PProvenance
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Cooking in
Courtenay · Vancouver Island
Nearest city · Nanaimo Change
Mexican

Biaxigui

Biaxigui is a traditional pork rib preparation from Tehuantepec, in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec region of Oaxaca. Fatty pork ribs are simmered low and slow in salted water with garlic until the liquid nearly vanishes, at which point the meat browns in its own rendered fat — a technique that produces richly caramelized pork without any added oil. The dish is served with plain, unsalted corn-leaf tamales and bananas cooked in their skins with salt and sugar, a combination that reflects the Zapotec culinary traditions of the Isthmus. A tomato and chile broth ties the plate together.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
Serves4–6
Within reach1of 7 in Courtenay

One in town · six not yet within reach.

How the 7 are reached
In town
1 · pounds / ~550 g tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum)
Not yet within reach
6 · pounds / ~1 kg bone-in pork ribs, with fat, head garlic, halved horizontally and lightly smashed, fresh chiles criollos del Istmo or jalapeños (Capsicum annuum), approximately 2 cups / 500 ml water or broth (for the tomato sauce), plain corn-leaf tamales (unsalted, no fat added), to serve, bananas, cooked unpeeled and seasoned with salt and sugar, to serve
Cook
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

2¼
pounds / ~1 kg bone-in pork ribs, with fat
Not yet within reach of Courtenay · each reach is counted
Salt, to taste
Your own market
1 small
head garlic, halved horizontally and lightly smashed
Not yet within reach of Courtenay · each reach is counted
1¼
pounds / ~550 g tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum)
Origin · ItalyIn town · Parksville Downtown Farmers Market · Parksville →
2
fresh chiles criollos del Istmo or jalapeños (Capsicum annuum)
Not yet within reach of Courtenay · each reach is counted
Approximately 2 cups / 500 ml water or broth (for the tomato sauce)
Not yet within reach of Courtenay · each reach is counted
12
plain corn-leaf tamales (unsalted, no fat added), to serve
Not yet within reach of Courtenay · each reach is counted
6
bananas, cooked unpeeled and seasoned with salt and sugar, to serve
Not yet within reach of Courtenay · each reach is counted

Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.

The larder of Courtenay →

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Place pork ribs in a wide, heavy pan. Cover with cold salted water. Add the halved garlic head. Bring to a gentle simmer.
2
Cook uncovered for approximately 35 minutes, until the ribs are just tender and the water has nearly cooked away.
3
Squeeze the softened garlic flesh out of the skins back into the pan. Discard the papery husks.
4
Continue cooking, turning the ribs occasionally, until the meat browns in the fat that remains in the pan. Remove from heat when deeply golden.
5
Meanwhile, prepare the tomato-chile broth: char tomatoes and chiles on a dry comal or under a broiler, then blend with water or broth. Season with salt and heat through.
6
Cook bananas unpeeled in boiling water or on a comal until soft. Split and season with salt and a pinch of sugar.
7
Serve the browned pork ribs with plain corn-leaf tamales, seasoned bananas, and the tomato-chile broth alongside.
III

Sensory Tests

◇Lift a rib from the pan after browning: the underside should show a deep mahogany crust formed purely from rendered pork fat — no pale patches, no greasy pooling around the meat that would indicate added oil.
◇Pinch a cross-section of the plain corn-leaf tamale between two fingers: it should be dense and moist with no detectable salt or fat, compressing cleanly without crumbling — any seasoning or shortening presence means the tamale is no longer a neutral counterpoint to the pork.
◇Drag a spoon through the tomato-chile broth: it should leave a slightly textured trail with visible chile and tomato fragments — a smooth, homogenous purée indicates over-blending and a loss of the coarse structure where the sauce's character lives.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish turns on the moment the simmering water fully evaporates — if you pull the heat too early there is still liquid buffering the meat and no browning occurs; if you walk away the rendered fat superheats and the pork scorches rather than caramelizes. Constant attention in that final window, when the sound shifts from a simmer to a sizzle, is where biaxigui is made or ruined.
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The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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V

What to Pour

Pouring for British Columbia · ·

The pairing
El Silencio Espadin Mezcal
El Silencio Mezcal · Oaxaca — Mezcal
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Agave spirit
From British Columbia
1897 Amber Ale
Stanley Park Brewing · Metro Vancouver
Stanley Park Brewing · Vancouver →
Beer
Without alcohol
Americano — Burundi Kayanza (Gatukuza Women Group)
Gatukuza Women Group
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Coffee

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar VI
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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The working kitchen
Cost this recipe
Part of The Profession · ingredient costs and your margin
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HACCP brief
Part of The Profession · the food-safety plan
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Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

Parksville Downtown Farmers Market · Parksville
Parksville · pounds / ~550 g tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum)
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