The Portuguese chilli-citrus baste that was built for fatty cuts over flame

Piri piri gets typecast as a chicken sauce, which is a shame, because everything it does — the chilli, the lemon, the vinegar, the garlic — was made to stand up to rich meat and open fire. Lamb ribs are exactly that. The racks spend two gentle hours wrapped on the cool side of the barbecue while the fat renders, then come over the flame to be basted again and again with a bright red, sharp-edged sauce until the edges char and the whole backyard smells like a Portuguese grill house. Keep some sauce back for the table. You'll want it.

2 hrs 40 mins 4 servings Prep 20 minsCook 2 hrs 20 minsMain CoursePortuguese

Ingredients

  • 2 Your Farmer grass-fed lamb rib racks (the 2 pack)
  • 4 long red chillies, roughly chopped (seeds in for heat, out for milder)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 60ml olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Blitz the chillies, garlic, paprika, oregano, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, olive oil and salt into a loose, bright-red sauce — a stick blender or small food processor does it in a minute.

4 long red chillies4 garlic cloves2 tsp smoked paprika60ml olive oil

Rub about a third of the sauce over the racks and set the rest aside — it stays clean for basting and serving. (If you have time, marinate the rubbed racks overnight in the fridge — optional, but it deepens the flavour.)

2 lamb rib racks

Set a hooded barbecue up for indirect heat at about 160C — burners on one side, or coals banked to one side.

Wrap each rack in foil, sit them on the cool side, close the hood and cook for 2 hours, until a knife slides between the bones with no resistance.

Unwrap, tip the rendered fat out of the foil, and move the racks over medium direct heat.

Baste with half the reserved sauce and turn every few minutes for 15 minutes or so, until charred at the edges and lacquered deep red.

Rest for 5 minutes, slice between the bones, and serve with the remaining sauce spooned over and plenty of napkins.

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 Piri Piri Wants a Fatty Cut

Piri piri is Portuguese grill-house logic in a bottle: chilli for heat, lemon and vinegar for edge, garlic and paprika for depth, olive oil to carry the lot onto the fire. That acidity is the important part here. Lamb ribs come off the breast with the most generous fat cover in the share box, and once two slow hours under the hood have rendered that fat, it's the sharpness of the baste that keeps every bite lively instead of heavy. It's the same reason the Portuguese put piri piri on fatty chicken skin — acid and chilli against richness is a fight where everybody wins. One food-safety habit worth keeping: the sauce that touched raw lamb stays at the grill, and the reserved portion goes to the table. The Your Farmer® rib two-pack is a Lamb Share B cut, and an extra two-pack of lamb ribs is there when the household discovers what piri piri does to them.

Swaps and Variations

No fresh chillies? Two teaspoons of chilli flakes soaked in the lemon juice for ten minutes gets you most of the way. Bird's-eye chillies make it properly fierce — the long reds keep it family-plausible. The leftover sauce is the real bonus round: it's outstanding on pasture-raised chicken wings, brushed on grilled corn, or stirred through mayonnaise for a burger. And the whole recipe runs in the oven if the weather turns — slow stage at 160C covered, finish under a hot grill, basting as you go.

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. The untouched sauce keeps a week in a jar in the fridge with a thin film of olive oil over the top. Best leftover move: rib meat stripped into a crusty roll with piri piri mayo and shredded lettuce — a very good Saturday lunch.

Ribs like these are why we reckon the whole animal deserves a place at the table. If your freezer's not already on the roster, reserve our pasture-raised lamb share and Share B will bring the two-pack to your door.

Frequently asked questions

How hot is this really?

With seeds removed from long red chillies it's a warm, steady glow rather than a scorcher. Seeds in lifts it noticeably, and swapping in bird's-eye chillies takes it to properly hot — adjust to your table.

Is the overnight marinade worth it?

It deepens the flavour into the meat rather than just on it, so yes if you can plan ahead. But the recipe works well without it — the repeated basting over the flame does most of the heavy lifting.

I don't have a blender — can I still make the sauce?

Yes. Chop the chillies and garlic as finely as you can, then whisk everything together in a bowl. The sauce will be rustic rather than smooth, which frankly suits ribs.

Can I cook these entirely in the oven?

Yes — 2 hours covered at 160C, then baste and finish under a hot grill for 10 to 15 minutes, turning and brushing a couple of times, until charred at the edges.

Why keep the basting sauce and serving sauce separate?

Anything that's touched raw lamb — the rub bowl, the basting brush portion — shouldn't go on cooked food at the table. Splitting the sauce at the start means you never have to think about it again.

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