Soutribbetjie

Soutribbetjie by Bertus Basson (Serves 4) I’VE NEVER really thought much about soutribbetjie. It’s a very traditional dish for sheep farming communities of the Karoo.

However, for a family that got its lamb and most other meat from the supermarket, lamb ribs weren’t a thing. We cook this on the braai at home as often as we can get our hands on good quality lamb rib.

Soutribbetjie needs four simple ingredients to make it great – salt, whole lamb ribs, slow coals and time. Ask your butcher to cut a whole lamb rib, including the belly and the “lies”. 1 rack lamb ribs 1 cup coarse salt PLACE the rib on a board and crack down the middle with a cleaver to flatten it. I’m sure your butcher will oblige.

With a sharp little knife, score the fat as much as possible all over. This will help with salting and rendering the fat.

Rub all over with the salt, getting it into every nook and cranny.

Secure the rib in a folding grid and hang it in a cool, dry place for at least two hours before cooking. The longer, the better.

Make a hardwood fire with a lot of coals for long, slow cooking.

This is a slow cook, and you need to turn the rib often to render out the fat.

It’s quite a skill, because you need to retain an even heat in the coals for an hour.

You can’t cook the rib too close to the coals either, as any rendered fat will flare into flames and burn your rib before it is cooked.

I keep a separate fire going and top up as we go.