Cochinita Pibil (Yucatecan Pit-Roasted Pork)

About This Recipe

Cochinita pibil is the most celebrated dish of Mexico's Yucatán peninsula — pork shoulder marinated overnight in a paste of achiote (annatto), bitter orange juice, cumin, oregano, and garlic, then wrapped in banana leaves and traditionally cooked in a pit oven (pib in Yucatec Maya) for 4-5 hours until the meat falls apart at the touch. The achiote turns the pork a vivid brick-orange; the bitter orange (naranja agria) gives it a complex tang unmatched by any other citrus; the banana leaves perfume the meat with a faint vanilla-tea note. Served on warm corn tortillas with pickled red onion (cebolla encurtida), habanero salsa, and a wedge of lime, cochinita is the centerpiece of Sunday breakfast across the Yucatán and now a global Mexican-food star. The home oven version is excellent if you can't dig a pit.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2 kgboneless pork shoulder, cut into 4-5 large chunks
• 60 gachiote paste (recado rojo)
• 180 mlfresh bitter orange juice (naranja agria) OR mix of 120 ml orange + 60 ml lime + 30 ml grapefruit
• 60 mlfresh lime juice
• 60 mlwhite vinegar
• 8 clovesgarlic
• 1.5 tspground cumin
• 1.5 tspdried Mexican oregano
• 1 tspground allspice
• 1/2 tspground cinnamon
• 1/2 tspground cloves
• 2 tspfine salt
• 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 1 largepackage banana leaves (about 6 leaves, thawed if frozen)
• 1 largered onion, sliced paper-thin
• 180 mlfresh lime juice (for pickled onion)
• 1 tspsalt (for pickled onion)
• 1 tspMexican oregano (for pickled onion)
• 24fresh corn tortillas
• habanero salsa, lime wedges to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the marinade (recado)

   Blend achiote paste, bitter orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and pepper into a smooth brick-red paste.

2. 2

   Marinate overnight

   Place pork chunks in a wide bowl. Pour over the marinade; turn each piece to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours, preferably 24.

3. 3

   Make pickled red onion

   Slice red onion paper-thin. Pour boiling water over to blanch 30 seconds; drain. Combine with lime juice, salt, and oregano. Stand at least 30 minutes — onion turns vivid magenta-pink. Keep refrigerated; better after a few hours.

4. 4

   Prepare the banana leaves

   Pass banana leaves briefly over a low gas flame (or warm in a dry pan) for 5 seconds each side — they become pliable and slightly translucent. Cut into 30 cm squares.

5. 5

   Wrap the pork

   Line a deep Dutch oven or heavy ovenproof pot with 2-3 overlapping banana leaves (enough that the edges hang outside the pot). Place the marinated pork in the center along with all the marinade. Fold the banana leaves over the top to enclose completely. Cover with another banana leaf if needed. Cover with the pot lid.

6. 6

   Slow-roast

   Roast at 150°C for 4 hours. Don't open the lid — the steam is doing the work.

7. 7

   Check tenderness

   After 4 hours, open and probe the pork with a fork — it should shred at the slightest pressure. If still firm, cover and cook 30 minutes more.

8. 8

   Shred and re-soak

   Lift the pork onto a board. Shred coarsely with two forks. Return the shredded pork to the pot, mixing thoroughly with the orange-red braising juices. Let stand 5 minutes for the meat to drink the juice back up.

9. 9

   Warm the tortillas

   Heat corn tortillas in a dry skillet 15 seconds per side, stack and wrap in a clean cloth to keep warm.

10. 10

    Serve communally

    Bring the pot of cochinita to the table along with a tower of warm tortillas, a bowl of pickled red onion, habanero salsa, and lime wedges. Each diner builds tacos: pile pork onto a tortilla, top with onion and a few drops of habanero, squeeze of lime. Eat with hands, three tacos at a time.

Variations

• •

  Chicken pibil (pollo pibil): use chicken thighs; reduce cook time to 90 minutes.

• •

  Vegetarian: use jackfruit or king oyster mushrooms; reduce cook time to 75 minutes.

• •

  Sandwich version (torta de cochinita): stuff into a crusty roll with pickled onion — the Yucatecan street version.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 5 days; freezes 3 months. Better on day 2-3. Use leftovers in salbutes, panuchos, or sandwiches.

Frequently Asked Questions