Pibil Style Pork Recipes

COCHINITA PIBIL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Trim the excess fat from the pork.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the achiote paste, vinegar, oregano, orange juice, and garlic. Mix well.
• Trim the center core from the banana leaves and run them under hot tap water until the leaves become soft and pliable. Remove the excess water from the leaves and lay them, long edges slightly overlapping, onto the countertop.
• Place the roast in a large mixing bowl and add a generous amount of salt and pepper. Add the achiote mixture and cover the roast with the mixture.
• Place the roast on the banana leaves and wrap it well, completely covering the surface of the roast. Place the roast on a rack inside a roasting pan. Add 2 cups water to the bottom of the pan, tent with foil and place it in the oven for 20 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to 275 degrees F and roast for 6 hours.
• Serve with pickled red onions, warm corn tortillas and salsa.

COCHINITA PIBIL

Steps:

• Score the fat of the pork, evenly salt the meat and set it aside while you make the marinade. In a dry saucepan over medium heat, toast the garlic cloves until they're charred all over, then remove. In the same pan, add cumin, peppercorns, allspice, red-chile powder, cloves and cinnamon. Toast until you can really smell the cumin and pepper. Grind spices, and mix in a food processor until smooth with the oregano, charred garlic, achiote paste, all the citrus zest and about half the juice.
• Place two overlapping banana leaves on your work surface, and put the pork at the center. Rub the spice paste all over the meat, arrange the sliced white onion on top and roll the whole thing up, folding the sides like wrapping paper. (If it unravels, tie it closed with some kitchen twine.) Set the parcel in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight.
• Heat oven to 300. Put the parcel on a rack, or a ring of scrunched-up aluminum foil, inside a heavy pot with a half cup of water at the bottom. Bake with the lid on until the meat is very tender and yields easily to a fork, about 4 hours. Meanwhile, mix the chopped red onion with remaining citrus juices, salt and habanero, and set aside.
• While the meat is still warm, carefully transfer the parcel to a serving dish. Use a fork to shred the meat, spoon over the cooking juices and mix well. Serve with pickled onions, warmed tortillas and halved limes.

COCHINITA PIBIL RECIPE FROM YUCATáN

Steps:

• Roast the banana leaf, if you bought it from the frozen section of the supermarket, wait until it is completely defrosted.
• To roast the banana leaf, place it directly over a medium hot fire of you gas stove, it will start changing color and getting some shiny while in contact with the fire. Make sure not to burn the leaves, we just want them to be pliable.
• Line your roasting pan with the oven bag and arrange the banana leaves overlapping as in the above picture. You can also use aluminum foil instead of the oven bag.
• In your blender, mix the Achiote (annatto) seasoning with the pepper and bitter orange juice. Add salt.
• Place the pork meat on the leaves. Pour the Achiote mixture over. And add the oil/lard to give it more flavor.
• Cover with the sliced onion and herbs. Fold the ends of the banana leaves over the pork.
• Close the oven bag and cut 3 or 4 slits according to packages instructions. If using aluminum foil wrap tightly . Add about 1 1/2 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.
• Bake 2 1/2 hours in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. Add more water to the pan if needed.
• Remove roasting pan from oven and uncover the meat. The meat should be tender. If it isn't, cover and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.

COCHINITA PIBIL

Steps:

• Poke holes all over the pork with a fork. Rub achiote paste all over the pork, and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the orange juice, lemon juice, and habanero peppers. Mix in the cumin, paprika, chili powder, coriander, salt and pepper. Place pork in the mixture, cover, and refrigerate overnight, turning two or three times.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Wrap the pork and marinade in aluminum foil or banana leaves that have been soaked in water for 30 minutes. Place into a casserole dish, and cover.
• Bake for about 2 hours, until the meat falls off the bone. The slower you cook it, the better it is. You could also bake it in a 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) oven for 4 or 5 hours, or in a slow cooker without the foil or leaves.
• While the pork is cooking, make the sauce. Bring the red wine vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan. Add onions, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until tender. Pour sauce over pork, and serve with white rice and corn tortillas. Each person can make tacos or fajitas with the pork, the rice and the sauce.

