Cuts · also called: beef ribs
Costilla
Costilla means ribs, but in a Mexican kitchen it means more than that — it's the cut for a long simmer in caldo de res, a slow grill for costilla asada, or the bone that anchors a real birria. Beef on the bone always tastes more like beef, and ours comes from animals that earned it.
Where it comes from
Costilla is the rib section of the steer — depending on the cut, you'll get short ribs (cross-cut chuck rib, costilla cargada) or back ribs (rib bones from the prime rib roast). Both are heavily marbled muscles that work hard during the animal's life and reward low, slow cooking with deep flavor.
We pack our costilla cross-cut into 2–3 inch lengths — the right size for caldo, birria, or a long braise — or as full racks if you want to throw them on the smoker. Each package is vacuum-sealed straight from the cutting room.
Why Piedmontese makes the difference
Most ribs you find at a grocery store come from breeds bred for heavy fat marbling. Piedmontese is the opposite — naturally lean from the myostatin gene — so when you braise our costilla, you don't end up skimming a quarter-inch of fat off the top of the broth. The flavor is concentrated in the meat itself, not in the rendered fat sitting in your pot.
For caldo de res that means a clearer, cleaner broth that your grandmother would actually approve of. For birria, it means the meat shreds into the consomé without turning the whole thing into a grease pool.
How to cook it
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Caldo de res (the Sunday classic)
Cover the cross-cut ribs with water, add salt, half an onion, and a few garlic cloves. Simmer 2 hours, skim the foam, then add chunks of carrot, potato, corn on the cob, cabbage, and chayote. Cook 30 more minutes. Serve with rice, lime, cilantro, and warm tortillas.
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Costilla asada (grill)
Marinate full-rack ribs in lime, garlic, salt, and a little chile guajillo for an hour. Grill bone-side down over indirect medium heat, basting with the marinade, until the meat pulls back from the bone — about 45 minutes. Finish over direct heat for char.
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Birria (braise + consomé)
Marinate cross-cut costilla overnight in a paste of toasted guajillo, ancho, garlic, vinegar, and spices. Braise covered in a heavy pot until fork-tender — about 3 hours on the stove or 4 hours in a low oven. Shred the meat for tacos; serve the consomé alongside for dipping.
Recipe inspiration
Caldo de res is the Sunday-lunch standard in many Mexican households — costilla on the bone, simmered with vegetables until everyone in the house can smell it. The bones give the broth body; the meat gives it flavor. Lime, salsa, and tortillas finish it.
Birria de res is the slow-cooked weekend project — costilla braised until shreddable in a guajillo-based adobo, shredded into tacos and dipped into the rich consomé alongside. The same braise works for quesabirria: tortilla on the griddle, cheese, shredded birria, fold and fry.