Mint sauce logic, applied where it does the most good

Every Australian table has known for generations that lamb wants something sharp and minty next to it. This recipe just moves the mint sauce from the jug onto the meat. The ribs get their two slow hours in the oven while the fat renders, and meanwhile malt vinegar and sugar reduce to a syrup that gets a big handful of chopped mint stirred through. Brushed on and blasted at high heat, it turns into a sweet-sharp glaze that cuts the richness with every bite — the roast dinner's oldest trick, in sticky finger-food form.

2 hrs 25 mins 4 servings Prep 10 minsCook 2 hrs 15 minsMain CourseAustralian

Ingredients

  • 2 Your Farmer grass-fed lamb rib racks (the 2 pack)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 125ml malt vinegar
  • 3 tbsp white sugar
  • 1/2 cup mint leaves, finely chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160C. Pat the racks dry and season all over with the salt and pepper.

2 lamb rib racks1 tsp salt1/2 tsp black pepper

Sit them in a roasting tray, cover tightly with foil and roast for 2 hours, until a knife slides between the bones with no resistance.

While they roast, simmer the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until reduced by about half and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

125ml malt vinegar3 tbsp white sugar

Take the glaze off the heat and stir through most of the mint, keeping a little back for serving.

1/2 cup mint leaves

Uncover the racks, pour off the rendered fat and turn the oven up to 220C.

Brush the ribs generously with glaze and roast for 8 minutes, then brush again and give them 8 minutes more, until dark, sticky and glossy at the edges.

Rest for 5 minutes, slice between the bones, and serve scattered with the reserved mint — peas and roast spuds alongside if you're doing it properly.

Appears in

Lamb Share B only — Ribs (2 pack)

Your Farmer CSA grass-fed lamb share — Pack B selection of pasture-raised lamb cuts, vacuum-sealed, NSW & ACT delivery
CSA Pastured Lamb Share
From $183.33

Why Vinegar and Lamb Fat Get Along

Lamb ribs are the fattiest cut in the lamb share — sweet layers of meat and fat off the breast that need a slow oven to render properly. And rendered lamb fat, delicious as it is, is rich. That's the whole reason mint sauce exists. The sharp vinegar resets your palate between bites so the second rib tastes as good as the first, and the mint rides along for freshness — our grandparents worked that out long before anyone wrote it down. Reducing the vinegar with sugar just concentrates the idea into something that sticks to the meat instead of pooling on the plate. Watch the glaze in its last minutes at 220C, because the sugar that makes it sticky will also take it from mahogany to burnt faster than you'd think. The Your Farmer® rib two-pack turns up in Lamb Share B, and there's a spare two-pack of ribs for households where this becomes a request.

Swaps and Variations

No malt vinegar in the cupboard? Apple cider vinegar with a teaspoon of brown sugar extra lands close. A spoon of redcurrant jelly or apple jelly melted into the glaze rounds off the sharp edge for younger eaters. The same glaze is very good brushed over a lamb roast in its final half hour, which is the full Sunday-dinner circle. And if mint's scarce, flat-leaf parsley with a smaller amount of mint still reads as the classic.

Storage and Leftovers

Cooked ribs keep 3 days in the fridge and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat covered at 160C for about 15 minutes so the glaze relaxes rather than scorches. Any spare glaze keeps a fortnight in a jar in the fridge and doubles as a dressing base — whisked with olive oil it's remarkably good over a warm potato salad served next to leftover rib meat.

This is the sort of recipe that comes out of a box of cuts you didn't choose — and that's the fun of it. Reserve a pasture-raised lamb share and let Share B surprise you.

Frequently asked questions

The glaze tastes very sharp on its own — is that right?

Yes. It's meant to be punchy in the pan because it mellows as it caramelises on the ribs, and the rich meat needs the acidity. Judge it on the finished rib, not the spoon.

Can I use dried mint?

You can — use 2 teaspoons and stir it in while the glaze is still hot so it softens. Fresh gives a brighter finish, but dried is closer to the old-school jar of mint sauce anyway.

Can I make the glaze ahead?

Yes, up to a week ahead — keep it in a jar in the fridge and warm it gently to loosen before brushing. Add the fresh mint on the day so it keeps its colour.

Why did my glaze go almost black in the oven?

Sugar plus 220C moves quickly. Brush thinner coats, sit the tray in the middle of the oven rather than up high, and check at the 5-minute mark of each blast — dark mahogany is the goal, black is a minute past it.

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