Cochinita Pibil
Yucatecan pit-style pork slathered in recado rojo — achiote, sour orange, and warm spice — then wrapped in banana leaves and roasted until it collapses into its own brick-red juices. Habanero-pickled onions cut the richness on every taco.
- Time
- 5 hr
- Heat
- Yield
- 14 tacos
- Region
- Yucatán
Ingredients
Recado rojo
Pork
Pickled onions & to build
Method
Blend the achiote paste with sour orange juice, garlic, oregano, cumin, allspice, and salt into a loose, brick-red marinade.
Coat the pork chunks in the recado and marinate, covered, in the fridge for at least four hours — overnight is better.
Pass the banana leaves briefly over a flame until glossy and pliable, then line a Dutch oven or roasting pan, leaving long overhang.
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Pile in the pork with every drop of marinade and the melted lard, fold the leaves over into a tight parcel, cover, and roast at 300°F for about 4 hours, until the meat shreds at a touch.
While it roasts, toss the red onion and habanero with sour orange juice and salt, and let them pickle to a bright pink.
Rest the parcel, still wrapped, so the juices settle back into the meat.
Unwrap and shred the cochinita directly into its juices, tasting for salt.
Warm the tortillas, pile on the dripping pork, and crown each taco with the habanero-pickled onions.
Build the plate
