j-cat cooks: sweet and spicy lamb ribs

Part two of the series "We Are Obsessed with Lamb". Sticky and sweet, spicy and lamby. J-Cat had himself a craving for a some lamb ribs and went above and beyond with these. The combination of ancho chile and cayenne pepper with orange marmalade and red wine vinegar was balanced and even, and perfectly messy. This was one of those meals where there may have been other dishes on the table, but we just hunkered down and ripped away at these ribs and didn't speak for a while. And used many many napkins. Recipe after the jump:



TEX-MEX ROASTED LAMB RIBS
Adapted from Gourmet, May 2007

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons pure chile powder (preferably ancho)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 to 3 1/4 lb Denver ribs (lamb breast spareribs; 2 racks)
1/2 cup orange marmalade (not bitter)
1/2 cup red-wine vinegar

Marinate ribs:
Stir together oil, garlic, chile powder, cumin, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, and 2 teaspoons salt in a small bowl. Pat lamb dry and rub all over with spice mixture. Transfer lamb to a large sealable plastic bag and seal bag, pressing out excess air. Marinate lamb, chilled, at least 8 hours or overnight.

About 1 hour before you're ready to cook, remove the ribs from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Transfer lamb to a 17- by 12-inch heavy shallow baking pan and cover pan tightly with foil, then bake 1 1/4 hours.

Meanwhile, stir together marmalade, vinegar, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a 1-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Discard foil from lamb and carefully pour off and discard fat from pan. Brush lamb with some of marmalade glaze and roast, basting every 10 minutes (use all of glaze) and turning racks over every 20 minutes, until browned and tender, about 1 hour. Cut racks into individual ribs.