The spice blend that coats these pork ribs offers a subtle spark of heat, which dissipates as the other flavors come forward. If you prefer less spice, reduce the amount of chili and chipotle powder. The spices are tossed with the meat after browning so they don’t burn over the high heat. Serve the ribs with mashed potatoes, creamy polenta or yellow grits.

 
SPICE MIXTURE
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
 
PORK
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 lb. boneless country pork ribs
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 orange bell pepper, coarsely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-oz.) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 tablespoons masa harina or all-purpose flour*
3 tablespoons water
 
1 Heat oven to 325ºF. Combine all spice mixture ingredients in small bowl. Heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil; heat until hot. Cook pork, in batches, 4 to 6 minutes or until golden brown on all sides, adding additional 1 tablespoon oil and adjusting heat as needed. Place pork in large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the spice mixture; toss to coat.
 
2 Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to Dutch oven. Cook onions over medium heat 3 minutes or until slightly softened, stirring occasionally. Add bell peppers; cook and stir 2 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in remaining spice mixture. Nestle pork in vegetables; pour tomatoes over mixture. Bring to a boil; cover.
 
3 Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until pork is fork-tender. 
 
4 Place masa harina in small cup; stir in water until smooth. Stir into pork mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 2 to 4 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.
 
6 servings
 
PER SERVING: 585 calories, 34 g total fat (10.5 g saturated fat), 50 g protein, 18 g carbohydrate, 140 mg cholesterol, 805 mg sodium, 5.5 g fiber
 
TIP *Masa harina is a corn flour used to make corn tortillas.  It’s made from dried corn kernels that have been soaked in lime  and water and made into masa, which means dough. When the masa  is dried and ground, it becomes masa harina. It can be found in the Hispanic section of supermarkets or next to flour in the baking section.