Rib rub...

chipolte

Got your attention? At our Mexican inspired dinner party the other night, I had so many plates and sauces and entrees and salsas going on, that I labeled things in my fridge: orange simple syrup, chx stock, drunken beans, green rice, chx for enchiladas, verde sauce and 'rib rub.' And halfway through the night, after a good likelihood that we had consumed a few mojitos and margaritas, we came up with the notion of wearing our labels. Orange syrup, verde sauce, drunken beans... and then I pulled out rib rub. Which naturally, caused us to roll in laughter. But that is the fun of friends and food. And green tape food labels.

These chipolte BBQ ribs were fantastic; I already have pork ribs on the top of my next grocery list.

Rib Rub serves 6. recipe adapted from Mod Mex.

3/4 cup OJ 2 T achiote paste 1/2 small red onion, minced 2-3 lemons/limes thinly sliced 2 bay leaves crumbled 2 T chopped fresh (or 2 tsp dried) thyme, oregano, rosemary 1 T minced fresh garlic 1-2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander

4-5 LBS Pork spare/baby back ribs

KS&CP 3-4 large banana leaves or parchment paper, aluminum foil.

Chipolte BBQ Sauce 12 oz ketchup (organic!) 3 canned chipolte chiles in adobo, minced 1/4 cup molasses 1/4 cup Worchestershire 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup rice vinegar 2 T Dijon 1 cup chicken stock (homemade!)

Mix rub ingredients, season pork with KS&CP (kosher salt and coarse pepper) and cover both sides with rub. Preheat oven to 350, in roasting pan lay large piece of aluminum, then parchment/banana leaves, then ribs. Cover ribs with remaining rub. Fold parchment up over ribs, then fold aluminum foil over ribs, to cover. Bake 3 hours, until meat is falling off bone. Open packet and let cool. Scrape off excess rub, cut into 2-3 rib portions and cook---or refrigerate until ready to cook (fantastic do-ahead for dinner party).

Make BBQ sauce: combine in saucepan, simmer 5 minutes, off heat and let cool. Have ribs at room temperature; grill or broil ribs (if broiling, leave door ajar). Baste and turn, baste and turn ribs, every minute for 5-6 minutes total. Three coats a side, and the ribs are ready!

pig

(Okay, so its a pig labeled in Italian... perhaps not entirely fitting for Mexican rib-rubbed-and-roasted pork. But cut me some slack: it's cool. This pig picture is from a tile I bought while living abroad for a year in Chianti...).