8/11/2019 Cochinita Pibil Recipe - NYT Cooking

Cochinita Pibil
By Tejal Rao

Y I E L D Serves 4

TIME 4 hours, plus marinating time

The traditional way to make Yucatecan cochinita pibil is to bury a pig in a steaming, smouldering, stone-lined pit and
cook it slowly for many hours. The pork has first been marinated with a bright red paste of achiote seeds, garlic, spices
and bitter orange juice, and then wrapped in banana leaves. This tender meat is pulled and served simply in its own
juices with hot tortillas and pickled onion. Diana Kennedy’s no-fuss method for home cooks involves baking a small
piece of pork in the oven for just a few hours, inside a heavy lidded pot, with a little water at the bottom.

INGREDIENTS PREPARATION

FOR THE PORK: Step 1

Score the fat of the pork, evenly salt the meat and set it aside while you
1 pork shoulder, 3-4 pounds make the marinade. In a dry saucepan over medium heat, toast the
4 tablespoons salt garlic cloves until they’re charred all over, then remove. In the same
pan, add cumin, peppercorns, allspice, red-chile powder, cloves and
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled
cinnamon. Toast until you can really smell the cumin and pepper.
1 tablespoon cumin seeds Grind spices, and mix in a food processor until smooth with the
1 tablespoon black peppercorns oregano, charred garlic, achiote paste, all the citrus zest and about half
the juice.
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 tablespoon red-chile powder Step 2
½ teaspoon whole cloves Place two overlapping banana leaves on your work surface, and put the
pork at the center. Rub the spice paste all over the meat, arrange the
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
sliced white onion on top and roll the whole thing up, folding the sides
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano like wrapping paper. (If it unravels, tie it closed with some kitchen
4 tablespoons achiote-seed paste twine.) Set the parcel in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight.

1 orange, zested and juiced

1 grapefruit, zested and juiced
1 lime, juiced
2 banana leaves, wiped clean
½ white onion, thinly sliced
Step 3
Heat oven to 300. Put the parcel on a rack, or a ring of scrunched-up
aluminum foil, inside a heavy pot with a half cup of water at the
bottom. Bake with the lid on until the meat is very tender and yields
easily to a fork, about 4 hours. Meanwhile, mix the chopped red onion
with remaining citrus juices, salt and habanero, and set aside.

FOR SERVING: Step 4

While the meat is still warm, carefully transfer the parcel to a serving
1 red onion, chopped
dish. Use a fork to shred the meat, spoon over the cooking juices and
1 teaspoon salt mix well. Serve with pickled onions, warmed tortillas and halved limes.
1 habanero, seeded and finely
chopped
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8/11/2019 Cochinita Pibil Recipe - NYT Cooking
Corn tortillas
PRIVATE NOTES
Lime, optional

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Adapted from Diana Kennedy and Maricel E. Presilla.

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