Puerco Pibil Recipe

Great recipe! The second time I made it I used only 2.5 large lemons. The first time I made it I used 5 large lemons. WAY TOO TART. If the lemons you are using are bigger than a racket ball, SCALE DOWN ! Also, the second time around, I skipped the marinading step without a noticeable change (but it has been awhile since the first time I made it). I use Uncle Ben's white rice for accompaniment, the full grains are great with the sauce from the Pibil. Lastly, I skipped the Tequila since I knew my daughters friends were joining us for dinner, and didn't want them staggering home. As Robert Rodriguez said "ENJOY!".

~ Comment by Ethan W. who would make this recipe again.

Okay guys and gals, I have read coutless copies of the recepie from the movie and they are all WRONG. If you will watch the '10 minute cooking school' feature from the Once Upon A Time In Mexico DVD agin, you will see that the peppers used are Abanero (Orange), not, I say again NOT Jabanero (Red) peppers. I know, they sound alot alike...The difference? About 3 alarms on the heat scale. Use the right peppers and you won't burn that sensitive stomach. As much.FYI, I did manage to find banana leaves here in Tulsa at Las Americas grocery store. I couldn't tell any difference in the taste, but as Robert says "It looks coooler" Hope this helps. ( I know, I get letters saying I'M wrong, but before you send them, watch that video again.....)

~ Comment by Jim D. who would make this recipe again.

The recipe from Rodriguez is like his movies - masterful, unconventional and totally mind-blowing. I make this dish frequently and make things easier by using a large cook-in bag instead of a Ziploc bag. This means you can marinade and cook without transferring the pork or messing around with banana leaves and/or tinfoil. There is little mess and cleaning up is a breeze.

~ Comment by IAN W. who would make this recipe again.

i made the puerco pibil using the instructions from the dvd not from this site and it was amazing. my advice to any one wanting to make this dish is to follow the instrucions from once upon a time in mexico and not from any internet recipie. if you do this like the dvd this dish is to die for.

~ Comment by Paul C. who would make this recipe again.

Someone here said that they would use pork tenderloin next time because it was too dry. Bad idea. Pork is way way to lean. I suggest insulating the pork better next time. Wrap it in plenty of banana leaves, then foil, and make sure it's more in the shape of a ball so the meat is submerged in the liquid. I find even Robert Rodriguez' version to be lacking in sweet for me, so I add lime and brown sugar as someone else has suggested.

~ Comment by David L. who would make this recipe again.

The first time I made this recipe, I cooked it according to the instructions. I thought the pork was a little dry, but it was really good. I tried making it in a crock pot the 2nd time around and the meat was very moist. It was a little spicier, but the meat was a lot better. I put all of the ingredients in a crock pot for about 4 hours on high and it worked very well.

~ Comment by Rebecca T. who would make this recipe again.

I have been making this recipe since I saw the movie. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe! A few hints, if you prepare the dish the night before, put it in a ziploc bag, let it soak overnight and cook it the next day, it has a LOT of flavor! My husband and I noticed that when we had leftovers and we ate them the next day and the next day there was more flavor in the meat. So we tried it one time and it was delicious! Also, I like to serve it over white rice because the white rice really soaks up the marinade. I wouldn't recommend changing this recipe in any way because it is perfect the way it is.

~ Comment by Leilani P. who would make this recipe again.

omg...did you get this off the once upon a time in mexico? this is the dish johnny depp's character loves that he shot the cook because it was too good. lol, yer i cooked. it takes foreva though which put me off!! i like quick meals!! but i enjoyed it, the peppers were REALLY hot though!!

~ Comment by Allysha C. who would make this recipe again.

This is now my new favorite recipe. Its easy, its fun and it wow's your friends.

Here's some tips I had.

1. Use Rubber Gloves when cutting the peppers. (it makes your hands feel much better

2. Cook some rice to serve it over (probably been said)

3. Saute some green peppers and onions

4. Throw in some pine apple (it is a good contrast to the spicy)

5. I used the extra bannana leaves as a garnish. I put a small section of leaf on each plate and served the dish on that. It made it look very cool.

6. This goes great with a nice Mexican Cerveza.

7. Save the marinade and freeze it, you can make a really good black bean soup with it.

And that's about it, its a really easy recipe, you can make it in advance and freeze it if you'd like. I'd suggest going all out with bannana leaves, I decorated the entire dining room with the leaves. It looked awesome.

~ Comment by Aarón N. who would make this recipe again.

The spice mix is a version of achiote paste (found in Mexican markets all over US); that flavor is essential to this dish, so do no omit that ingredient! The tequila does provide a subtle almost citrus flavor and is less aggressive than red wine. The Oriental market was out of banana leaves. I used foil instead with great results . Unless you are accustomed to edible fire, watch the habeneros. I used 5 but halved them and removed the seeds. Their warmth and flavor was in the sauce, but the halved peppers could be identified and easily avoided.

~ Comment by Kat R. who would make this recipe again.

I was never able to find achiote for my recipe so, I found that instead of cutting in out (which it is ESSENTIAL for color as well as flavor) you may mix paprika and tumeric. Split it somewhere like one part tumeric to three parts paprika. I used Spanish paprika which seemed to work best. I have also heard of a recipe from Veracruz where the pork is boiled in the achiote paste, and not baked.

~ Comment by Kelly L. who would make this recipe again.

This is a great recipe. I too made it directly from the DVD, not this web site. Contrary to a couple of the reviews, the annatto is essential for flavour. Also, I wouldn't leave out the tequila. However, I tried it with tenderloin once and it did NOT work well. Far too dry and chewy. You need the fat content of the cheaper cuts of pork to make this work!

