Fennel & Rosemary Crusted Ribs | Abel & Cole
Fennel & Rosemary Crusted Ribs
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Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 2 hrs
Soft and succulent pork ribs are crusted with an Italian-inspired rub of fresh rosemary crushed with fennel seeds, garlic and chilli, before a quick flash on the barbecue for a lick of smokiness. Makes a sumptuous feast roasted in the oven as well.
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393 kcal
(per portion)
Ingredients you'll need
  • 3 x 500g pork rib racks
  • 1½ tbsp fennel seeds
  • A pinch of dried chilli flakes
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • A handful of rosemary, leaves only
  • 1½ lemon
From your kitchen
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
You'll need
Step by step this way
  • 1.

    Get started: Peel and grate the garlic cloves. Pick and finely chop the rosemary leaves. Grate the zest from the lemon. Slide all 3 into a mortar and pestle along with 1 tbsp fennel seeds, a pinch of chilli flakes (they’re spicy, so use as much or as little as you prefer) and a good pinch of salt and pepper and bash together. No mortar and pestle? Use a large bowl and crush with a rolling pin. Glug in 1 tbsp olive oil and combine well.

  • 2.

    Place the pork racks into a roasting dish and rub with the marinade. Leave out of the fridge for at least 30 mins to come to room temperature.

  • 3.

    Cooking indoors: Preheat your oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas 3. Cover the roasting dish with foil and slide the pork into the oven. Cook gently for 90 mins, or till the meat is soft and starts to pull away from the bone.

  • 4.

    Raise the oven temperature to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Slide the ribs out of the oven and carefully spoon away any fat that has collected in the dish. Return to the oven for 10 mins, then turn over and cook for a final 10 mins, or till the outside of the meat is golden and sticky. Remove the ribs from the oven and leave to one side to rest for 20 mins.

  • 5.

    Carve the pork ribs and serve with wedges of the zested lemon for squeezing over.

  • 6.

    Cooking outdoors: Preheat your oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas 3. Cover the roasting dish with foil and slide the pork into the oven. Cook gently for 90 mins, or till the meat is soft and starts to pull away from the bone.

  • 7.

    Light your barbecue and bring to a medium-high heat. Transfer the ribs to the grill and finish for 2-3 mins on each side, till the outside is golden and crispy. Transfer the ribs to a side plate and leave to rest for 20 mins.

  • 8.

    Carve the pork ribs and serve with wedges of the zested lemon for squeezing over.

  • 9.

    Know your grill: When lighting your barbecue, lay the bulk of the coals to one side, gently sloping 3/4 of the way to the other side. This helps to regulate the heat, giving you fierce ‘direct’ heat to brown your meat over, and gentle ‘indirect’ heat to slowly finish it off.

  • 10.

    The marinade that keeps on giving: The rosemary, fennel, chilli and garlic marinade used on these ribs will work wonders with any other cut of pork. Pieces of tenderloin can be rolled in it before frying, or for delightful crackling try rubbing it into scored pork belly fat.

  • 11.

    Next week in the Summer Roast Box: BBQ Venison with Plum and Thyme Relish. Venison and plums have been friends for decades (centuries even!). Stone fruits are bang in season, and the soft, barbecued fruit proves the perfect match for the rich, gamey meat.

  • 12.

    Flying sauces shaped pattipan squashes are perfect hovered near a hot barbecue grill. Simple slice into centimetre thick rounds and cook until caramelised. Tossed in lemon juice, salt and pepper and olive oil, they would sit handsomely next to a slab of venison.

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