Marinated Lamb Ribs are tender, juicy and succulent. With a honey Worcestershire marinade dappled with hints of garlic, ginger and cumin these oven baked ribs will melt in your mouth. Sticky Lamb Ribs finished off under the grill for crispy golden perfection won't allow your mouth to stop watering 😍.
Recipes like my BBQ Lamb Ribs, Honey Soy Pork Ribs and Air Fryer Spare Ribs offer ribs with plenty of delicious flavours.
The Slow Cooker Lamb Ribs have a sensational dry rub and are cooked low and slow 😍😍😍 .
This post will show you everything you need to know from how to marinate lamb ribs through to how to cook the marinated lamb ribs in basic easy to follow steps. You can also choose to skip to the recipe card if you want to get straight to it 👍.
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:
- Taste and texture: with deliberate intent creating a marinade that will impart maximum flavour to the lamb, there is also a handling of each ingredient chosen to compliment and not over power the other.
- Finger licking good: so we put down the knife and fork for these and eat them with our hands. Then we get to lick the juices off each finger and use our tongue to get the drips from our chin. It is not a high tea with these as much as a chow on down 😂.
- Family friendly: as much as a spag bowl or hearty pasta bake will get dinner on the table in a fuss free manner, sometimes it is nice to switch it up a little. Everyone from little kids to big ones will love getting their chops around a couple of these.
- Easy marinade: some recipes call for boiling ingredients together on the stove as a means to dissolve sugar and combine. My preference is not to do this for a recipe like this. I want you to grab the ingredients whip them together and the marinade is done, no extra work needed!!
- Fuss free: lamb ribs in the oven save you heading out to heat the BBQ and give you a chance to settle into the comfort of home and delight in the knowledge that your home cooked dinner is going to be out of this world delicious. Eat in and enjoy! 😁.
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Lamb ribs: also known as lamb riblets or lamb spare ribs. Many supermarkets will sell these. However, if you can only find a pre marinated variety, head to your local butcher and place an order for some. They will likely also pull the membrane off the ribs which will save you a little bit of time and effort.
- Worcestershire sauce: is a great ingredient adding flavour to marinades without an overly salty taste. It is a condiment that will be found in the sauces section of the supermarket.
- Apple cider vinegar: you will find this with the regular white and balsamic vinegars at the shops. It is a light golden colour and has a sweet aroma.
- Cumin: a dried spice that pairs exceptionally well with lamb. Have a read of my substitutions and variations for other options.
- Garlic: store bought minced garlic is fine to use, opt for the chunkiest version you can find as it will also provide a bit of texture to the marinade.
- Ginger: sweet and unique in flavour, we don't use as much of this as the garlic, however, it provides a balance to the flavours that achieves a zingy yumness!
- Salt and pepper: we use a small amount of each of these to help season the lamb.
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by making the sticky marinade, a mini whisk and glass jug are handy to help with this process 👍😁.
- Gather the marinade ingredients (Photo 1)
- Add to a jug and whisk to combine (Photo 2)
- Add ribs to bowl, pour over marinade (Photo 3)
- Cover then refrigerate for at least an hour (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Marinated Lamb Ribs
The 1st thing to do is make the marinade. Use a measuring jug and add the Worcestershire sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, cumin, salt and pepper. Whisk these to combine then set aside.
Next add the lamb ribs to a medium sized mixing bowl. Pour the marinade over the top and use kitchen tongs to move them around and stir so that each rib is coated in the sauce. Place cling wrap over the top of the bowl and place it in the fridge. The ribs need to marinade for at least an hour, but can be left in the fridge marinating for up to 24 hours.
When ready remove the marinated ribs from the fridge, discard the cling wrap and use kitchen tongs to transfer them to an oiled (light spray) baking dish.
- Cook the ribs for 30 mins (Photo 5)
- Rotate with tongs (Photo 6)
- Pour remaining marinade over the ribs (Photo 7)
- Cover with foil and cook for a further 30 mins (Photo 8)
The ribs will take 1 hour in the oven, turning, coating and covering towards the 2nd half of the hour. We leave them uncovered in the beginning to get them cooking, then add remaining marinade and cover to ensure that they don't dry out during the rest of the cooking time.
- Grill the ribs for 10 mins (Photo 9)
Once the ribs are cooked they will look and taste ok at this point. But we want them to look and taste out of this world seriously amazing. So we transfer them to a lined baking rack (as shown in the photo above) and we change the setting on the oven to grill. Grilling them on the top shelf of the oven browns then and helps render any excess fat. The colour is much more rich and vibrant and the eating results sensationally delicious 😍👍😉.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
To serve the ribs, you might like a side such as the Ciabatta Garlic Bread or Garlic Pizza Bread. If you want chips the Air Fryer Chips or Gravy Fries are great options.
For a potato pairing the Creamy Garlic Potatoes or Garlic Butter Potatoes are winning options. The latter being the fastest to prepare.
For a healthier side the Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad offers a colourful bright pairing.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Store leftovers in a sealed air tight container in the fridge for that day and the next. Reheat before serving.
How to Reheat
Reheat the ribs in the microwave for 1 to 2 mins. Or on a baking tray in the oven for about 5 mins. Test before consuming to ensure that they are heated through.
Freezing
You can freeze the purchased raw ribs until a time when you are ready to cook them. Thaw fully in the fridge overnight prior and cook from defrosted not frozen. I don't recommend freezing leftovers as you loose the essence of how good these are fresh out of the oven and in your sticky fingers.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- You can use maple syrup in place of the honey if you wish.
- You can use this marinade for pork spare ribs or baby back ribs.
