Mexican Pork Ribs (Costillas con Chile Colorado)

This delicious recipe for Mexican pork ribs (costillas con chile colorado) consist of pork ribs simmered in a flavorful red chile sauce. It’s so good it will have you licking the plate for every last drop. These costillas con chile go perfectly served with some white rice, tortillas and a refreshing agua fresca such as this strawberry horchata. If you enjoy this recipe you’ll have to try these beef ribs in salsa next. You’ll love them!

So I’m totally obsessed at the moment with Mexican pork ribs.

I can’t get enough of them.

They’re so easy to make.

Once you see how easy they are you’ll want to make them all the time!

The red sauce they’re simmered in is out of this world delicious.

It may even be my favorite part of this recipe!

I suggest you visit your nearest carnicería (Mexican meat market) to pick up the ribs.

We love going to our local Mexican meat market it’s where we get our meat for carne asada, chicken for pollo empanizado and chorizo for eggs with chorizo.

Ingredients needed for costillas con chile colorado

• pork ribs
• salt
• garlic cloves
• white onion
• guajillo chilies
• morita chilies
• roma tomatoes

As you can see this recipe doesn’t have a long list of ingredients it’s pretty simple.

You may have to buy your dried chilies at the Mexican meat market as well.

They usually have produce, chilies, canned goods and other products.

The morita chili is what gives the salsa a smoky and slightly spicy flavor.

It’s one of my favorite dried chilies to use.

I love it’s distinct smoky and spicy flavor.

The morita chili pairs very well with pork recipes.

It’s also used in my salsa macha.

The guajillo is also used very frequently in my kitchen.

I use them in my pork tamales, chilaquiles and of course in my authentic enchilada sauce.

If you’re not familiar with dried chilies Curious Cuisiniere has a whole guide on Mexican dried chilies that you’ll find very helpful.

I know when I first started cooking mexican food I was very overwhelmed with all the different types of dried chilies.

I didn’t know how I was supposed to use each type of chili.

So if you’re new to cooking Mexican food definitely check out that guide!

It will help you a lot!

How to make mexican pork ribs

Put the ribs in a pot along with 3 cloves of garlic, 1/4 piece of an onion and 1 tsp of salt.

Cover the ribs with about 2 cups of water.

It’s not necessary for the ribs to be completely covered in water.

Bring the ribs to a boil then reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 35 minutes or until the water is about gone.

Once the water is gone the ribs will continue to cook in it’s own fat that was released while they were boiling.

Let the ribs brown in their fat.

Salsa Roja ( Red Salsa) Steps

While the ribs are simmering it’s time to make the red salsa.

Put 7 guajillo chilies, 3 morita chilies and 3 roma tomatoes in a pot.

Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for about 10 minutes.

Then transfer the chilies and tomatoes to a blender.

Add 1/4 a piece of white onion, 2 garlic cloves and 1 1/2 cup of the water used to boil the chilies to the blender.

Blend the salsa. Then set aside.

Strain the salsa over the ribs using a mesh strainer.

Straining the salsa is very important as we don’t want any of the seeds and chili skins in our salsa.

Use a spoon to help push the salsa through.

Add salt to taste to the salsa. Give it a stir. Let it come to a simmer.

Then cover and simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

After simmering, the salsa will turn a slightly darker color.

How do I make tender pork ribs?

The longer you simmer the pork ribs in the salsa the more tender they become.

You will know when they’re done cooking because they will become very tender and easily fall apart when you try to pick them up with tongs or a fork.

Are costillas con chile colorado spicy?

I would say this dish has a medium heat level.

It’s definitely not mild but it isn’t spicy to me either.

If you would like a spicier salsa try adding one arbol chili to it.

You have to be careful with arbol chilies because they are very spicy.

Therefore using just one will probably be enough for most people.

What to serve with Mexican pork ribs?

These ribs are perfect served with a simple side of white rice and warm corn tortillas of course.

But I also like to have them with rice and pinto beans.

These Mexican pork ribs are just as delicious the next day!

I love heating them up for lunch.

They’re very addicting though.

I once made them three times in one month!

I usually don’t eat that much pork but these ribs are seriously so good that I couldn’t help myself.

Costillas con chile colorado

Mexican style pork ribs make for a great dinner any night of the week as they don’t take long to make.

And most of it is hands off.

The ribs and red salsa are so amazing that all they really need to accompany it is some simple white rice and some corn tortillas to help sop up the crazy delicious salsa.

I really hope you enjoyed todays recipe.

It’s one of our favorite meals.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below

Oh and don’t forget to rate it.

Thank you so much for visiting, see you soon!