How To Grill Meat & Fish Like A Mexican

Make the rub, whisk together all the pimentón, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, ancho chilli powder, pepper, oregano and thyme.

Place the ribs in a shallow pan and generously rub the spice mix all over the racks of ribs, on both sides. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

While the ribs are marinating, make the sauce: in a blender, add the tomato sauce, chipotle chillis including some of the sauce, the onion quarters and the garlic. Blend until smooth and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the minced onion and stir until translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Carefully add the blended tomato sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium heat and cook until it has reduced by a third, about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, Tabasco, tomato paste, and salt and stir to combine. Lower the heat and continue to cook for another 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Preheat your grill to 135°C if using a pellet grill. If you don’t have a pellet smoker, you can use your oven for this step.

On a work surface, spread out 2 large sheets of aluminium foil on top of each other (big enough to wrap each of the racks individually). Working one at a time, remove a rack of ribs from the fridge and place it on top of a piece of foil. Pour about half of the cooled sauce over the top and wrap the ribs in the foil, pleating the edges so the package seals well. Repeat with the second rack.

Place the ribs in the middle of your preheated grill or oven, meat side up, and cook for 3 hours. After 3 hours, carefully uncover the ribs. Reserve 240ml of sauce in a serving bowl for dipping later. Liberally brush the ribs with the rest of the sauce. Cover the ribs again and allow to cook for 1 more hour.

Remove the ribs and prepare your grill for hot direct cooking. Make sure the grates are clean. If using a pellet grill, raise to high heat and crisp your ribs for about 4 minutes on each side, until the ribs are fall-apart tender and really saucy. If using a pellet grill, remove the ribs, carefully remove the grill grate using two tongs and grilling gloves, and add more charcoal until you reach a higher temperature, and place the ribs back on the grill to crisp up then.

Once the ribs are crispy, using either two spatulas or a spatula and tongs, remove the ribs to a platter and serve right away, with the leftover sauce on the side. The ribs may be so tender, that they will shred when you try to serve yourself.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Remove from the heat, submerge the chillis, and cover. Leave for 15 minutes or until the chillis are very tender. Drain, reserving 120ml of the soaking liquid.

In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat, toast the cumin seeds, anise seeds, oregano, cinnamon stick, thyme, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, and allspice for about 7 minutes, until evenly toasted.

While the spices are toasting, lightly char the garlic and onion in a preheated broiler, for about 6 minutes or until the edges of the onion are nicely charred.

In a molcajete or spice grinder, grind the toasted spices. In a blender, combine the softened chillis, the garlic, onion, toasted spices, salt, and vinegar. Blend until you have a fine and smooth paste. Reserve 240ml of the marinade to use later.

Put the lamb in a large bowl and run the remaining marinade on all sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Remove the lamb shoulder from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking, so it can come to room temperature.

When ready to cook, preheat a pellet grill to 190°C with the lid closed, for 15 minutes. Or you can use your oven instead.

Remove the lamb from the bowl and place it in a casserole dish lined with banana leaves. Fold the banana leaves over the lamb to tightly seal and cover the pot. Cook the lamb for 2 hours. After 2 hours, carefully remove the banana leaves from the pot using kitchen tongs. Pour the 240ml of reserved marinade and the bone broth on top of the lamb shoulder. Cover the pot and cook for another 2 hours. Remove the cover and continue cooking the lamb until it is browned and tender, about 1 more hour, occasionally spooning the juices on top.

Remove the lamb from the grill or oven and allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes. Tear the meat apart using two forks, and combine it with the remaining liquid in the bottom of the pan. Serve with tortillas, finishing salt and lime wedges.

In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, toast the dried chillis until aromatic, about 3 minutes. In a high-performance blender or a food processor, add the garlic, toasted chillis, butter, fish sauce, and lime juice. Purée until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Put the shrimp in a bowl, add the chilli mixture, and toss to coat. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 25 minutes.

Start a charcoal or gas grill. The gas should be set to medium. If using a pellet grill, preheat your grill to 190°C for at least 15 minutes. If using charcoal, the coals should be red but entirely covered with grey ash.

Place the shrimp on the grill directly over the medium fire. Close the lid and cook for about 10 minutes, flipping once. Serve with lime wedges and finishing salt.