershire Sauce in a small bow

Mix it together so that the Honey gets fully absorbed and you’ve got a nice glaze ready to be applied to the Ribs. I like to mix these types of glazes together using a chopstick as you’ll avoid getting loads of Honey stuck to it like you would a fork or spoon

Baste the Ribs in the Honey Glaze

At the 3 hour cook mark, remove the Ribs from the oven and increase the temperature to 400F / 200C. Remove the foil from the Ribs and then generously slather about half of the Glaze you’ve prepared over the top of the Ribs

Then, simply return the Ribs to the oven and allow them to cook for 15 more minutes at that higher temperature. After 15 minutes, remove them from the oven again and apply the remainder of the glaze to the Ribs and return to the oven

Let them cook for a further 10 – 15 minutes until the final application of the Honey Glaze has begun to very slightly char the skin of the Lamb Ribs. They’re now done and ready to enjoy!

The Honey Glazed Lamb Ribs are going to be so ridiculously tender and delicious at this point. So, carefully remove them from the oven and place them straight onto a serving plate. They’re going to be hot, so I’d recommend leaving them for about 10 minutes before serving

You can finish the dish with some additional Rosemary or even some finely diced Mint for a nice presentation on the plate. Some Flaky Finishing Salt will also be great on these delicious Ribs. Just sprinkle some over the top and they’re ready to eat

Honey Glazed Lamb Ribs Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 racks of Lamb Ribs (about 3 lbs.)
• 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
• 1 tbsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 1 tbsp. Rosemary, finely chopped
  
  

Honey Glaze Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. Honey
• 1 tsp. Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp. White or Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
  
  

Instructions

1. Combine the Smoked Paprika, Pepper, Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Sugar, and Rosemary in a bowl and mix well
2. Rub the spice mix generously over the Ribs, ensuring full coverage on both sides (aim for about 80% of the rub to be applied on the fatty / flesh side). Place on a cutting board and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight
3. When ready to cook, remove the Ribs and set at room temperature for 1 hour before placing on a large, high sided sheet pan fatty side up. Add about a cup of water, cover with more foil and roast in the oven for 3 hours at 340F / 170C
4. Combine the Honey Glaze Ingredients in a separate bowl. After 3 hours of cooking, remove the foil and crank the heat to 400F / 200C. Brush over half the Glaze onto the Ribs then place back in the Oven
5. After 15 minutes, brush the Ribs again with the remaining Glaze then return to the oven for 15 more minutes
6. Remove Ribs from the oven and set aside to cool before slicing and serving
   
   

Recipe Notes

• You can use Whole Garlic Cloves or Dried Rosemary for the rub, just prepare similar quantities to what has been listed in the recipe
• Any Vinegar will work in the Honey Glaze; you can use Red or White Wine Vinegar if you prefer
  
  

We know you will absolutely love these delicious Honey Glazed Lamb Ribs. They’re a fun and tasty way to enjoy this often-overlooked cut of Lamb, and a great way to showcase the tremendous flavor of this delicious protein

For more tasty Lamb recipes just like this one, check out these delicious dishes:

• 10-hour Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder
• Pistachio Crusted Lamb Chops
• Greek Lamb Wraps with Tzatziki
• Spicy Cumin Lamb Noodles
  
  

Happy Cooking!