Baby Back Ribs, Yucatan-Style

Photos by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

In the state of Yucatan in Mexico, recado rojo, a seasoned achiote paste, is very commonly used to marinate pork. A blend of deeply red ground achiote seeds, pepper, cumin, garlic, Yucatan oregano, canela (Mexican cinnamon), cloves and salt, it is very easy to make but you could also use a pre-prepared achiote paste; many local Mexican and Latin American bodegas carry it. And in place of hard-to-find sour orange juice, we’re using a combination of lime and orange juice; look for the frozen banana leaves for wrapping the ribs in at your local bodega, too.

NOTE: The print version of this recipe calls for 6–8 racks of ribs for 7 pounds total; this is an error. Please use 2 racks instead, for a total of approximately 7 pounds, with our apologies.

Serves 6

3 tablespoons annatto seeds
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
6 whole cloves or ½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon good-quality dried Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice from 4–5 limes
2 cups orange juice 6–8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 racks baby back pork ribs, around 7 pounds total
1 package frozen banana leaves

Grind the first 5 ingredients to a fine powder in a spice grinder or pound in a mortar and pestle. Add to a blender with the cinnamon, citrus juice, garlic and salt and blend until smooth. Arrange the ribs on baking sheets or in a plastic tub large enough to hold them and pour the achiote mixture over the meat; spread evenly over each rack, cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, remove the ribs from the marinade but reserve the excess marinade for basting later.

Spread the banana leaves in layers on a work surface, stack the racks of ribs in the center and wrap tightly inside using butcher’s twine. Make sure to use enough layers so the pouch is resistant to fire while cooking on the grill.

Light a grill on one side and cook the ribs over indirect heat, covered, for 1½ hours; flip the pouch over and cook for another 1½ hours, adding charcoal to your grill as needed for consistent heat. After 3 hours cooking, open the banana leaves and check that the meat is pulling away from the bone; keep cooking for another 30 minutes or so to be sure the ribs are tender, then let the ribs cool in the banana leaf before proceeding to the next step.

NOTE: You can cook the ribs fully to this point a day or two before you plan to serve them. Store in the banana leaves, refrigerated, then bring to room temperature before proceeding.

When ready to serve, relight your grill so it’s hot and brush ribs with reserved achiote marinade; caramelize the unwrapped racks over the hot fire to reheat, then serve with homemade tortillas, salpicón and cooked beans, if you like.

This recipe appeared in the Summer 2021 issue, as part of a larger story on Mexican BBQ.