Encacahuatado de Costillas de Cerdo (Pork Ribs in Peanut-Chile Sauce)
- Total Time
- 3 hours 15 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons rendered lard, preferably not hydrogenated
- 4pounds pork spare ribs, baby back ribs or shoulder; ribs separated or shoulder cut to into 2-inch pieces
- 33grams guajillo chiles (about 3), stemmed and seeded
- 1chipotle or morita chile, stemmed
- 1cup roasted unsalted peanuts, plus more for serving
- 1(3-inch) stick canela (Ceylon cinnamon) or (1-inch) stick cassia cinnamon
- 2tablespoons raw sesame seeds
- ½teaspoon allspice berries
- ½teaspoon black peppercorns or ground black pepper
- ½teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½large white onion, chopped
- 4garlic cloves, chopped
- 3large Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 4teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat 1 tablespoon lard in a large heavy pot over medium-high and, working in batches, cook ribs, meaty side down, until browned in spots on the meaty side only, about 6 minutes. If the ribs have a sharp curve, you might not get a lot of color, but even a little browning will add a lot of flavor. Transfer to a platter and set aside.
- Step 2
Wipe out any burned bits from the pot, if necessary, then add chiles and cook, tossing frequently, until browned in spots and very fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to the jar of a blender.
- Step 3
Add 1 tablespoon lard, the peanuts and canela to the same pot and cook, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Add sesame seeds, allspice, peppercorns, and cumin, and cook, tossing frequently, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add remaining tablespoon lard, onion, garlic, tomatoes and salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and tomatoes begin to break down, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 4 cups water, remove from heat, and scrape the bottom of the pan to get up any browned bits.
- Step 4
Transfer mixture, in batches if necessary, to the jar of the blender with the chiles. Purée until completely smooth.
- Step 5
Rinse and dry the pot, set it over medium-high heat and pour in peanut purée. Add ribs and accumulated juices, and bring to a boil, cover, reduce to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat can easily be removed from the bones, 2 to 2½ hours.
- Step 6
Serve ribs generously bathed in the encacahuatado topped with chopped peanuts.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Ceylon cinnamon is really soft, so you shouldn't have an issue blending it. Also, it's probably important to note that this recipe was likely developed with a Vitamix. If your blender isn't as powerful, you might have to make some adjustments. Lastly, it's not pointed out, but it's pretty typical in Mexican cuisine to strain sauces before simmering. That way you wouldn't have all the gritty bits of spices.
Blending cinnamon sticks sounds like a bad idea.
I followed the recipe as written and the whole spices just did not work. No matter how long I blended the liquid mixture, I was left with grit-sized bits of cinnamon, peppercorns, and allspice berries that I eventually had to strain out, leaving behind a smooth but not particularly flavorful sauce. I recommend making the liquid mixture with powdered spices, while also adding canned chipotle in adobo to taste and several dashes of Maggi seasoning. I did this and the end result was tasty.
I wish I could give this more than five stars. It was worth every minute of cooking time.
Disappointing. Not especially flavorful. We ended up dousing it with hot sauce, lime juice and chopped cilantro, which helped, but then everything tastes better with hot sauce, lime and cilantro.
Ceylon cinnamon is really soft, so you shouldn't have an issue blending it. Also, it's probably important to note that this recipe was likely developed with a Vitamix. If your blender isn't as powerful, you might have to make some adjustments. Lastly, it's not pointed out, but it's pretty typical in Mexican cuisine to strain sauces before simmering. That way you wouldn't have all the gritty bits of spices.
While I have huge respects for the traditions of Mexican cooking, I decided to go with Adam Ragusea's "weeknight mole" approach: no blender, used canned chipotles in adobo, peanut butter in lieu of lard peanuts, dried spices in lieu of whole, a tender cut like tenderloin instead of ribs, and passed everything through a sieve after max. 30 minutes of cooking instead of blending. That said, one day if I have the time, I would love to give this an honest try!
I followed the recipe as written and the whole spices just did not work. No matter how long I blended the liquid mixture, I was left with grit-sized bits of cinnamon, peppercorns, and allspice berries that I eventually had to strain out, leaving behind a smooth but not particularly flavorful sauce. I recommend making the liquid mixture with powdered spices, while also adding canned chipotle in adobo to taste and several dashes of Maggi seasoning. I did this and the end result was tasty.
Blending cinnamon sticks sounds like a bad idea.
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