This recipe is for a delicious stew made with country-style pork ribs, which are cooked in a spicy tomato sauce that uses Morita pepper. It’s a dish that is better known in the central part of Mexico, and the ways of cooking it are very diverse.
You can also use green tomatillos in addition to the tomatoes, and the ingredients for the sauce can either be boiled or roasted, depending on your taste (roasting them adds more flavor, but takes a bit more time).
This post is sponsored by the National Pork Board.
This dish is just another example of how when you cook with pork, the end result is bound to be delicious regardless of what adjustments you make. It is no wonder that in Mexican cuisine, like in many other cuisines around the world, pork is used in a variety of combinations. In Mexico, you can find dishes where 2-3 different cuts of pork are used in a single recipe. That is the case of the Pozole Rojo, where the shoulder, ribs and even pieces of the head are added in order to render a rich broth.
Pork Spare Ribs or Country Style Pork Ribs
For this stew, the specific cut I’m using is Country-Style Pork Ribs. These actually aren’t rib meat, but are cut from the pork loin near the shoulder. Country-Style Pork ribs are a really flavorful cut of meat that are a common sight in Mexican cooking, often cooked in rich sauces that can include green tomatillos, Guajillo peppers, Arbol peppers, or Morita peppers, like in this recipe. Cooking with this pork takes me back to the Mexican diners and mom-and-pop restaurants that would serve up these scrumptious stews, often with a different sauce according to the day.
Thankfully, I can recreate those flavors at home with this recipe! You can find this particular cut of pork at your local grocery store or Latin store; the package that I bought had the name “Country Style Pork Ribs” on the label.
How to make Country-Style Pork Ribs in a Spicy Tomato Sauce
Jump to RecipeINSTRUCTIONS:
- Cut the country-style pork ribs into small pieces, then place them in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add the garlic cloves, bay leaf, and ¼ white onion and cover with the water. Season with salt.
- Place the pot over high heat to bring the water to a boil. Once it comes to a boil (about 5-7 minutes, see notes), reduce the heat to gently simmer the meat for about 30-40 more minutes, until the meat is cooked and tender. A gray foam will start to form at the surface of the cooking broth, so make sure to skim it off and discard it with a spoon.
- While the pork is cooking, place the tomatoes, Morita peppers, ¼ of a medium white onion, and 1 garlic clove in a saucepan. Cover with water, and place the saucepan over medium heat to cook for about 20 minutes. Your peppers should look soft.
- After they’re cooked, place the tomatoes, onion, peppers and garlic in your blender, and process them until you have a smooth sauce. Set aside.
- Once the meat is cooked, remove all the liquid, then let the meat begin to brown in its own fat at medium-low heat. In case the meat does not release enough fat, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Browning the meat will help add more flavors to it and to the finished dish. This step will take about 4-5 minutes.
- When you see that the meat is somewhat browned, add the sauce to the pot. Use a strainer when pouring in the sauce, so that no bits of the pepper skins get into the sauce. Next, crumble the dried herbs with your fingers and add them to the sauce. Stir and season with salt and pepper. After this, let the stew simmer for 10 more minutes. If you see that the sauce is too thick for your taste, add a couple of tablespoons of the cooking broth (from the pork ribs) to thin it a little bit.
Serve with white rice and warm corn tortillas. Enjoy!
NOTES:
- Morita peppers are somewhat spicy, so if you’re not used to eating spicy, simply reduce the number of peppers to half of what the recipe indicates.
- You can buy Morita peppers at Latin stores, or online stores. If you can't find them, you can substitute them for dried chipotle peppers. If neither of these two are available, you can use chipotle peppers in adobo, the kind that are sold in a can or a jar.
- Keep in mind that if the meat is still cold when you put it in the pot to cook, the water will take longer to come to a boil, about 3-5 more minutes.
- I wanted this recipe to be easy to make, and the easiest way to make the sauce is to simply boil the ingredients prior to blending. In case you want to roast the ingredients, place them on a hot griddle, and rotate them from time to time to achieve an even roasting. The Morita peppers will only take about a minute to roast. Remove them promptly to avoid burning their skins.
