Finger-Licking Good: Red Wine, Garlic & Rosemary Lamb Ribs!

These delectable lamb ribs are all of your favourite winter flavours in one. There's red wine, garlic, rosemary in these slow roasted lamb ribs that will have you licking your fingers! Best of all they're so simple and great for making for a dinner party as you can keep them warming in the oven or reheat them. If you love lamb, this is a pushy recipe Dear Reader!

I love making lamb ribs because they're so juicy, delicious and easy to cook and perfect for when you have friends over. I find the leg of lamb a touch challenging as it can dry out (and honestly who needs the extra pressure when you have people over?). Lamb ribs, like lamb shoulder (my other favourite cut) benefits from being cooked low and slow and this allows the flavours to infuse.

What are lamb ribs? Lamb ribs are different from lamb rack or lamb cutlets. The Rack of Lamb is obtained by cutting from the upper section of the ribs, which is connected to the back bone. On the other hand, Lamb Ribs, also known as "spare ribs," are derived from the lower part of the rib cage situated in the animal's belly or "breast."

Can I use a different cut of lamb? This flavour combination would be a fantastic marinade for lamb shoulder or leg of lamb or loin chop.

What to serve these lamb ribs with? I served them with truffle mash and a wedge salad and 60 minute baguettes.

I find some cuts of meat easier to figure out than others. Chicken, pork and lamb are easy but sometimes beef can be confusing because there's different names for different cuts and there are so many cuts. For the past 2 months I've been working on a beef recipe to share with you but I've been having trouble finding the right cut. I'm trying to replicate a dish that I ate overseas and while I've got the taste right, I don't have the cut of beef right.

I used to have a fantastic butcher that would always get me the perfect cut of beef but now that we've moved I am finding it hard to find someone as good. I've spent a small fortune trying to find this particular cut and the last time I tried to make it I went to this butcher in the inner west. I called him and asked him if I could send him a picture of what I wanted and see if he could do it. He was a bit dismissive and short on the phone but I figured that maybe he was busy with customers. A week later I went in and the shop was empty. It was super hipster and had an old fashioned butcher look and a dry ageing fridge. It looked promising.

He wasn't overly friendly and I found him again to be a bit dismissive. I showed him the picture of what I wanted and he said that it could be any cut of beef but I told him that it was galbi cut in thick boneless strips. "It depends on how you are cooking it," he said and I told him how I was cooking it. He recommended oyster blade steak. He cut it up and gave me a package and I went on my way. I was excited to make it and when I got home I was shocked to see that the meat was diced up, not slices like what I had shown him. And once I cooked it it was nothing like what I wanted it to be. I really needed boneless galbi, not oyster blade and I guess a part of me knew that he wasn't the right butcher for me. So I ended up doing what I've done for the past few times. I went back to my original butcher and got them to give it to me and it was perfect! I shouldn't have wasted all of that time and money!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you have a recommendations for a Sydney butcher in the inner city/inner west? Do you find beef cuts confusing? How about other meats?

Red Wine & Rosemary Lamb Ribs

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time:

Cooking time: 2.5 hours

• 1.2kgs/2.6lbs lamb ribs
• 180ml/6flozs red wine
• 3 sprigs rosemary, leaves only
• 1/2 cup/60g/2ozs. brown sugar
• 25g/1oz. (6-8) brown anchovies, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons salt
• White pepper for seasoning

Step 1 - Place the red wine, brown sugar, anchovies, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and salt in a jug. Bruise the rosemary leaves by placing in a mortar and pestle and gently pounding for a few seconds (you don't want to make it a paste, just release the oils). Add to the wine mixture.

Step 2 - Place the ribs in a large ziplock bag with this and leave them on the counter for 1 hour to absorb (unless you've got 40+C/104+F days and no air conditioning in which case put them in the fridge). Preheat oven to 160C/320F. Line a large baking tray with parchment and place the ribs on it. Pour 4 tablespoons of the marinade over the ribs but reserve the rest for a glaze. Cover with oiled foil (oiling the inside part so that the ribs don't catch on the foil) and roast for 2.5 hours (3 hours if the ribs are attached).

Step 3 - When the ribs have 10 minutes to go make the glaze. Heat the marinade up in a small saucepan and reduce until syrupy (but not too thick). When the ribs are ready, remove the foil and brush with glaze all over. Increase oven temperature to 180C/350F and return to oven without foil and roast for 15 minutes. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.