What is needed:
1kg Deboned Lamb Rib
2 Lemons
30ml salt
30ml pepper
1 red onion
Small tub of feta
1 pack of sun dried tomatoes
30ml capers
Butchers string
0.5 cup of white wine
0.5 cup of lamb / mutton stock
Clamp / hinged grill
Now kids, the reason you follow a recipe is because it gives you a set of instructions to succeed at dish that is new to you.
We did not read the recipe and things started going south almost immediately.
I really struggled to get my hands on some deboned lamb ribs. Apparently, it is not something widely available. Finally the good people at Pick and Pay Southdowns were willing to debone some lamb ribs for me.
Now, if you read Jan Braai’s recipe, the very first instruction is – phone the butcher and order deboned lamb ribs. So from step two onwards I read more carefully.
You start by laying out the lamb rib seasoning the lamb rib with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
Then you spread the sun dried tomatoes, capers, feta and onions as evenly as possible on the rib.
The cut I got was a bit thick and it was hard to roll so I had to trim some of the meat in order to make a better roll. (Maybe an Amsterdam rolling professional could help here?)
Ensuring the filling stays nice and firm, roll the lamb rib into a tube and tie securely with some butcher’s rope. Butcher’s rope was another item I couldn’t easily find, luckily, the kind people from the PnP butchery saved me again here. They were kind enough to give me some when I asked nicely!
Now place the lamb in a potjie (pot) for a 90 minutes. (Another surprise since I apparently did not read the recipe thoroughly). Now, I had to explain to the head chef why we will behind with 90 minutes. So kids, if you want to avoid the head chef rolling her eyes at you – read the recipe before starting.
So now, quickly get your potjie ready put in white wine and lamb stock. 90 minutes or so in a potjie will make the lamb meat very soft but keep it juicy.
After 90 minutes, remove the lamb and cut it into nice equal size pieces. Since the lamb slices can be hard to handle it helps if you place them in a hinged grill.
On hot coals braai the lamb slices until they are a nice golden brown and the fat is nice and crispy. It would take +- 10 minus to complete.
For a side dish, these barbequed sweet potatoes in a cilantro vinaigrette comes highly, highly recommended.
The result? A soft succulent lamb paired with the smoky sweet potatoes. It is an absolute winner.
Lessons learned for the day? Read the recipe through at least once before starting. Even it is just a quick look see. It will help you to avoid surprises later on the recipe. And, if you told your wife – “yeah sure, I read the thing, now leave me alone,” then you absolutely have to read the damn thing.
Recipe is from the book Jan Braai Shisanyama.
