Puerco Pibil
I was watching a DVD and found this puerco/cochinita pibil recipe as part of the special features. I was intrigued by the role the food played.
Submitted by: Kenton from Seattle, Washington
Preparation Instructions:
- Grind the annato seeds, cumin seeds, whole peppercorns, whole cloves, and whole allspice in a mortar and pestle, molcajete y tejolote, spice grinder or coffe grinder.
- Blend the cleaned and chopped habanero peppers with the orange juice, vinegar, garlic and salt.
- Mix the dry spices with the liquid.
- Add the juice of 5 lemons and a nice splash of tequila.
- Place the cubed pork butt in a large zip lock bag and add the marinade. Soak 4-6 hours, in refrigerator, turning several times.
- Line (8 by 13) baking pan with banana leaves. Pour in pork along with the marinade. Cover with Banana leaves and seal the pan with foil. Bake in a 325 F degree oven for 4 hours.
thespicehouse.com
More About This Recipe
Banana leaves are optional, because I haven't found any locally yet. Take it easy on Habanero peppers. HOT!HOT!!HOT!!! Preground spices can be used in place of the whole spices, but the brilliant flavor of freshly ground spices really makes this dish what it is! (Editor's note: It may be helpful to read the hints left in the reviews of this recipe. Another suggestion, given to us by Dennis from Rawlins, Wyoming, is to add brown sugar to the marinating mix, use limes instead of lemons, and only cook 3 to 3 1/2 hours in aluminum foil.)
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.
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.
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.
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!!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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?