AUTHENTIC COCHINITA PIBIL (SPICY MEXICAN PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• Combine the onion, habanero peppers, lime juice, and salt in a bowl; cover and refrigerate while preparing and cooking the pork. Use rubber gloves when preparing the habanero peppers and avoid touching your eyes, nose, or skin while slicing peppers.
• Place the guajillo peppers in a bowl; pour enough hot water over the peppers to cover. Allow to soak until the peppers are softened, about 10 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet at medium-high heat. Season pork with salt and pepper; cook in the hot oil until completely browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the pork to a slow cooker.
• Combine the guajillo peppers, orange juice, vinegar, garlic, and achiote paste in a blender; blend until smooth. Pour the sauce over the pork cubes in the slow cooker.
• Cook on High until the pork easily falls apart, 6 to 8 hours. Remove the pork to a serving dish and shred with 2 forks. Pour the achiote sauce over the shredded pork. To serve, top with the onion-habanero salsa.

COCHINITA PIBIL (YUCATáN-STYLE BARBECUED PORK) RECIPE

Steps:

• Light 3/4 chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange coals on one side of charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to medium-high, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes.
• Remove pork from grill and transfer parcels to a deep platter or shallow bowl. Unwrap banana leaves, shred pork with two forks, stir it into drippings, stuff it into tortillas with pickled red onions and salsa, and serve immediately.

PIBIL-STYLE PORK

Steps:

• Heat medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic to dry skillet and cook until browned in spots on all sides, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes for onion and 4 minutes for garlic. Core and coarsely chop onion. Transfer onion and garlic to blender. Add orange juice and next 7 ingredients to blender; puree until smooth. Transfer to large resealable plastic bag; add pork. Seal bag, releasing excess air; turn to coat. Chill at least 4 hours and up to 1 day, turning occasionally.
• For charcoal grill, light 30 briquettes in chimney starter; heat until ash-gray. Remove top rack from grill and place 1 disposable aluminum pan on 1 side of grill. Pour briquettes onto opposite side of grill. Return rack to grill.
• For 2-burner gas grill, remove rack and place 1 disposable aluminum pan on 1 side of grill. Return rack; light grill (medium heat) on side opposite pan.
• For 3-burner gas grill, remove rack and place 1 disposable aluminum pan in center of barbecue. Return rack and light grill on both sides of pan (not under pan).
• For all grills, brush rack with oil. Place pork with some marinade still clinging on rack above pan. Close lid; insert thermometer into hole in lid. Cook pork until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 195°F, about 3 1/2 hours, maintaining grills internal temperature at around 350°F by opening and closing vents, adjusting gas grill's burners, or adding more hot briquettes from chimney starter to charcoal grill.
• Transfer pork to cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Pull out and discard bone and any large lumps of fat. Using 2 forks or large knife, shred the pork; transfer to platter. Drizzle with a few spoonfuls of drippings from aluminum pan in barbecue, if desired.
• Grill tortillas until slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side. Serve pork with tortillas, Yucatecan Pickled Onions, and Habanero-Tomato Salsa.

PORK MIMI'S WAY, YUCATAN STYLE: COCHINITA PIBIL

Steps:

• Prepare marinade with the orange juice, vinegar, achiote, garlic, and salt, to taste, and mix thoroughly. Rub the mixture into the meat and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerated, for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Line a roaster pan with heavy foil and arrange the marinated pork in it, covering the meat with the marinade. Cover pan with foil tightly and bake for 2 to 3 hours. Check often and turn pieces of meat in their own juices. Roasting times vary according to the toughness of the meat.
• Chop meat into cubes and discard any fatty parts. Serve with a basket of freshly made corn tortillas.