Cochinita Pibil
Oh my gosh, friends, you will not believe how wonderful this pork is! One of our favorite restaurants in town serves Cochinita Pibil and it is heavenly. Pieces of tender pork with a crispy almost sweet exterior and a spicy sweet glaze. We looked for, and tried, a ton of recipes out there for Cochinita Pibil but what we were searching was elusive. We could not find a recipe to create a tasty fall-apart pork that has that caramelized exterior that contrasts so beautifully with the tender pork.
Well, we finally did it! And can we tell you it may seem like this recipe makes a lot of pork, but this Cochinita Pibil does not last around here. We eat it for every meal (and snack!) until it is gone, which usually only takes two days. It’s great in tacos but also on its own with rice and beans or in burritos or chilaquiles. It does take some effort…but we guarantee you it is well worth it.
Achiote paste can be found in most well stocked supermarkets. Banana leaves are a bit harder to find. We have had some luck finding banana leaves at our local Asian market but usually we buy our achiote and banana leaves at a local mercado. You can find the banana leaves in the freezer section. Foil can be used in place of the banana leaves, but the leaves really do impart a lovely flavor in the pork.
We hope you will give this recipe a try and let us know what you think in the comments!
Jump to Recipe
Most of the ingredients can be found in a well stocked supermarket or local mercado.
Toss pork in marinade and allow to sit while you prepare the banana leaves.
Line the baking pan with the banana leaves, overlapping to completely cover bottom and sides and leaving some overhang on edges.
Fill with pork and marinade.
Top with a banana leaf and fold edges over to completely enclose pork.
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil.
Remove pork from oven and carefully peel back banana leaves.
Cochinita Pibil
Equipment
- 9" x 13" roasting pan
- Aluminum foil
- Blender
Ingredients
- 5 pound boneless pork shoulder trimmed of large pieces of fat and cut into 3-4 inch pieces
- For the marinade:
- Whole garlic cloves from 1 head of garlic
- 3.5 oz 1 package achiote (annatto) paste broken up into small pieces
- 1/2 cup agave nectar
- Juice from 4 oranges about 1 1/2 cups
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- ½ tbsp ground cloves
- 10-12 bay leaves
- ½ tsp liquid smoke
- ½ tsp salt
- For the glaze:
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp achiote paste chopped into small pieces
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 2 garlic cloves smashed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup agave nectar
- Juice from 1 orange about 1/2 cup
- For cooking the pork:
- 1 package banana leaves* defrosted if frozen
- Aluminum foil
- Kosher salt
- 4 tbsp butter
- For the pickled onions:
- 1 red onion sliced thinly
- 6 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 ½ tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
- ½ tbsp sugar
- ½ tbsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp coriander seeds
- For serving:
- Cojita cheese
- Cilantro
- Small corn tortillas
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275°F.
- In a blender, combine the ingredients for the marinade. Blend until you have a coarse puree.
- Trim the pork shoulder of any really large chunks of fat. You want to leave enough so that it helps tenderize the pork while cooking. Sprinkle with salt. Toss the pork with the marinade making sure it’s evenly coated.
- Gently heat the banana leaves over a gas burner. If you don’t have gas, you can just set them out in direct sunlight while you prepare the pork and the marinade. You want them to be pliable enough to fold them over the pork without breaking.
- Place the banana leaves in the pan, layering them so they will keep as much marinade as possible in (see photos) and leave ends hanging over the edge of the pan. Put the pork on top of the banana leaves, including all leftover marinade. Place a banana leaf on top of the pork and fold the sides of the leaves over the top, like a package. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
- Place the pork on the center rack in the oven and cook for 4 hours.
- While the pork is cooking, make the pickled onions. Place all ingredients for the onions in a medium saucepan on the stove and bring to a simmer. Gently stir the onion mixture until all onions are completely coated and beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove the mixture to a heatproof bowl and let sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally. These should be served at room temperature but will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in a covered container.
- An hour before the pork is done cooking, make the glaze. Place all glaze ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Let simmer on the stovetop until the mixture becomes thick and syrupy, about 45 minutes. If it gets too thick, add a little more orange juice.
- When the pork is done, remove from the oven, take off the foil and let sit for a few minutes. In a large frying pan, heat the 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat until just beginning to brown. Make sure the bottom of the pan is evenly coated with the butter. Using tongs, remove the pieces of pork shaking a little to remove excess marinade and place the pork pieces in the frying pan. Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes. Turn each piece over and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove pork to a serving platter and spoon the glaze over the pork, making sure each piece gets a little love. Serve on tortillas with pickled onions, cheese, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
Notes
I made this for my anniversary and it was divine. The glaze really added another dimension, and the pork was super tender from steaming in the banana leaves. This would be wonderful for a dinner party.
We are so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for commenting 🙂