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Cochinita Pibil

Name: Cochinita Pibil
Total time: 240 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Mexico
Ingredients: 800g Pork Shoulder Roast; 80g Achiote paste; 150ml Sour Orange Juice (or orange + lime juice); 4 cloves Garlic; 1 tsp Cumin; 1 tsp Oregano; 4 Banana Leaves (or foil); 1 Red Onion (for pickling); To taste Salt

Main Dish

⏱ 240 min

👥 Serves 4

Difficulty ⭐⭐

Pork marinated in achiote and sour orange, wrapped in banana leaves, and slow-cooked — a Yucatán specialty.

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📖 The Story Behind This Dish

Cochinita pibil is a traditional dish of the Yucatán Peninsula; 'pibil' is the Maya word for cooking in a pit in the ground. Pork marinated in achiote paste and sour orange juice is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked for hours, giving it a vivid red color and moist texture. It's classically served in tacos with pickled red onion.

🌆 Where it's eaten: At a celebration in a Yucatán home, the banana leaves are opened and the scent of achiote rises with the steam.

🥕 Ingredients (serves 4)

Pork Shoulder Roast 800g
Achiote paste 80g
Sour Orange Juice (or orange + lime juice) 150ml
Garlic 4 cloves
Cumin 1 tsp
Oregano 1 tsp
Banana Leaves (or foil) 4
Red Onion (for pickling) 1
Salt To taste

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Mix achiote paste, sour orange juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt to make the marinade.
Marinate the pork in the fridge for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
Soften the banana leaves briefly over a flame and wrap the pork.
Cook in the oven or a steamer at about 160°C for 2.5–3 hours.
Pickle the red onion in vinegar and lime juice.
Shred the meat and serve with the pickled onion.

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