Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone opened a new restaurant in Hollywood this summer with a patio, grill, two bars and a butcher shop. On any given day at Gwen, there are half a dozen butchers behind the counter there breaking down heritage hogs, making octopus terrines and walking customers through the particulars of grass-fed Wagyu beef from Australia. Stop by and Stone will happily share recipes and cooking tips with any customer who is interested.
In this recipe for smoked lamb ribs with eggplant and yogurt sauce, the trick to keeping the ribs juicy and flavorful is to brine them overnight. Use a combination of garlic, orange zest, fresh bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, black peppercorns, coriander seeds, fennel and cayenne to give the ribs a slight kick.
GWEN’S SMOKED LAMB RIBS
The brine can be made up to 3 days ahead, covered and refrigerated. Dry rub can be made up to 5 days ahead, stored airtight at room temperature.
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Brine Ingredients
4 racks of lamb ribs (about 1¼ lbs each)
4 qts water
1 orange, zest finely grated and juiced
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tbsps black peppercorns
2 tbsps coriander seeds
2 tsps fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1½ tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
12 fresh thyme sprigs
3 fresh bay leaves
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1¼ cups dark brown sugar
1¼ cups sea salt flakes
1 tbsp pink curing salt (Instacure #1)
1 large container big enough to hold 4 racks of lamb
Dry Rub Ingredients
2 tbsps coriander seeds
2½ tsps fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsps smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Yogurt Sauce (recipe follows below)
Smoked Eggplant (recipe follows below)
Equipment
Oil, for brushing
Foil, for wrapping
Almond wood, for grilling
Brining Instructions
Toast the peppercorns, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cumin seeds in a large pot over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes.
Next, add 1 quart of water and the orange juice. Stir in the orange zest, garlic, sea salt, brown sugar, paprika, pink curing salt, cayenne pepper, thyme, bay leaves and rosemary. Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk to dissolve the salt and sugar, then remove from heat and stir in an additional 3 quarts of water. Set aside and cool to room temperature.
In a large container with a lid, soak the lamb ribs in the brine. Cover the container and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Grilling Instructions
Make the dry rub: Toast the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and cumin seeds in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Transfer the spices to a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.
In a small bowl, mix the freshly ground spices with the smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Reserve and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325ºF (or 280ºF, if using a fan-forced oven). Place a wire rack on a large heavy-rimmed baking sheet.
Remove the lamb ribs from the brine and pat dry. Brush both sides of the ribs with oil and evenly sprinkle 1½ teaspoons of the dry rub over both sides of each rack of ribs.
Bake the lamb: Tightly wrap each rack separately in foil and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven to cook, flipping the foil parcels over on the baking sheet after an hour and 15 minutes. Return the parcels to the oven for another hour and 15 minutes, or until the ribs are tender. Then remove the foil and let the ribs rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Grill the lamb: Meanwhile, prepare your barbecue grill with almond oil on medium-high heat. Grill the ribs for about 2 minutes per side, or until evenly browned on both sides. Transfer the grilled ribs to a chopping board and cut into 2-inch rib pieces.
To serve: Transfer the rib segments to a platter and serve immediately with the Smoked Eggplant and Yogurt Sauce.
SMOKED EGGPLANT
Yield: Makes about 3 cups
Ingredients
1 (1 lb) large Italian eggplant
1 red bell pepper
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
¾ cup celery stalks, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 ripe red heirloom tomato, peeled, seeded and finely diced
2 tsps sugar
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup capers, drained
⅔ cup green olives, pitted and finely2 diced
½ cup sherry vinegar
½ oz bittersweet chocolate (85% cacao), finely grated
5 tsps fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tbsps fresh basil, chiffonade
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
Almond wood, for grilling
Charcoal, for grilling
Instructions
Prepare the barbecue with charcoal and almond wood, setting the grill to allow for direct medium-high heat.
Grill the eggplant: Using a fork, pierce the eggplant all over and transfer it to the grill. Turn the eggplant often to ensure even coloring. Grill for about 25 to 30 minutes or until softened and charred all over. Once done, transfer the eggplant to a bowl to cool.
Next, remove the skin from the eggplant. Cut the eggplant in half, lengthwise, and discard the seed sacs. Return the pulp to the bowl and set aside until the eggplant juices begin to pool beneath, about 15 minutes. Reserve the eggplant liquid and finely chop the eggplant pulp. Reserve and set aside.
Grill the bell pepper: Meanwhile, rub the bell pepper with 1 teaspoon of oil. Grill the bell pepper for about 15 minutes or until charred all over, turning as needed. Transfer to a bowl and then cover. Once cool enough to handle, peel the charred skins from the peppers (without rinsing). Cut the peppers in half and discard the seeds. Finely dice the bell peppers.
Cook the mixture: In a heavy, medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and celery and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the onions begin to turn translucent and soften. Then, add the garlic and sauté for about a minute until fragrant. Next, add the grilled bell peppers, tomatoes and sugar and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until the tomatoes soften. Add the raisins, capers, olives, charred eggplant pulp and reserved eggplant liquid. Cook for about 3 minutes, then stir in the vinegar and chocolate.
Reduce the heat to low and cook gently for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the flavors to blend. Transfer the mixture to a container to cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
To serve: Stir in the parsley and basil, then season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately.
YOGURT SAUCE
Yield: Makes about ¾ of a cup
Ingredients
¾ cup labneh
2 tbsps Chimichurri Sauce (recipe follows below)
2 tsps Calabrian chili oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
¼ tsp Aleppo pepper
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
In small bowl, whisk all ingredients together well. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
Ingredients
1½ tsps Aleppo pepper
⅓ cups fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
⅓ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 lemon, zested + 2 tsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
Instructions
In a small bowl, combine the Aleppo pepper, parsley, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme. Stir in the oil, lemon juice and lemon zest, then season with salt and pepper, to taste.