Cochinita Pibil

Cochinita Pibil

Cochinita pibilMain

A whole pork shoulder buried in achiote and sour orange, then steamed low and slow till it collapses into strands of deep red, smoky, faintly funky pork. Pile it on warm tortillas with pickled red onion and habanero, and let the banana leaf do the talking.

Total
270 min
Heat
3/5
Serves
6

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Flavour profile

Heat
Funk
Acid
Richness
Umami
  • Funky
  • Rich
  • Smoky
  • Sour

The real deal

Region
Yucatán, Mexico — pibil is the Maya pit-barbecue method, cooked in a banana-leaf-lined earth oven.
Technique
The pork is marinated in achiote paste and sour orange, wrapped in banana leaf and steamed low and slow until it shreds, traditionally in a pib earth oven, here in a covered pot or oven.
We kept
achiote, sour orange, banana leaf, habanero and pickled red onion — no shortcuts on the defining funk, smoke or sourness.

Ingredients

6 Serves

Marinade

  • 1.5 kg · cut into large chunks
  • 100 g
  • 120 ml · or a mix of orange and lime juice
  • 6 cloves · peeled
  • 1 tbsp
  • 1 tsp
  • ¼ tsp
  • 1 tsp
  • 2 tsp
  • 2 pinches

pickle

  • 120 ml
  • 1 · thinly sliced

Salsa

  • 2 · stemmed, seeded if you want it milder
  • 2
  • 1 bunch

wrap

  • 2 · softened over a flame
  • 2 tbsp

serve

  • 18

Ingredients

  • 100 ml

Method

  1. Blend , , , , , , and 2 tsp into a thick red paste. Rub it all over 1.5 kg , cover and leave it in the fridge at least 12 h — overnight is ideal. Toss 1 with 120 ml and a good pinch of . Leave to soften at room temperature while the pork cooks — the acid and crunch are the whole point. Roughly blend 2 , the juice of 2 and a handful of with a splash of water and a pinch of salt. Keep it loose and fiery.

    The longer the pork sits in the achiote, the deeper the colour and funk. Don't rush this.

  2. Line a heavy pot or roasting tin with 2 , passing the leaves over a flame first so they're pliable and smell green and smoky. Smear the leaves with 2 tbsp .

  3. Tip in the marinated pork with all its marinade, add a splash of water, then fold the banana leaves over the top to seal it into a parcel. Cover the pot with a tight lid or foil.

    The parcel traps steam — that's what makes the pork collapse instead of drying out.

  4. Cook over low heat or in an oven at 150 °C for about 3 h 30 min, until the pork is completely tender and shreds at the touch of a fork. Don't lift the lid early — be patient.

    If it's still resisting after three and a half hours, give it another half hour; a tough shoulder just needs more time, not more heat.

  5. Lift out the pork and shred it with two forks. If the juices in the pot are thin, boil them down hard for a few minutes until glossy, then fold the pork back through so every strand is coated.

  6. Warm 18 over a flame until pliable and lightly charred. Pile on the pork, top with pickled red onion and spoon over habanero salsa. Eat with your hands, immediately.

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