BBQing Mexican Style

Last night my sister took me to the most wonderful little Spanish tienda in Nipomo CA. They had a great selection of local ranch meats, along with a Spanish food bar and lots of fresh ingredients for cooking. I would have loved to get some cactus to try, or the tamale husks, or some of the beautiful hot peppers. But we were BBQing last night, so we bought beef short ribs cut across the bones, not between them, making the meat cuts look like long, thin strips of beef bacon with tiny oval bones holding the strip together. The meat counter man put them in a bag and added a special Mexican marinade made with orange juice and a fabulous tasting blend of spices. It was hard to tease out exactly what was in it, other than an overall feel of smokiness, mild heat and some sweetness that was well-balanced. It was truly delicious and so simple to cook! She used oakwood chunks in her Weber grill to cook over, laid the short rib strips on the hot fire, and gave them a few minutes on each side. Wonderful! You'll see them grilling in the photos here, and on the finished plate with some yummy refried beans, a Chorizo sausage we bought at the store and BBQed as well, plus rice, salad and the store's homemade pico de gallo salsa that was perfect as well. Now, to figure out how to make a marinade like that at home, and to find a butcher who will cut some ribs for me that way!