Homemade lamb bacon
Simple guide to making lamb bacon at home
Serves
4
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs 15 mins
Ever wanted to try lamb bacon? Make it at home with Chef Kate Fay's incredible homemade lamb bacon recipe!
You can use lamb bacon in pretty much any dish you'd use standard bacon or pancetta for: Italian soups, potato salads, meat braises, pasta dishes, whatever.
The lamb should be brined the day before cooking. Doing so provides a greater depth of flavour and gives them a lovely tender texture once they are cooked. It also allows you to keep the lamb ribs for longer. Once the ribs are brined, you can then braise them and store in the fridge for 3–4 days.
This sticky and succulent lamb rib recipe is perfect for entertaining a crowd and guaranteed to get your guests asking for more. Smoked paprika coating adds great colour and flavour to the ribs – which are delicious, whether they’re eaten with your fingers or with a fork.
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ShareIngredients
2-3 racks Quality Mark lamb ribs
water
1 ½ Tbsp black peppercorns
1 ½ Tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
275g brown sugar
170g sea salt
flaky1 Tbsp Himalayan pink salt
6 garlic cloves
smashed or slicedsprigs fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
fresh2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 ½ Tbsp La Chinata smoked paprika bittersweet
1 tsp cayenne powder
4L water
cold
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Using a fry pan that can also go in the oven, dry roast the black peppercorns, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cumin seeds over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes.
Place the frying pan in the oven until the spices become fragrant (this will take about 4–5 minutes).
Remove the spices from the oven and add to a large pot along with 1 litre of water, the brown sugar, flaky sea salt and pink Himalayan salt.
Bring the brine mixture to the boil whisking to dissolve the salt and sugar. Once they are dissolved add the remaining ingredients.
Remove from the heat and add the remaining 3 litres of cold water and allow to cool to room temperature.
Place the lamb ribs in a plastic container (do not use a metal container), cover with the brine and marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
Remove from the brine and cook the ribs using the braising method.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Place the lamb ribs in a large casserole dish with the rib bones facing up. Add enough water into the casserole dish to just cover the ribs and place tinfoil over the container.
Place in the oven and cook for 2-3 hours until the ribs are tender and cooked through.
Remove the ribs from the braising liquid and place on a flat tray.
Allow to slightly cool and carefully pull each of the rib bones out of the meat. The de-boned lamb ribs can be stored in the fridge until you need to make the lamb bacon.
Place a layer of baking paper over the ribs with another tray on top and a heavy weight to press the ribs. Pressing the ribs allows them to keep an even shape. The de-boned lamb ribs can be stored in the fridge until you need to make the lamb bacon.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Slice the de-boned lamb ribs into thin strips of lamb bacon. Don't cut the strips too thin otherwise they will lose shape and crumble.
Place a sheet of baking paper on a flat tray and lay out the sliced deboned lamb rib meat.
Place another piece of baking paper on top and then another tray and something heavy such as a heavy ovenproof dish or fry pan. Pressing the lamb bacon as you cook it allows it to keep an even shape and come out thin and crispy.
Place the tray in oven and cook covered and weighted in oven until bacon is crispy. This will take approximately 15-20 mins.
You can use lamb bacon in pretty much any dish you'd use standard bacon or pancetta for.