- If you don't have minced garlic and ginger, you can use garlic and onion powder, but I would reduce the quantities to 1 teaspoon of each.
- You can use balsamic vinegar in place of the apple cider vinegar.
- If you like you can switch out the cumin and in with paprika (equivalent amount) instead.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- Use tongs for the most part when handling the ribs.
- For each stage of the cooking process ensure that the oven is preheated to the right temperature before placing the ribs into the oven.
- When adding the ribs to the bowl and pouring the marinade over the top, give them a good few stirs to ensure that the marinade doesn't sit at the bottom of the bowl and the ribs at the top. We want them to soak in the marinade, not float on top 👍😁.
- Sauce for serving...sure why not. You might find that the flavour is enough with out it or you can drizzle a few drops of the Worcestershire sauce over the ribs. You are also welcome to have a read of all of my homemade sauce recipes for a combination that takes your fancy.
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
How long should you marinate ribs?
Pour the marinade over the ribs, cover them, place in the fridge and allow them to marinade for a minimum of 1 hour up to 24 hours.
Do you season ribs after marinating?
It is not necessary to season ribs after marinating as this complicates the flavour of the marinade. You can however, serve the ribs with sauce as a means to have a way to pair it with an additional 'other'.
How long to cook ribs in oven?
Cook the ribs at 180°C / 350-375°F / Gas Mark 4-5 for 1 hour, rotating in between. Then grill the ribs at 200°C392°F6. for 10 minutes.
😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes
Din dins, that's what people call it isn't it, or sometimes Winner Winner Chicken dinner. If you are wanting more options for 'What's for dinner?', then here are some more recipes to get you home cooking:
- Slow Cooker Lamb Stew
- Coca Cola Ribs
- Cumin Lamb Noodles
- Lamb Bolognese
- Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Pork Chops in Mushroom Soup
- Honey Glazed Pork Chops
- Teriyaki Glazed Salmon
- Baked Pasta Bolognese
It's time to get finger licking good around here my friend and you are going to love it xx
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Marinated Lamb Ribs
Equipment
- 1 Measuring jug
- 1 Mini whisk
- 1 Medium sized bowl
- 1 Kitchen Tongs
- 1 Cling Wrap
- 1 Baking dish
- 1 Cooking spray
- 2 Oven Mits
- 1 Baking rack
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Silicon Baking Mat
Ingredients
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce Note 1
- 2 tsbp apple cider vinegar Note 2
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic Note 3
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger Note 4
- 1 teaspoon cumin Note 5
- ¼ teaspoon salt Note 6
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper also Note 6
- 1kg/2 pounds lamb ribs Note 7
Instructions
- Make marinade: add the honey, worchestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, cumin, salt and pepper to a measuring jug and use a mini whisk to combine.
- Marinate: add the lamb ribs to a bowl, pour over the marinade, use tongs to stir and ensure they are all coated. Then cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour (up to 24 hours).
- Preheat the oven: preheat the oven to 180°C / 350-375°F / Gas Mark 4-5.
- Oven bake: remove the marinated ribs from the fridge, discard the cling wrap then use kitchen tongs to transfer them into an oiled (light spray) baking dish. Don't discard the remaining marinade. Bake the ribs for 30 minutes then remove from the oven using oven mits and place on a heatproof surface.
- Remaining marinade: use kitchen tongs to flip each rib over to the other side. Pour the remaining marinade into the baking dish and cover with tin foil. Return the baking dish to the oven and cook the ribs for a further 30 mins.
- Grill/broil: use oven mits to remove the cooked ribs from the oven and place on a heatproof surface. Change the oven setting to grill at 200°C392°F6. Use kitchen tongs to transfer each rib to a silicon baking mat on an oven rack. Place them into the oven on the top shelf and grill for 10 to 12 minutes,
- Serve and enjoy: once done, use oven mits to remove the tray from the oven, rest the ribs for 1 to 2 minutes, then use tongs to transfer them onto a serving plate. Drizzle with a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and serve immediately.
Notes
- Note 1 - Worcestershire sauce: is a great ingredients adding flavour to marinades without an overly salty taste. It is a condiment that will be found in the sauces section of the supermarket.
- Note 2 - Apple cider vinegar: you will find this with the regular white and balsamic vinegars at the shops. It is a light golden colour and has a sweet aroma.
- Note 3 - Garlic: store bought minced garlic is fine to use, opt for the chunkiest version you can find as it will also provide a bit of texture to the marinade.
- Note 4 - Ginger: sweet and unique in flavour, we don't use a much of this as the garlic, however, it provides a balance to the flavours that achieves a zingy yumness!
- Note 5 - Cumin: a dried spice that pairs exceptionally well with lamb.
- Note 6 - Salt and pepper: we use a small amount of each of these to help season the lamb.
- Note 7 - Lamb ribs: many supermarkets will sell this, however, if you can only find a pre marinated one, head to your local butcher and place an order for some.
- Serving Size: you will get about 2 ribs per person from a kg to feed 6. If however, you want to make a meal out of them, not so much an appetizer, double the recipe or make it for less people so they can have more than 2 each.
Kelly Samuels says
Delicious ribs! Easy to follow the instructions also.
Adrianne says
Great to hear Kelly! Thanks for your feedback!
Connie Dawson says
Great tasty ribs, we have made them twice already and will make again thanks!
Adrianne says
You are welcome Connie. Thank-you for taking the time to leave feedback.
Jenny Parker says
Yum these are great. Love the flavour and colour of them also.
Adrianne says
Thank Jenny! I appreciate your feedback.