Glorious cochinita pibil, sounds awfully exotic doesn't it? If you're a Robert Rodriguez fan it might even sound oddly familiar. Yes, cochinita pibil is the dish that Johnny Depp's character obsesses over in Once Upon A Time in Mexico. Not the greatest movie ever made, but a lot of fun.
Years after watching that movie, I found a recipe for pollo pibil (the same as cochinita pibil except you use chicken instead of pork) in Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless. I really, truly love this man's cookbooks, because right in the margin of the book were instructions on how to convert the recipe from chicken to pork. Now, I love pretty much all things porcine and since I learned that my husband doesn't love pork chops the way I do, I've been looking for fun pork recipes.
I was expecting some hugely complicated master recipe that would take all day, but it was surprisingly simple. The only "exotic" ingredient you need is achiote, which I found in a local mexican tienda but is easily obtainable online. Other than that you need some citrus fruits, a pork shoulder, an onion, a tomato, some chiles, and some banana leaves (easy to find in an asian market or well stocked grocery store - gods bless Central Market).
I began by cutting a 2lb pork shoulder roast into chunks, about the same size as you would for stew. Then I slathered the meat in a paste made from the achiote and citrus juice and let it marinade overnight. This gives the meat a deep red color and wonderfully vinegary aroma. I did learn that this is a process best done while wearing gloves, unless you want the beds of your fingernails to be orange for a few days.
About three hours before I wanted to eat I preheated the oven to 350 and lined a dutch oved with two sections of banana leaf. The I sauteed a large onion that I'd cut into very thin strips. While the onion browned, I sliced four anaheim chiles (these were avaioable at my local farmer's market, but next time I may add something with a little more heat) into very thin strips. Once the onions had browned I removed them from the pan and put them in a bowl with the chile strips. I also sliced a large tomato into 1/4inch slices.
Next I made the package for roasting. You put the pork on top of the banana leaves, in the dutch oven. Top that with the onions and chiles, and then top that with one layer of tomato slices. Pour a little extra grapefruit juice over the top and then seal the whole thing with two more sections of banana leaves. Put the lid on the dutch oven and pop the whole thing in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. About an hour and a half into cooking, your house will start to smell like banana leaves. I kinda like it.
When the timer goes off take out the pot. The pork should be fork tender, juicy, and delicious. If you need extra time, you can keep the pot on the counter while you fix any side dishes and it stays warm for a while - banana leaves are amazing insulators. I suggest serving this with some well seasoned black beans and some spanish rice, maybe with a lime wedge on the side.
Years after watching that movie, I found a recipe for pollo pibil (the same as cochinita pibil except you use chicken instead of pork) in Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless. I really, truly love this man's cookbooks, because right in the margin of the book were instructions on how to convert the recipe from chicken to pork. Now, I love pretty much all things porcine and since I learned that my husband doesn't love pork chops the way I do, I've been looking for fun pork recipes.
I was expecting some hugely complicated master recipe that would take all day, but it was surprisingly simple. The only "exotic" ingredient you need is achiote, which I found in a local mexican tienda but is easily obtainable online. Other than that you need some citrus fruits, a pork shoulder, an onion, a tomato, some chiles, and some banana leaves (easy to find in an asian market or well stocked grocery store - gods bless Central Market).
I began by cutting a 2lb pork shoulder roast into chunks, about the same size as you would for stew. Then I slathered the meat in a paste made from the achiote and citrus juice and let it marinade overnight. This gives the meat a deep red color and wonderfully vinegary aroma. I did learn that this is a process best done while wearing gloves, unless you want the beds of your fingernails to be orange for a few days.
About three hours before I wanted to eat I preheated the oven to 350 and lined a dutch oved with two sections of banana leaf. The I sauteed a large onion that I'd cut into very thin strips. While the onion browned, I sliced four anaheim chiles (these were avaioable at my local farmer's market, but next time I may add something with a little more heat) into very thin strips. Once the onions had browned I removed them from the pan and put them in a bowl with the chile strips. I also sliced a large tomato into 1/4inch slices.
Next I made the package for roasting. You put the pork on top of the banana leaves, in the dutch oven. Top that with the onions and chiles, and then top that with one layer of tomato slices. Pour a little extra grapefruit juice over the top and then seal the whole thing with two more sections of banana leaves. Put the lid on the dutch oven and pop the whole thing in the oven for 2 1/2 hours. About an hour and a half into cooking, your house will start to smell like banana leaves. I kinda like it.
When the timer goes off take out the pot. The pork should be fork tender, juicy, and delicious. If you need extra time, you can keep the pot on the counter while you fix any side dishes and it stays warm for a while - banana leaves are amazing insulators. I suggest serving this with some well seasoned black beans and some spanish rice, maybe with a lime wedge on the side.
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