Cochinita Pibil

About This Recipe

Cochinita Pibil is the crown jewel of Yucatecan cuisine — pork shoulder marinated in a vivid orange-red paste of achiote (annatto), bitter orange, spices and garlic, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-roasted until gloriously tender, yielding, and perfumed with the unique earthy floral notes that only achiote can provide. It is one of the great dishes of Mexico, largely unknown outside the Yucatán Peninsula until it was romanticized in international food culture. The word 'pibil' refers to the traditional underground pit oven (pib) in which the whole pig was historically cooked — a Mayan technique that predates Spanish colonization by thousands of years. Today it is most commonly made in a regular oven or pressure cooker, but the banana leaves remain essential: they infuse the pork with a subtle vegetal sweetness and keep the moisture in during the long cook. Achiote paste, made from annatto seeds and spices, gives the pork its distinctive brick-red color and flavor. Served in handmade corn tortillas with pickled red onion (cebollas encurtidas) — a mandatory accompaniment that provides sharp acidity to cut through the richness — habanero salsa and lime, cochinita pibil tacos are one of the most complete eating experiences in Mexican food. Make this for a party: it feeds many, benefits from advance preparation, and never fails to impress.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 3 lbspork shoulder(bone-in)
• 4 ozachiote paste (Condimento El Yucateco)
• ½ cupbitter orange juice(or ¼ cup orange + ¼ cup lime juice)
• ¼ cupwhite vinegar
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 1 tspcumin
• 1 tspMexican oregano
• ½ tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsalt
• 4 largebanana leaves(thawed if frozen, wiped clean)
• 1 largered onion(thinly sliced, for pickling)
• 1 cupwhite vinegar(for pickled onions)
• 1 tspsalt(for pickled onions)
• 1 tspdried oregano(for pickled onions)
• corn tortillas, habanero salsa, lime(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the marinade

   Blend achiote paste, bitter orange juice, vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, pepper and salt until smooth. Pierce pork all over with a fork.

2. 2

   Marinate

   Rub marinade all over the pork, getting into the pierced holes. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

3. 3

   Make pickled red onions

   Combine sliced red onion with vinegar, salt and oregano. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour, then refrigerate. These keep for weeks.

4. 4

   Wrap in banana leaves

   Lay 2 banana leaves overlapping in a roasting pan. Place pork in center. Pour any remaining marinade over the pork. Fold leaves to completely enclose the pork. Top with remaining leaves.

   Pass banana leaves briefly over a gas flame — they become pliable and release more flavor.

5. 5

   Slow roast

   Cover tightly with foil. Roast at 325°F for 2½–3 hours until pork is fork-tender and falling apart.

6. 6

   Shred and serve

   Unwrap and pull pork into shreds with two forks, mixing with the brick-red cooking juices. Serve in warm corn tortillas topped with pickled red onions, habanero salsa and lime.

Variations

• •

  Chicken Pibil: use bone-in chicken thighs, reduce roasting time to 1 hour.

• •

  Lamb Pibil: bone-in lamb shoulder with the same marinade — spectacular.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days. Freezes excellently up to 3 months — reheats with all its moisture.

Frequently Asked Questions