My visit to Mexico City back in April was, unsurprisingly, a glorious carnival of eating and drinking. A few months later, vivid memories still come floating to the top of my mind, backlit by warmth and sun. I’ve written previously about the green chutney ceviche that was among the best dishes of the trip. But another dish I keep returning to is one I made myself – well, sort of.
Cochinita Pibil is a slow-cooked pork dish flavoured with achiote paste and sour oranges, originally hailing from the Yucatan Peninsula. It’s traditionally made by “bury[ing] a pig in a steaming, smouldering, stone-lined pit and cook[ing] it slowly for many hours,” as Tejal Rao writes in NYT Cooking. At the class I took at Casa Jacaranda, we didn’t have 24 hours nor a steaming fire pit, but we did have a pressure cooker lined with toasted banana leaves, and it really came through.
I happen to possess an Instant Pot, so I knew this was one recipe I wanted to try upon returning home. Although I had to make some alterations (nixing the banana leaves and diversifying my citrus, for starters), I was more than pleased with the results – it had all the brightness, kick, complexity and deep-down burnished quality I remembered. That said, if you don’t have an Instant Pot or pressure cooker to hand, it’s easy enough to make in the oven, and I’ve included instructions for both methods – just remember to start marinating your pork the night before.
I considered various pairings for this dish, but the one that feels most appropriate is Black IPA – it, too, nails that balance of deep, roasty flavours coupled with delicately fruity high notes. Elusive has long been a BIPA champion and Alone in the Dark is a perfect choice here.
If, like me, you’ve felt starved for sunshine lately, I think it’s worth dedicating a weekend to preparing this dish. I can’t promise it will fix the winter-in-the-middle-of-June blues, but it will certainly take you somewhere altogether brighter for a while.
Cochinita Pibil
Adapted from Casa Jacaranda and Tejal Rao
Serves 8-10
For the cochinita pibil:
1 1.8-2kg boneless pork shoulder or Boston butt
2-3 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon allspice berries
½ teaspoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 Roma or plum tomatoes
1 onion
4-5 cloves garlic
100g achiote paste
6 oranges
2 limes
1 red grapefruit
For the escabeche:
2 medium red onions
1 habanero or Scotch bonnet chilli
½ teaspoon allspice berries
½ teaspoon oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
Large pinch fine sea salt
150ml distilled vinegar
150ml water
To serve:
20-30 small tortillas, preferably corn
Large bunch coriander, roughly chopped
200g feta, crumbled
Lime wedges
Salsa of your choosing
Hot sauce of your choosing
1. The night before you plan to cook your pork, prepare the marinade. First, remove any rind from the pork (you can discard or keep to make crackling later). Cut the pork into three or four large pieces and season well with 2-3 teaspoons of fine sea salt. Set aside while you prepare the marinade.
2. Add the cumin seeds, black peppercorns, allspice berries and whole cloves to a small frying pan. Place over medium-low heat and toast, tossing frequently, for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant but not burnt. Grind the spices to a powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Mix in the oregano, cayenne pepper and ground cinnamon, and set aside.
3. Roughly chop the tomatoes; peel and roughly chop the onions and garlic cloves. Transfer to a blender. Next, add the achiote paste, and the juice of your oranges, limes and grapefruit. Add the reserved spice mix. Blend on high for 3-4 minutes, or until the marinade is uniform.
4. Transfer the pork pieces to a large, nonreactive bowl and pour over all of the marinade, making sure the pork pieces are fully coated and submerged. Cover with cling film and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
5. Also the night before, prepare your escabeche. Peel and thinly slice the onions and halve the habanero or Scotch bonnet, and transfer to a large, lidded glass jar. Add the allspice berries, oregano, and salt. Pour over the vinegar and the water; they should just about cover the onions; if not, press down with a fork. Seal the jar tightly and shake to blend. Transfer to the fridge and leave overnight.
6. The next day, cook your pork. If using an Instant Pot, transfer the pork and all of the marinade to the Instant Pot, seal, and cook on the high-pressure setting for 60 minutes before letting it naturally depressurise for 30 minutes. If using the oven, preheat to 150°C. Transfer the pork and all of the marinade to a large Dutch oven or other oven-proof, lidded pan. Cook for approximately 2.5-3 hours, removing the lid and spooning over liquid every now and then, or until the pork is falling apart and easily shredded by a fork.
7. Whatever your cooking method, when the pork is ready, roughly shred using tongs or a fork. If using an Instant Pot, turn on the sauté setting (there should be a fair amount of liquid remaining). If you used the oven, transfer the Dutch oven to the hob (being sure not to burn yourself on the hot handles), remove the lid and place over medium heat.
8. Cook the pork down further for 20-30 minutes, stirring frequently, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the pork is very soft and supple. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
9. Serve the pork alongside your warmed tortillas, wrapped in a clean tea towel to hold in the heat, and encourage those eating to build their own tacos. (I like to very briefly heat my tortillas directly over a gas flame before serving, but you can also warm them in a frying pan, in the oven on very low heat, or even in a microwave). To garnish, use coriander, feta, lime wedges and your chosen salsa and hot sauce.
Claire M Bullen is a professional food and travel writer, a beer hound and all-around lover of tasty things. You can follow her at @clairembullen. For more recipes like this, sign up to our HB&B All Killer No Filler beer subscription - you'll receive Claire's recipe and food pairings, plus expert tasting notes, with 10 world-class beers like this one every month.