Costillas en Salsa Verde (or Pork Ribs in Mexican Salsa Verde) is a tasty and incredibly delicious dish. See the VIDEO or follow the step-by-step pictures to make this Mexican recipe.

At many restaurants in Mexico, the menu is constantly changing. One minute they’ll have a delicious picadillo, the next minute they’ll have Costillas en Salsa Verde. That’s exactly what happened the other day. I saw a neighboring table with a plate of this amazingness after I had already ordered. I ran home to make it for myself.

In Mexico, it’s all about the salsa. If you know how to make a good salsa verde, then you can make several dishes. Salsa verde involves tomatillos. They look like little green tomatoes. Don’t eat them raw. They are tart and need to be cooked.

Start by roasting the ingredients. Tomatillos, serrano chiles, onion, garlic.

Add olive oil to the ingredients. Coat the ingredients well with the oil. Some people will add lime and cilantro or other chiles. I’m not getting fancy with this salsa verde recipe. Just the basics to git ‘er dun. 😉

They go under the broiler for 10 minutes, or until charred. You can also do this on the comal, or griddle. Or, you can boil all the ingredients. However, if you boil them, you won’t get that charred flavor that we all know and love.

Hello delicious! When you place the ingredients into the blender, be sure to get juices from the pan. It’s good to the last drop. I counted the other day. I have a total of 5 blenders!! It must be a Mexican thing. My aunt had a knit cover for hers and nicknamed it “Peque,” or “little one.” LOL.

Blend until smooth. Just this alone is amazing! Grab some chips. Watch a game. Not today though. Today, we are making Costillas en Salsa Verde. Yes, you can use store bought salsa verde. No, I won’t tell.

Costillas are ribs. It’s game day season at the moment, and spare ribs were on sale. You can also use country spare ribs. They also come pre-chopped and ready to go.

Sharpen up those knives! Spare ribs need to be chopped into individual slices. Unlike bbq ribs made on the grill, these ribs do not fall off the bone. Slice away. The good thing, though, is that we’re only using half the slab of ribs. I foresee yummy ribs on the bbq in my future.

Whatever cut of ribs you get, be sure to cut off any extra fat. Fat gives flavor. Yes, I know, but it can also give you heart disease. Don’t worry. There will be plenty of fat left on the ribs.

Get a large pan nice and hot. Add the oil. Season the ribs with salt. Place the ribs in the pan and sear on one side for 5 minutes. It should be sizzling and smelling like heaven.

While it’s still searing, add salt to season the other side. Not too much. You can always add salt later. You just want to cook your Costillas en Salsa Verde through. Falling off the bone means hours, and no one ain’t got time for that, says this busy mom.

Turn and sear the other side. Cook for 5 minutes. Both sides should be brown before going to the next step. Browning the meat does two things. 1) It locks in flavor, and 2) it lessens your cooking time. Yes and yes.

Add all the salsa verde. Turn the ribs to coat the ribs in the salsa. Bring down the heat slightly and proceed to the next step.

Chicken bouillon is an ingredient we use regularly in Mexican cooking. If you don’t want to use it, you can also use salt instead. No biggie. I use it more out of habit. My mom cooked with it. My grandma cooked with it…

Add 1 cup of water. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. It will smell so good that your neighbors will want to be your best friends. If they already are your BFFs, they’ll love you even more with this dish.

To make this a more complete meal, serve with veggies and rice. Costillas en Salsa Verde is incredibly tasty. A perfect Sunday dinner for the entire family to enjoy.

Don’t forget to watch the Costillas en Salsa Verde Video

Yield: 4

Costillas en Salsa Verde

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Costillas en Salsa Verde (or Pork Ribs in Mexican Salsa Verde) is a tasty and incredibly delicious dish. A perfect Sunday dinner with the family.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Active Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 10 tomatillos
• ¼ onion, sliced
• 2 serrano chiles
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 slab of pork ribs, sliced individually
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
• 1 cup of water
• Salt as needed

Instructions

On a baking dish, add tomatillos, onion, serrano chiles, and garlic cloves. 

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil. 

Mix to coat all the ingredients. 

Place under the broil for 8-10 minutes, or until everything is roasted. 

Add the tomatillos, onion, serrano chiles, and garlic cloves to a blender. 

Blend until smooth.

Set aside until ready to use. 

Season one side of the ribs slices with salt.  

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. 

Add the ribs to the pan, seasoned side down. 

Sear ribs for 5-7 minutes. 

Add salt to the unseasoned side of the ribs. (The side facing up).

Turn the ribs and brown the other side. 

Cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.

Add the salsa verde slowly, or it will splatter. 

Cook for 5 minutes. 

Add the chicken bouillon and water. 

Cover the skillet and cook for an additional 20 minutes. 

Add more water, if needed.

Serve with rice and veggies.

Notes

Make the salsa verde ahead of time to cut down on cooking time.

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