Cochinita Pibil (Yucatán Achiote Pork)
Yucatán's slow-roasted pork in achiote and sour orange, wrapped in banana leaves, with pickled red onions.
Recipe in testing: I'm cooking it in my TM7™ and will update the steps and the photo with my own.
Cochinita pibil is the pride of the Yucatán peninsula: pork marinated in achiote and the juice of sour oranges, wrapped in banana leaves and cooked for hours in a pib, an underground pit oven, until it shreds with a fork. It is tangy, earthy and bright orange, and it is served on warm tortillas with pickled red onions and a little habanero.
At home, a covered dish in the oven does the work of the pit. The Thermomix® TM7™ blends the achiote paste with sour orange juice, garlic and spices into a smooth marinade in seconds. After a night in the fridge, the pork bakes slowly in its banana leaf package, and it comes out juicy, fragrant and ready for tacos or tortas.
Made in the Thermomix® TM7™
Cochinita Pibil (Yucatán Achiote Pork)
Makes: About 1.2 kg (2 1/2 lb) shredded pork, 8 servings
- Prep25 min
- Cook3 h 30 min
- Total7 h 55 min
- Serves8
Ingredients
For the marinade
For the pork
For the pickled onions
To serve
Instructions
- Place the achiote paste, sour orange juice, garlic, oregano, cumin, allspice, cloves, pepper and salt in the mixing bowl and blend 1 min/speed 8, until smooth.
- Place the pork in a large bowl, pour the marinade over it and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- For the pickled onions, place the onions in a jar with the lime juice, salt, oregano and habanero. Press them down, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, stirring once.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Wipe the banana leaves and pass them quickly over a gas flame or a hot, dry skillet on the stove until they turn shiny and flexible.
- Line a Dutch oven or deep baking dish with the leaves, overlapping them and leaving plenty hanging over the sides. Add the pork with all its marinade and fold the leaves over to wrap it.
- Cover tightly with the lid or foil and bake for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until the pork falls apart when you press it with a fork.
- Open the leaves and shred the pork with two forks right in its juices.
- Serve on warm tortillas with pickled onions and sliced habanero or jalapeño.
Tips
- No banana leaves? Line the dish with parchment paper and then foil. You lose a little of the leaf aroma, but the pork is just as tender.
- Leftovers keep 4 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer, with their juices. Reheat them covered so the meat stays moist.
- For tortas de cochinita, pile the pork on crusty rolls with pickled onions. A spoonful of refried black beans is the classic touch.
- Habanero is very hot. Wear gloves when you slice it and keep it on the side so everyone can add their own.
