You are here: Home / Pork / Pork Ribs in Salsa Roja
Douglas Cullen, This blog generates income via ads and affiliate links which earn us a small commission.
Costillas de Cerdo en Salsa Roja
One of the favorite chiles in central Mexico is the mild guajillo. They are used to perfection in this recipe for Aguascalientes style slow-simmered pork ribs in salsa roja.
Think of the sauce as a tangy chile based BBQ sauce. It tastes really familiar and a bit unique at the same time. Preparation is simple enough for a weeknight dinner.
How to Make Mexican Pork Ribs
In Spanish, the dish is called “costillas de cerdo en salsa roja” or “costillas de puerco en salsa roja.”
Gather Your Ingredients
You will need 2.5 lbs. pork ribs, 6 guajillo chiles, 3 tomatoes, ½ head of garlic, ¼ cup vinegar, ¼ sugar and 2 to 3 tsps. salt.
Making the Sauce
Remove the seeds and veins from the chiles.
Add the chiles, tomatoes, salt, vinegar, and 1 cup of water to your blender. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute.
Strain the salsa to remove the pulp.
Your salsa is now ready to cook the ribs.
Cooking the Ribs
Place your ribs in a large pot with just enough water to almost cover.
Add the garlic and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until all the water evaporates about 20 to 30 minutes.
After all the water has evaporated, remove the garlic. The ribs will continue cooking in the fat that was released while boiling.
Cook until nicely browned, stirring every couple of minutes.
Pour the salsa over the ribs.add the sugar. Stir to cover the ribs.
Before cooking the salsa is a bright red. After cooking it turns a deep rich red.
Cook until the salsa has reduced by half stirring every 5 minutes. It’s starting to look really good!
Provecho! Enjoy your plate of Mexican ribs!
Print Pin
3.95 from 18 votes
Pork Ribs in Salsa Roja Recipe
Mexican style slow-simmered pork ribs in a mild guajillo salsa roja popular around Aguascalientes. The sauce is like a tangy chile based BBQ sauce, familiar and a bit exotic at the same time.
Course Dinner
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Mexican Pork Ribs, Pork Ribs Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes minutes
Total Time 50 minutes minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 364kcal
Author Andrés Carnalla
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs. pork ribs
- 6 guajillo chiles
- 3 tomatoes
- ½ head of garlic
- ¼ cup vinegar
- ¼ sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 to 3 tsps. salt
Instructions
Preparing the Guajillo Salsa
Remove the seeds and veins from the chiles.
Add the chiles, tomatoes, salt, vinegar, and 1 cup of water to your blender. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute.
Strain the salsa to remove the pulp.
Set aside until pork is browned.
Cooking the Ribs
Place your ribs in a large pot with just enough water to almost cover.
Add the ½ head of garlic and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until all the water evaporates, about 20 to 30 minutes.
After all the water has evaporated, remove the garlic. The ribs will continue cooking in the fat that was released while boiling.
Cook until nicely browned.
Pour the salsa over the ribs. Add the sugar. Stir to cover the ribs in salsa.
Cook until the salsa has reduced by half (about 20 minutes) stirring every 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.
Notes
Substitutions
You can substitute ancho chiles for the guajillo or use 3 anchos and 3 guajillos.
Bigger Batches
The recipe makes 4 medium-sized portions. If you are a bigger eater or are cooking for a larger crowd this recipe is easy to double or triple to suit your needs.
Nutrition
Serving: 3ribs | Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 21g | Sodium: 430mg | Sugar: 14g
More Pork Recipes
- Pork Chops in Salsa Verde
- Authentic Chiles Rellenos
- Red Pork Pozole
- Pork Leg Torta
More Guajillo Recipes
- Mild Guajillo Salsa
More Pork
- Chopped Pork Torta
- Chiles Rellenos de Puerco
- Pork Chops in Salsa Verde
Reader Interactions
Comments
-
MadameGuillen says
Wonderful!! Delicious and easy!!Reply
-
Rick Heilman says
Really good, authinic Mexican taste. Rich and very filling. Easy to make but takes far longer to reduce water and sauce than recipe indicates. First time using this chili and would prefer a spicier one. The gualilla peppers are a little fruity and almost no heat.Reply
-
MIschelle Santiago says
My husband is from Mexico and LOVED this recipe. I used pork riblets, 6 guajillos , and will only use 2 tsp salt next time.Reply
-
David says
I make something similar to this. I usually put the ribs on the grill to get some browning and then I cut them into individual ribs(or I have the butcher cut them across the bone to make 1-2″ pieces of ribs held together by the meat kind of like rib tips but without all the funky little pieces). I don’t boil them but the rest is more or less the same. I just cook it 2-4 hours until tender. I don’t like the texture of boiled ribs and it seems like a good chance to get the flavor into the ribs more.
I’ve used canned enchilada sauce I got on sale and smoked paprika before when making a lot(40lb+) and it comes out really good too.
Reply
-
Leticia says
¼ cup or ¼ tsp of sugar?
Reply
-
Nathaniel says
Really liked it. Want to make it again, but can’t decide what to serve with it. Ideas?Reply
-
Crystal Mosier says
Mashed potatoes and use the sauce as gravy!! Or potato salad is what we do 😊
Reply
-
-
Nic says
how much sugar? it just says 1/4. 1/4 what? cup?
Reply
-
Fabio says
Yes 1/4.Reply
-
Tamelia says
I make this every now and then with salsa verde. But, Today I am making this with red sauce exactly how it’s stated except I use 6 chili Guajillo and 6 chili Puya and hand full of chili Arbol. To give it a slight kick. When I do pork. I also, use Bay leaf. Sometimes I blend it in with the tomato and chilis or at times. I just throw a leaf in The pan ans it cooking. Extremely delicious!!! everyone always ask when I will be making again.
Reply
-
Shanna says
I have accidentally bought what was labeled Pork Spareribs thinking that they were Pork Stew Meat. Looks like oddball trimming chunks from processing with pieces of bone, cartilage, and fat from a well known Latin based grocery. I know I have seen and had different stew dishes made from similar cuts before. It sounds like this recipe will work for what I have. Cooking the ribs while using the fat to finish cooking without waste. Thank you.Reply
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
