Southwest Riblets

These pork ribs get a sauce that borrows from the mole tradition: ground red chiles, unsweetened chocolate, crushed juniper berries, garlic, tomato paste, and a splash of apple cider vinegar blended smooth. It’s not a sweet barbecue sauce. It’s dark, complex, and slightly bitter with earthy heat from the chiles and a resinous depth from the juniper.

The chocolate melts into the cooked onion-and-chile mixture before everything gets pureed, adding body and a faint cocoa bitterness that deepens the sauce without making it taste like dessert.

Separated into individual riblets and baked in a single layer, each piece gets coated on all sides. Flipping halfway through ensures the sauce caramelizes evenly and the meat cooks through.

Chef Tips

• Use unsweetened baking chocolate, not semisweet. You want the cocoa bitterness, not sweetness.
• Crush the juniper berries right before using. Their piney, gin-like aroma fades fast once crushed.
• Separate the ribs into individual pieces for maximum sauce-to-meat ratio and crispier edges.
• The sauce should be smooth after processing. Any lumps from the chiles or onion will burn onto the ribs.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the sauce for a more traditional mole flavor.
• Finish on a hot grill for the last 5 minutes to char the sauce and add smokiness.
• Use baby back ribs for a more tender, quicker-cooking result.