Cochinita Pibil
Cochinita Pibil is the most popular recipe out of the Yucatan Peninsula. This pulled pork recipe in an achiote paste is fantastic and one of the most delicious dishes in Mexican gastronomy. Learn how to make it and enjoy it at home, like if you were in Mexico.
Cochinita is a dish that everybody knows throughout the whole country. Originated in the Yucatan peninsula in southern Mexico, cochinita pibil is a traditional dish cooked with Achiote (Annato paste) orange juice and spices. Then buried in a pit and slowly roasted.
The history of this dish goes back to prehispanic times and combines Mayan and Spanish cuisine. The word Pibil, meaning “buried” or in a “pit” in Mayan, was the preferred way of cooking dishes. With the Conquistador’s arrival, ingredients were adjusted, like bitter orange and suckling pig (baby pig) for this recipe. Although, it is believed there were wild hogs in that region before the conquest and the Mayans cooked other wild animals with the same method too.
Nowadays It is effortless to make at home; you can do it in an oven bag, grill, smoker, or even in your pressure cooker. I tried most of these ways of cooking cochinita and had great results with all of them. It is ideal for serving with handmade tortillas. You can also cook your marinated pork ahead of time and reheat it before serving.
INGREDIENTS:
Banana leaves
Achiote paste
Bitter orange juice or white vinegar* SEE NOTES
Ground pepper of black peppercorns
Garlic cloves
cumin
Pork Butt or pork shoulder
Red Onion
Salt
Dried Mexican oregano
Lard or Oil
Oven bag (optional)
For this recipe, I will break down the instructions for easy cooking.
PREPARE YOUR BANANA LEAVES
Roast the banana leaf; if you bought it from the frozen section of the supermarket, wait until it is completely defrosted.
Line your roasting pan with the oven bag and arrange the banana leaves in a way that they overlap and hand from the roasting pan. The banana leaves give a lot of flavor to the dish, but if you can't find them use aluminum foil instead of the banana leaves or use an oven bag.
PREPARED YOUR PORK AND MARINADE
Mix achiote paste, orange juice and spices on your blender. Cut the pork meat into medium size pieces (about 2 ½ to 3 inches)
Place pork meat on the leaves, then pour the Achiote mixture over. And add the lard to give it more flavor.
Add the sliced onion, oregano. Fold the ends of the banana leaves over the pork. Wrap tightly with the banana leaves and cover with the roasting pan lid.
If using the oven bag, cut 3 or 4 slits according to the bag to package instructions and place the meat inside. Add about 1 ½ of a quarter of water to the roasting pan to create a steaming effect. One time, I forgot to add the water, and it still came out great. If using aluminum foil, wrap it tightly, and do not add the extra water.
Bake for 2 ½ hours in a preheated oven at 200 degrees. Add more water to the pan if needed if using the baking bag.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven and uncover the meat. The meat should be tender. If it isn’t, cover and return to bake for another 30 minutes
Most of the time, this dish is prepared with pork butt or pork shoulder, but it can be made with other parts of the pork like pork lion.
can also substitute the bitter orange juice by making a mix of ¾ cup of orange juice and adding 4 tablespoons of lime juice.
Sometimes, If you decide to use peppercorns to make a smooth sauce is better to process them in a food processor. The use of bay leaves and red onions is not very common but it adds an extra flavor. Thyme & marjoram are not commonly used.
Another spice that is added to the achiote sauce to make the marinate is cinnamon, but if you are buying the commercial Achiote paste. Most of the time it is included in the paste.
The meat can be placed in a large bowl with the achiote marinade and stored overnight to absorb more flavor.
You can serve this dish as tacos, topped with pickled onions and habanero Sauce. As side dishes, beans and rice.
Buen provecho!
