Pork Chops Yucatán Style Recipes

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.

CHEF JOHN'S YUCATAN-STYLE GRILLED PORK

Steps:

• Place orange juice, lemon juice, and lime juice in a bowl. Add garlic, kosher salt, annatto powder, chipotle powder, ground cumin, cayenne, oregano, and black pepper. Whisk until well blended.
• Cut the tenderloins in half crosswise; cut each piece in half lengthwise. Place pieces in marinade and thoroughly coat with the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap with the wrap touching the surface of the meat and marinade. (Or transfer mixture to a resealable plastic bag.) Refrigerate 4 to 6 hours.
• Transfer pieces of pork from marinade to a paper-towel-lined bowl to absorb most of the moisture. Discard paper towels. Drizzle vegetable oil and a bit more annatto powder on the pork.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Place pieces evenly spaced on a hot grill. Allow meat to sear onto the grate until pieces can be easily turned, 4 or 5 minutes. Turn and grill on the other side another 4 or 5 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 135 to 140 degrees F (63 degrees C). Transfer onto a serving platter and allow meat to rest about 5 minutes before serving.

YUCATECAN-STYLE PORK

Steps:

• Put pork in a large bowl and rub with 1 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons juice.
• Toast peppercorns, cumin, and allspice together, then cool slightly. Transfer to grinder along with annatto seeds and grind to a powder. Transfer to a small bowl.
• Mince garlic and mash to a paste with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt using side of a large heavy knife. Add to ground spices along with oregano and remaining 6 tablespoons juice and stir to make a paste.
• Toss pork with paste to coat well. Add onion and toss to combine.
• Holding both ends of a banana leaf, drag leaf over a burner on moderately high heat slowly until it changes color slightly and becomes shinier, then turn over and toast other side. Toast remaining banana leaves in same manner.
• Line roasting pan with leaves, shinier sides down, by arranging 1 leaf lengthwise and 2 leaves crosswise, letting excess hang over sides. Trim overhang to about 8 inches on all sides.
• Transfer pork mixture to banana leaves, then fold overhang of leaves over pork to enclose completely. Cover pan tightly with foil and chill, at least 6 hours.
• Put oven rack in middle position, then put pan with pork in oven and heat to 400°F (to take chill off pork gently).
• Once oven has reached 400°F, bake until pork is very tender, 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 hours.
• Discard foil and open banana leaves, then serve pork with salsa and tortillas.

YUCATAN PORK CHILE

Steps:

• In a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid on medium-high heat sear the pork in the oil or lard, browning the meat. Transfer the meat to a bowl with a slotted spoon or a pair of tongs. Add the onion and peppers to the pot and cook until the onions are caramelized to a nice golden brown, stir frequently. Add the garlic and continue for 2 more minutes. Add the yucca, tomatillos, orange juice, beer and cumin. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, add the pork, and cover. Stew the meat, stirring and skimming off fat occasionally for 2 hours. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, stir in the cilantro. The stew should be thick. Add water if it gets too dry. Top with a dollop of fresh Mexican sour cream, a small spoonful of tomato salsa and garnish by sticking fried corn tortilla shards dusted with chile powder and salt into the center of the cream and salsa and lay a few sprigs of fresh cilantro over them.