Cochinita Pibil (Mayan Pork Roast)

Submitted by Mami J

"A cornerstone of the cuisine of the Maya, this is a simple recipe for a moist, spicy pork roast. If you can't banana leaves you can use foil paper and still get very tender meat.To slice the habaneros use a fork and knife because they will irritate your skin if you touch them. Serve the tacos with fresh salsa and avocado and cucumber slices to garnish. Prep time does not include marinating time."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Yields: 1 roast
• Serves: 8-10

ingredients

• 1 (3 -4 lb) pork butt
• 2 achiote paste cubes
• 1 orange, juice of
• 1 lime, juice of
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 pinch ground allspice
• salt and pepper
• 4 -6 banana leaves, 10-by-6 in long (optional)
• corn tortilla

• For the habanero salsa

• 1 red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 3 -4 whole allspice
• 4 whole black peppercorns
• 1 -2 habanero pepper, seeded, deveined and thinly sliced
• 1 lime, juice of
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

directions

1. To make the marinade:

2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

Reviews

[Jostlori]

Delicious! Followed the recipe exactly, including use of the banana leaves (incredibly, I found these at Publix, our local grocery chain!). I don't think you'd get the same effect with foil - the banana leaf imparts a great flavor to this dish, just like it does to Central American style tamales. I did have to cook the pork quite a bit longer than the recipe indicated. But the end result was really, really good! We didn't even garnish, except to put the pickled red onions in the taco. Thanks for posting this recipe - it's a keeper! Made for CQ4.