Cochinita Pibil

Method

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1. Blend the achiote paste with the citrus juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, allspice, cloves, salt and vinegar until completely smooth.

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2. Toss the pork in the marinade, cover, and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

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3. Pickle the onions: pour boiling water over the sliced onions, drain immediately, then cover with the lime juice, habanero, salt and oregano. Leave at least 2 hours; they turn bright pink.

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4. Pass the banana leaves briefly over a gas flame or hot pan until they turn glossy and pliable.

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5. Line a heavy casserole with overlapping leaves, letting them hang well over the sides.

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6. Tip in the pork and all its marinade, then fold the leaves over the top to enclose it completely. Add another leaf on top if needed.

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7. Cover with a tight lid or a double layer of foil and cook at 150°C / 300°F for 3½ to 4 hours.

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8. The pork is ready when it collapses under a fork. Shred it coarsely in its juices, which should be brick red and abundant.

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9. Serve in warm corn tortillas with plenty of pickled onion and habanero salsa.

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Chef’s Tips

• Bitter orange (naranja agria) is traditional. The orange-and-lime blend is a genuinely close substitute.
• Banana leaves are sold frozen in most Asian and Latin shops. Thaw and pass them over a flame or they crack.
• Do not shred the pork dry. It should sit in its own vivid juices, which is half the dish.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

Pairing Suggestions

• Warm corn tortillas
• Habanero salsa and pickled red onion
• A cold Mexican lager or an agua de jamaica

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate up to 4 days and freeze 3 months in its juices. Reheat gently, covered, so it does not dry out.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.