Tex-Mex Entree

Texas-Style Ribs
(Serves 6)

Texas-style—the mother of all ribs. Thousands of different recipes abound, but one thing in common: they're all finger-licking good!

Rub
1 1/2 C white sugar
2 1/2 T black ground pepper
3 T paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne (see sidebar)
2 T garlic powder
4 racks pork spareribs
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Sauce
1/2 C onion (chopped)
4 C ketchup
1/4 C salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/4 C cider vinegar
2 1/2 C hot water
4 T brown sugar
salt & pepper to taste

Rub: combine the first 5 ingredients and rub mix all over ribs. Stack ribs in two large roasting pans, each pan with 2 ribs, one on top of the other. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Ribs-1: preheat oven to 275. Bake ribs, uncovered, for 3 hours. Meat should be tender but not falling off the bone.

Sauce: drain 4 T of pork drippings from the baking pans into a skillet. Sauté onion till soft, add remaining ingredients, and stir to blend. Simmer, uncovered, over a low heat till sauce thickens/p>

Ribs-2: bring a grill up to a medium heat. Place ribs on grill, brush with sauce, and turn frequently. Grill 20 minutes till ribs are brown and slightly crispy.

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Tips & Glossary

Plenty of heat! For many that’s the pleasure of Tex-Mex food. But if you’re sensitive to throat-burning, eye-popping peppers, then turn the heat down—just reduce the peppers.

• Chili Powder: dried ground chili peppers typically mixed with cumin, garlic powder, and oregano. You can make your own blend, adding cinnamon, cloves, coriander, paprika, and nutmeg. Briefly heat dried peppers in a skillet to release flavors, then grind them into powder.

• Chorizo: a spicey pork sausage. OurTex-Mex recipes use the Mexican version—fresh pork which is cooked before eating. Spanish Chorizo is cured, ready to eat like pepperoni. If unavailable use a hot Italian sausage.

• Chili Pepper: any small hot pepper, as opposed to larger, milder bell peppers; includes, cayenne (red), chipotle (smoke-dried jalapeños), habanero, jalapeño, paprika, poblano, serrano, and tabasco.

• Chimichanga: a deep fried tortilla, filled with rice, beans, cheese, or meat, and folded into a rectangular packet. It's thought to have originated in Arizona.

• Coriander: also known as cilantro and Mexican or Chinese parsley. Both fresh leaves and dried ground seeds are used in Mexican, Mid-East, Asian, and Indian cuisines.

• Cumin: an aromatic kin to the parsley and carrot plant; an important ingredient in chili powder. Used especially in Indian curries, but also in Mexican, Thai and Asian dishes. It has an earthy, peppery flavor.

• Enchilada: made using corn tortillas, dipped in a sauce, filled and rolled up. They are placed in a casserole dish, topped with sauce and cheese, then baked.

• Quesadilla: (kay-sa-dee-ya), literally, “little cheese thing.” In Tex-Mex cooking it has come to mean a sort of grilled cheese sandwich, using two tortillas filled primarily with cheese, grilled in a skillet or griddle, then cut into wedges.