Cochinita Pibil: History & Recipe
This incredible concoction of marinated, slow-cooked pork is the undisputed signature dish of the Yucatán Peninsula. It’s proudly advertised at Yucatec restaurants all over Mexico, and it’s ubiquitous in the three peninsular states of Yucatán, Quintana Roo, and Campeche. For many locals, this dish is the Yucatán. It represents the deep Mayan roots of their culture. The Yucatán Peninsula was once primarily home to the Maya, one of the most advanced cultures in the ancient world.
The origin of cochinita pibil goes back to pre-Hispanic times when the Mayan people used to cook a similar dish with deer, pheasant, wild turkey, or peccary meat in an underground oven. When Spanish conquistadores arrived, they brought pigs with them. The Maya soon applied their indigenous techniques to season and cook this new animal, which they named with a blend of Spanish and Mayan language: cochinita pibil.
This dish is prepared with pork meat marinated in achiote and wrapped in banana leaves; traditionally it is cooked underground over hot stones, pibil in Mayan means cooked under the ground. This preparation, as well as many other Mexican recipes, has pre-Hispanic roots and still preserves the technique of cooking within ground ovens, holes with stones heated for hours over firewood.
Achiote or annatto is a tree original from Central America and Mexico, able to grow on different types of soil and endure prolonged droughts. It produces a fruit in the form of a capsule, 2 inches long, when it matures it uncovers red seeds, these are mixed with other spices to form an orange paste, which is the condiment characteristic of extraordinary dishes. Curiously, in addition to its culinary value this condiment was used by the Mayas as bug repellent and colorant for dairy products, paints and textiles. It was also used as body and face paint in religious rituals. It is known for therapeutic properties as an astringent, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and healing agent.
The traditional cochinita pibil recipe demands lining a tray with banana leaves and placing the pork on top. Achiote is dissolved in orange juice and spices are added, this is poured over the pork until the meat is fully soaked. This is left to marinate for at least eight hours. Later, the meat is covered with the banana leaves and slowly roasted underground until meat is completely tender.
Traditionally served with chopped onions and habanero salsa in tacos or sandwiches. We will visit a Mayan family who will prepare this revered meal for us in their outdoor kitchen. This is truly a highlight of the trip!
The Recipe
For the pibil pork:
Pork: Use a cut with fat such as pork shoulder or pork leg.
Achiote: You will need some achiote paste which can be easily found at Mexican food groceries or on Amazon (more about achiote below).
Bitter orange: The traditional recipe for pork pibil is made with a type of sour orange, if you can’t find where you live you can make a 1:1 mixture of regular orange + lemon juice.
Onion: To give some texture to the paste. You can use yellow, white, or red onions.
Spices: You will need garlic cloves, cumin seeds, peppercorns, oregano, allspice (optional), cinnamon stick, and whole cloves.
Salt: Any type you prefer.
For the Xnipec salsa, you will need red onions, habanero peppers, bitter orange juice (or lemon), oregano, and salt.
To prepare marinade: Place achiote paste, onion, garlic cloves, oregano, cumin seeds, allspice, peppercorns, whole cloves, and cinnamon in a food processor. Add the bitter orange juice, salt, and pulse until you will have a paste. Place pork meat in a large bowl and add the recado rojo paste. Turn to coat nicely all meat. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the meat to marinate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
To cook the meat: The next day, fold an oven-proof pot with banana leaves or aluminum foil. Place the marinated pork along with any remaining achiote marinade. Now, close with more banana leaves or foil to nicely wrap the meat inside and pour 1/2 cup of water into the pot so it will create some steam to cook the pork meat. Cook in the oven at 330°F/165°C for 4 hours or until the meat is nicely fork-tender. If you making your tacos right away, shred the meat inside the pot using two forks, or if you want to make your tacos for later or want to store your cochinita, allow it to cool down, shred it, and transfer it to a container, juices included, then cover until needed.
For the Xnipec salsa: Peel the onions and slice them; Remove the stem of the habanero peppers and cut them in half; Remove the seeds and then cut the habanero chilies into thin strips and place all of it in a bowl. Next add bitter orange juice, oregano, and salt to taste. Toss and set aside.
Next making your taco: add shredded meat to corn tortillas, adding pickled onions and a squeeze of lime- ENJOY!