Yucatan Pork Baked In Banana Leaves Cochinita Pibil Recipes

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.

COCHINITA PIBIL (MAYAN PORK ROAST)

Steps:

• To make the marinade:.
• In a large glass or plastic dish use a fork to dissolve the anatto paste in the orange and lime juice and the vinegar. Add the all-spice.
• Rinse and pat the pork roast dry. Remove and discard any fat lumps. Rub the salt and pepper all over the meat and place in the dish with the marinade. Turn the meat to cover it in the marinade. Let marinate for at least 1 hour, but no more than 6 hours, in the refrigerator, turning occasionally.
• Take the meat out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, turn on a burner in you stove to low heat. Unfold the banana leaves and toast them very lightly, one by one, directly over the flame, do this using gloves or kitchen thongs, being very careful not to burn the leaves, you only want them to soften a bit.
• Place enough banana leaves to cover the bottom of a roasting pan and place the meat on top. Pour as much of the marinade on the meat as you can and then cover the meat with the rest of the banana leaves, making sure that there are no gaps between the leaves.
• Place the pan in the oven and roast for an hour, or until the meat is well done and very tender. Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and let marinate as the meat cooks.
• To serve, pull or cut the meat into shreds, divide into portions and let each person make their own tacos, topping them with the sliced onion salsa.

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.