🇪🇹 Ethiopian · Beef & Lamb Dishes
🐑 Ethiopian Lamb Shoulder Tibs
የትከሻ ጥብስ — Ye-Tikesha Tibs
Ethiopian Lamb Shoulder Tibs — bone-in lamb shoulder pieces sautéed in kibbeh with jalapeño, rosemary, onion, and tomato. More gelatinous and flavourful than boneless lamb tibs — the collagen from the shoulder bones enriches the pan sauce.
Shoulder tibs uses the bone-in shoulder rather than the tender leg cuts — the result is a richer, more complex tibs where the collagen from the bone enriches the pan sauce. It requires slightly longer cooking but the flavour reward is significant.
Ingredients
Equipment: Heavy wide pan
- 700g bone-in lamb shoulder — chopped through the bone into pieces
- 3 tbsp kibbeh
- 1 onion — diced
- 2 tomatoes — diced
- 2 jalapeños
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp berbere
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 tsp salt
Method
- Heat kibbeh until very hot.
- Sear lamb shoulder pieces on all sides — 3 minutes.
- Add onion. Cook 3 minutes.
- Add garlic, jalapeño, rosemary, berbere, and tomatoes.
- Cook 5—8 more minutes — the bone-in pieces need more time than boneless.
- Season. The pan sauce should be slightly more gelatinous than standard tibs.
Chef Tips
- Bone-in lamb shoulder pieces — the specific cut.
- Slightly longer cooking than boneless tibs — the bone conducts heat more slowly.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Expecting it to cook as fast as boneless tibs.
The Science
Bone-in cooking releases collagen and marrow from the bone surface — these dissolve into the pan sauce as the cooking progresses, producing the characteristic slightly sticky, gelatinous sauce.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- High protein.
- Collagen from bone adds joint-supporting gelatin.
Cultural Note
Shoulder tibs is the tibs of the knowledgeable Ethiopian restaurant-goer — ordered for the richer, more complex flavour that only bone-in cooking can produce.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Best eaten immediately.
Reheating: Briefly in kibbeh.
Serve with: Injera (ETH001), Ayib (ETH096)