Other Mexican Recipes with Pork:
Pork Stew With Zucchini and Corn
Country style pork ribs in spicy tomato sauce serving suggestions:
You could serve this delicious stew with a side of white rice or red rice. It also goes well with pinto beans and corn or flour tortillas. Here are some of these options:
Please let me know how your Country-Style Ribs in a Spicy Tomato Sauce turns out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
📖 Recipe
Pork Ribs in a Spicy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
To cook the pork ribs:
- 2 lbs. country-style pork ribs
- ¼ of a medium-size white onion
- 2 medium-size garlic cloves unpeeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 cups of water
- Salt to season
For the sauce:
- 1½ lbs. tomatoes
- 4 dried Morita peppers see Notes
- ¼ of a medium-size white onion
- 1 medium-size garlic clove peeled
- ⅓ tsp. dried thyme
- ⅓ tsp. marjoram
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the country-style pork ribs into small pieces, then place them in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add the garlic cloves, bay leaf, and ¼ white onion and cover with the water. Season with salt.
- Place the pot over high heat to bring the water to a boil. Once it comes to a boil (about 5-7 minutes, see notes), reduce the heat to gently simmer the meat for about 30-40 more minutes, until the meat is cooked and tender. A gray foam will start to form at the surface of the cooking broth, so make sure to skim it off and discard it with a spoon.
- While the pork is cooking, place the tomatoes, Morita peppers, ¼ of a medium white onion, and 1 garlic clove in a saucepan. Cover with water, and place the saucepan over medium heat to cook for about 20 minutes. Your peppers should look soft.
- After they’re cooked, place the tomatoes, onion, peppers and garlic in your blender, and process them until you have a smooth sauce. Set aside.
- Once the meat is cooked, remove all the liquid, then let the meat begin to brown in its own fat at medium-low heat. In case the meat does not release enough fat, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Browning the meat will help add more flavors to it and to the finished dish. This step will take about 4-5 minutes.
- When you see that the meat is somewhat browned, add the sauce to the pot. Use a strainer when pouring in the sauce, so that no bits of the pepper skins get into the sauce. Next, crumble the dried herbs with your fingers and add them to the sauce. Stir and season with salt and pepper. After this, let the stew simmer for 10 more minutes. If you see that the sauce is too thick for you taste, add a couple of tablespoons of the cooking broth (from the pork ribs) to thin it a little bit.
- Serve with white rice and warm corn tortillas. Enjoy!
Notes
- Morita peppers are somewhat spicy, so if you’re not used to eating spicy, simply reduce the number of peppers to half of what the recipe indicates.
- You can buy Morita peppers at Latin stores, or online stores. If you can't find them, you can substitute them for dried chipotle peppers. If neither of these two are available, you can use chipotle peppers in adobo, the kind that are sold in a can or a jar.
- Keep in mind that if the meat is still cold when you put it in the pot to cook, the water will take longer to come to a boil, about 3-5 more minutes.
- I wanted this recipe to be easy to make, and the easiest way to make the sauce is to simply boil the ingredients prior to blending. In case you want to roast the ingredients, place them on a hot griddle, and rotate them from time to time to achieve an even roasting. The Morita peppers will only take about a minute to roast. Remove them promptly to avoid burning their skins.
Bob Pierce
I will try this but I think I want to brown the meat first and then use less water to slowly braise the meat, or will that hinder the meat from absorbing the flavors from the onion, garlic & bay leaf?
Mely Martínez
Hello Bob, you can so that if you want, the meat will be even more flavorful.
Greg
How do you cut through the bone when cutting up the ribs?
Mely Martínez
Hello Greg,
They are already sold like that at the grocery store.
Cooking in Mexico
Dear Mely, I want to make this for my husband, who loves ribs, but what do you recommend as a substitute for morita chile, as I don't see it where I live in Jalisco. Thank you. ~ Kathleen
Mely Martínez
Hello Kathleen,
If you live in Jalisco, try looking for the "Chile Seco" as it is called in Veracruz, at your local market. If you do not find it, use dried chipotle peppers. And, as the last option, canned chipotles in adobo.
Saludos!
Cooking in Mexico
Thank you, Mely. I will look for your recommended chiles. - Kathleen