So yesterday, in Braai Week Part 1, I started discussing the magnificence that is Marinading. And today I will continue with that. Now just to be clear, I have nothing against rubs etc. but I’ve just never really gotten the feel for them. I know people who could grill you the best meat on earth with just a rub, but I’m not one of those.

So today I’ll  be talking about Lamb and Ribs. My two other favourites on the braai. I’ll be discussing steak on Thursday, so don’t panic, it’s coming!

I could eat ribs all day, everyday. As long as they are sweet, sticky and a tad bit spicy, I’m a happy girl. Surprisingly enough, I’ve found the ready-made, marinated spare ribs from most supermarkets to be quite satisfactory, but they might as well be uncooked potatoes when measured against the magnificence that is Home-made Spare Ribs! Ooooh yum! I mean, just look at the photo, are you drooling yet?

Now once again, I would suggest you play around with flavours and really see what you like. A bit sweeter? Maybe a bit less? More spice? It’s all up to you! Like I said, I want mine sweet, sticky and spicy…oh and smokey! For ribs, in my opinion, only one recipe is necessary, and it’s this one! This recipe yields enough marinade to cover about 2kg (4.41 pounds) of ribs. I use smoked pork spare ribs from my local butcher. Make friends with yours! I promise you’ll be happy you did!

2 cups tomato ketchup
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup  Lemon juice
2 red chillies, finely chopped

• Combine all the ingredients and whisk well. Pour over the ribs and allow to marinade for at least 30 mins and up to 3/4 hours before braai-ing / barbecuing. You could also stick these in a hot oven for 15-20 minutes.

Now I know there are many people who don’t eat Lamb, but honestly, I think there is something wrong with those people. Yes I know…it’s LAMB and even though I know where my meat comes from etc. I still like to think of it as the stuff that I buy from the butcher. I don’t quite like the idea of eating a little Karoo lamb that was just last week springing and spronging, happily along.

I’ve also heard of people saying that Lamb tastes of nothing. Either your taste buds are non-existent, or you aren’t buying good quality lamb. Proper, Free range lamb is soft, sweet, rich and fragrant. There is no doubt that good quality, free range lamb is my favourite red meat.

And just like chicken, there is a magnitude of ways to marinate it to perfection. Most of the time I prefer a simple marinate of olive oil, lemon juice & zest, black pepper and salt. The simplest things are most often the best, aren’t they? But if you want to venture a little further into different flavours, why not try some of these fabulous marinades? These marinades are enough for 12 lamb chops. You just have to combine all the ingredients and marinate the lamb chops for up to 4 hours.

Rosemary & Lemon:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 garlic cloves, sliced
zest of 1 lemon
1tsp salt
Black pepper to taste

Greek marinade:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
2tbsn fresh oregano leaves / 1 tbsn dried
1tbsn fresh mint leaves / 1 tsp dried
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp salt
black pepper to taste

Yoghurt & mint  marinade:

1 cup yoghurt
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, sliced
3tbsn fresh mint, chopped
2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste

• Combine all the ingredients and marinade the lamb chops. Wipe off the marinade before braai-ing.

Dijon & Thyme:

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
2tbsn Dijon mustard
4 thyme sprigs/ 1tbsn dried
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1tsp salt
black pepper to taste

• Combine all the ingredients and marinade the lamb chops. Wipe off the marinade before braai-ing.

Ok this is another entry into the Braai the Beloved Country event, Cooksister is hosting. Click here to check it out.

In tomorrow’s post, I’ll be indulging in all the wonderful side dishes you can have with your braai!

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Tags: best lamb chop marinades, Braai 4 Heritage, Braai Lamb Chops, braai week, Heritage Day, Lamb Chop marinades, Lamb Chops, Marinating lamb chops, National Braai day, Pork Spare Ribs, Spare Ribs, Sticky Ribs