Charcoal Grilled Greek Lamb Ribs with Lemon & Oregano
It was about 15 years ago now that my best friend, and long time cooking partner Mark, took me and my then girlfriend (now wife) Natacha to the Greek Island Kythira. Where he and his wife Ana had their honeymoon.
We stayed in a beautiful remote old house on a white sand beach with crystal still water and surrounded by olive groves and fig trees.
In the evenings we would drive around the island to dine out at some of the local tavernas. They sold everything by the kilo. Chips, Lamb, even salad! One evening we ventured to the far side of the island. Where we found the most picturesque taverna, with tables set out under huge trees, festooned with warm glowing lights. And all the food being coked over coals.
We ordered 2Kg of marinated Lamb Ribs, a Greek Salad, Tzatziki, and it came with a fresh chilly sauce and chips.
This is my recreation of the dish that we ate that night.
For real authenticity, you’ll need a bottle of Honey Raki
4
servings20
minutes3
hours30
Minutes3
hours50
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
1.5 kg 1.5 Lamb Ribs
1 1 Lemon
2 Cloves 2 Garlic
2 Tbsp 2 Fresh Oregano Leaves
1/8 Cup 1/8 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tsp 1/4 Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp 1 Flaky Sea Salt
Directions
- Juice and zest the lemon, mince the garlic and finely chop the oregano.
- Make the marinade:
In a small mixing bowl add the zest and juice from the lemon, minced garlic, chopped oregano, salt and pepper.
Give it a stir and then slowly pour in the olive oil as you whisk. This will emulsify the marinade and properly combine all the flavours. - Add the lamb ribs to a large mixing bowl or other suitable container, pore over the marinade and give it a good stir, making sure to completely coat all the ribs.
Cover with a beeswax wrap and marinade in the fridge for at least 3 hours. Overnight is best. - Set up your BBQ for direct cooking, and heat to around 200°-220°C / 390°-430°F.
Place the ribs on the grates, placed in the highest position, and directly over the coals.
- Lamb ribs contain a lot of fat! Which we can render down and turn into a lot of flavour. But as the fat renders it will drip into the coals and ignite. You’re going to want to close the lid to prevent any major flare-ups which will burn the ribs.
The dripping fat will cause quite a lot of smoke, but don’t worry, this will just add flavour. - Cook the lamb ribs for about 20-30 minutes, turning and rotating around the grill a couple of times, until the ribs are crisp and golden.
Garnish with fresh lemon wedges and chopped parsley.
- These Charcoal Grilled Greek Lamb Ribs with Lemon & Oregano are perfect served with an Authentic Greek Salad, Tzatziki and a freshly made Chilli Sauce.
Remember to squeeze the fresh lemon over the ribs as you serve.
Notes
- Due to the amount of fat in lamb ribs, there can be a lot of flare-ups. If you’re not an experienced bbqer, don’t cook more than 1.5 Kg of ribs at a time.
You can control this a little by closing off the bottom vent before opening the lid, and turning the ribs as quickly as you can before closing back down. Remember to reopen your vent again.
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