Costillas de puerco doradas en salsa roja de tomate y jalapeño servidas en una olla de barro rústica
🌾 Ranch recipe 🍽️ Lunch🌙 Dinner

Pork Ribs in Red Salsa

Costillas de Puerco en Salsa

Ismael's favorite — pork ribs browned until crispy golden in their own rendered fat, then bathed in a tomato-jalapeño salsa. The secret is browning them with love, getting them perfectly crispy, never pale.

Prep
15 min
Cook
50 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Difficulty
Medium
💪 High protein 🚫🌾 Gluten free
🛒

Grocery list

What to buy · Shopping quantities included — check off what you already have.

Ingredients

4 servings
  • 1 kg bone-in pork ribs — cut into individual pieces
  • 4 pieces tomatoes — boiled or fried
  • 2 pieces jalapeño peppers — cooked with the tomatoes
  • 3 cloves garlic cloves — peeled
  • 0.3 piece white onion — small piece
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • to taste salt (optional)

Nutrition facts

Per serving
Total (4)
  • Calories
    490 kcal
    1960 kcal
  • Protein
    39 g
    156 g
  • Carbs
    9 g
    36 g
  • Fat
    33 g
    132 g
  • Fiber
    2 g
    8 g

Values are recalculated automatically when you change the servings.

Instructions

Every step carries its own ingredients and measurements — no more scrolling back up.

  1. 1

    Cut the ribs

    📋 You'll need
    • 1 kg bone-in pork ribs

    Cut the pork ribs into individual pieces. Keep them a good size, bone and all.

  2. 2

    Brown the ribs in their own fat

    📋 You'll need
    • 1 kg bone-in pork ribs (in pieces)

    Place the ribs in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. DO NOT add oil — the ribs slowly render their own lard and that's all the fat you need. Let them brown slowly, turning occasionally.

  3. 3

    Brown until crispy — the secret!

    📋 You'll need
    • the ribs browning

    Keep browning on all sides until they're VERY golden and crispy. No pale or white meat — that's wrong. Deep browning is what gives all the flavor. As Paula's mom says: 'that's where you put the love'. Don't skip this step.

  4. 4

    Prepare the salsa

    📋 You'll need
    • 4 pieces tomatoes
    • 2 pieces jalapeño peppers
    • 3 cloves garlic cloves
    • 0.3 piece white onion
    • 1 tsp ground cumin

    While the ribs brown, boil the tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, garlic, onion piece, and cumin in enough water. Cook until fully softened.

  5. 5

    Blend the salsa

    📋 You'll need
    • the boiled vegetables

    Blend everything together — tomato, jalapeño, garlic, onion, and cumin — until you have a smooth, uniform salsa. You can strain it if you want, but it's not necessary.

  6. 6

    Bathe the ribs in salsa

    📋 You'll need
    • the golden ribs
    • the blended salsa

    When the ribs are beautifully golden and crispy on all sides, pour the blended salsa directly over them in the pot. Make sure it covers them well.

  7. 7

    Simmer until tender

    📋 You'll need
    • salt

    Cover and simmer on low heat 15–20 minutes. The ribs will become tender and the salsa will thicken. Taste for salt and adjust. Done — Ismael's favorite!

This is Ismael's favorite dish — Paula's dad. The recipe comes straight from Paula's mom at the El Cerito ranch in Ojo de Agua, México. The secret isn't a special ingredient — it's technique. You MUST brown the ribs until they're deeply golden and crispy. No pale, white meat. That browning is where all the flavor lives. Paula's mom says 'that's where you put the love' (el amor), but the real love is patience: letting the pork render its own fat and getting that perfect golden crust before the salsa even touches them. No oil needed — the pork provides everything. Simple ingredients, proper technique, incredible flavor.

#costillas#puerco#salsa#guisado#mexicano#rancho
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