~ Comment by Memphis S. who would make this recipe again.

TOO SALTY!! I'm eating this dish right now for the first time. I was concerned about the 2 tablespoons of salt, but 5 lbs of meat sounded like a lot so I thought it might be okay. I also found another review of this recipe that said the salt with dry out the meat too. If I do this again I would leave out the salt and add it to taste after. I also had a hard time finding pork butt and will probably try tenderloin, and reduce the lemon juice, if I do it again.

~ Comment by Andrew R. who would not make this recipe again.

This not the original recipe. I have been making this since the Movie came out. I can't get Banana leaves. (Only once) So I get Heavy duty Foil and the Tequila is not only for flavor but is also a tenderizer please use it. You don't need to let it set before you bake. Do let it set for 10 minutes after. My Whole neighborhood knows when I make it. It Smells Fantastico!

~ Comment by Linda O. who would make this recipe again.

I have made this several times and my suggestions would be to 1. definitly buy the banana leaves - in the frozen foods at local mexican grocery store 2. Don't use five lemons - it's too much lemon - just use 3 limes and two lemons 3. Reduce the cooking time to 3 1/2 hours and then let it sit for at least 1/2 hour to cool down a little. (If you eat it right away, it doesn't have much flavor...but if you let it sit for 1/2 hour after opening the leaves, it is amazing!!!

~ Comment by Rocquel S. who would not make this recipe again.

I mdae this dish last year for Christmas. My family and my son's future in-laws ( philipines) fell off their chairs! That's how much they like this! I will leave out the liquor this time. It didn't make much of a difference. I added red wine instead. And I marinated four huge pork tenderloins for a week in this!!!!! I really think the length of time of marinating is the key. I am in the process to make the marinade just now. Have to have it for Christmas 2005 again!!. eve in Illinois <<^^..^^>>~~~~~~~~~~

~ Comment by Eve R. who would make this recipe again.

Forget the master chefs' alterations. Get the DVD and make it exactly the way Robert suggests, it is the only way to make it. And invest in a coffee grinder if you don't have one. I am not sure why the author of this hack version of the recipe suggests a mortar and pestil and other ways to grind the spices but a coffee grinder is the only way to do it....you just get a mess with anything else and the annato seeds are so hard you don't get the proper texture without a grinder.

~ Comment by Jo J. who would make this recipe again.

I love this dish. My husband and I make it all the time. We have even made it for family and friends. Here in Kansas it's hard to find banana leaves but my mom brought some from Texas...my home state. I don't know what to do with the extra leaves though. I don't want them to ruin. Anyone have any suggestions?

~ Comment by Mary S. who would make this recipe again.

You can find the ingredients at any Mexican Meat market or asian store.

~ Comment by Mark W. who would make this recipe again.

Here in Milwaukee, the ONLY place, and i do mean ONLY place, i could find Banana leaves was at a place called the Pueblo market on North Holton Ave, just south of North Ave, in the part of Milwaukee called Riverwest. They also hade Achiote and pretty much any other spice you could need to make native dishes like this.. My own recipe differs some, already.. I don't agree with using bitter oranges instead of regular oranges & vinigar, i think the sour taste from the vinigar is signature to dishes like this. I do however think that some SUGAR would be a good addition.. Not too much either, just 1/2, to 1 whole tbsp, just enough so the sweetness is present but not overpowering the spicy. all in all, great dish though, well worth the 4 hour wait, and don't fool yourself.. serving ANYTHING in banana leaves not only looks cool, but it holds moisture in a LOT better than tin foil. go get some. i have extra in my freezer just in case. (Editor's Note: Achiote is another name for annato. It is also spelled annatto. It is available right here on The Spice House website. Click here.)

~ Comment by Hobbes C. who would make this recipe again.

The proper Mayan recipe is known as Cochinta pibil because it uses a whole suckling pig. The version above is based around the recipe given in the film ‘Once Upon a Time in Mexico’ where if Johnny Depp liked what he was served he would shoot the chef! I too got the recipe from the film but instantly saw errors; why use orange juice and vinegar? Use bitter Seville oranges or mix up fresh oranges with lime juice. I would not add the hot chili –but the annatto (look for achiote) and banana leaves are essential. Annatto is not just a color, as said earlier, and the taste of it and the musty banana leaves adds a unique flavor that is all but destroyed by the hot chili. If you want hot cook another recipe, this one is too good to wreck! The shot of tequila can also be left out.

Long marinating helps, 24 hours is good but here is an idea to get that long cooking time in and save money – a hay box. Cover your pibil in banana leaves then foil, bring it to a boil on the oven, then quickly place it in a box filled with crumpled newspaper (small air pockets are essential) so it is surrounded. Add other insulation around that and leave it for five hours or more. It will slowly cook, no fear of burning and will still be very hot. This also sort of mimics the original idea where the dish was cooked in a pit, hence the name.

~ Comment by Michael S. who would make this recipe again.

I made this recipe after I saw the DVD and loved it. I used 2 peppers and it was spicy, but not terribly so. I couldn't find annatto seeds, but they are primarily used for color so I omitted them. I plan on making it again after I find some seeds, without them it definitely lacks the beautiful red color it has on the DVD.

~ Comment by David S. who would make this recipe again.

My new Son-in-law made this for me when I went to visit them in Pittsburgh. He used 3 Peppers and I thought my head would explode. Wow, made with Basmati rice, you will dream about it.(eat rice on the side) I use 1 pepper for my husband.

~ Comment by Linda O. who would make this recipe again.