Cochinita Pibil is a traditional Mexican pork stew that is incredibly flavorful! Fall-apart tender pork in an earthy and smokey sauce based on orange juice and achiote paste. This is a recipe for your super special Main Dish recipe collection.
Where Is This Special Pork Stew From?
It is originally from the state of Yucatán, where it is mainly served on Sunday morning or festive days, but now traditionally eaten all over Mexico year-round.
Its origin goes back to the prehispanic era and used to be prepared as Hanal Pixan which means food for the souls. So it’s meant as a stew to share with the souls of our ancestors. Isn’t that beautiful?
Traditionally, Cochinita Pibil is tightly wrapped in banana leaves and buried in a pit with a fire at the bottom to braise it. That earth oven is called a “pib” in the Mayan language hence the name of the dish “pibil”.
Originally, pheasant, boar, deer, or armadillo was used as meat in the stew but with the arrival of the Spanish conquerors so did pork and the dish slowly transitioned into being a mainly pork-based stew. It was eventually then called “Cochinita” Pibil, which basically means baby pork braised in an earth oven.
For a super traditional and authentic recipe check out this amazing video made by a born and raised Yucateco. And this video shows an even more traditional cooking process. I’ve tried the Cochinita Pibil cooked in the traditional earth oven and there just is no better meat I’ve ever tasted. My version tries to get to the original flavors as much as possible but if you ever get the chance to travel to Mexico and try the real deal, DO IT! SO GOOD!
The Main Ingredients Pork — pork shoulder (butt, blade, picnic) or pork leg both work. The most important is that it has a lot of marbling and that you remove the thick layers of fat and still have enough meat left. Oranges — typically Cochinita Pibil marinade uses Seville oranges which taste very bitter and are not that easy to find. So to get the acidity into the marinade what a lot of people do is simply add vinegar to the orange juice of any other orange. Apple Cider Vinegar — the orange juice simply needs to be acid so you can add either lime juice, white vinegar, or apple cider vinegar to it. Whichever you prefer. My favorite is apple cider vinegar. Garlic — some recipes call for onion as well. I prefer to add only garlic because I love serving the Cochinita with onion salsa already. Spices — this is where the biggest difference is between all stews you’ll try in Mexico. Some add few spices like salt and oregano only, other like to add cinnamon, clove, and cumin as well. Our family likes it with all the spices. Achiote Paste (Annato Paste) — this is the most important ingredient and what differentiates a simply pulled pork stew from a true Cochinita Pibil. It is a paste made of the red seeds of the Bixa Orellana. Achiotl in the Aztec’s Nahuatl language means “red dye” or “red paint”. You can find this condiment in any Hispanic grocery store or online. Banana leaves — this ingredient is optional but does give the cochinita a slightly more earthy taste. If you can get your hands on it it’s definitely worth adding. They are actually way easier to find than many believe. Any Hispanic and Asian grocery store tends to have them. They are often sold frozen. How To Prepare the Pork And Marinade Trim fat — trim as much of the thick layers of fat from your pork shoulders. The stew needs fat to make the pork tender so don’t remove the fat in between the meat. Do cut off the thick layers on the side though or else your cochinita pibil will taste too oily. Cut into 2″ pieces — you can leave the pork shoulders whole if you prefer. I prefer to cut them into big pieces to ensure the marinade penetrates the meat from all sides. Make orange juice — there is nothing like fresh orange juice. You need 1 cup of it for 4 lbs of pork. I used 8 oranges to get to 1 cup. Add spices — add chopped garlic, spices, and achiote paste to the orange juice. Then either blend in a blender or mix by hand. The blender takes only 2 minutes and by hand, it’ll take more like 15 minutes. I mix it by hand because the achiote dyes the plastic jug of my blender. If you have a glass jug on your blender use your blender! Add the marinate — add the marinade to the pork and use tongs to mix it well. Marinate — cover your bowl tightly with cling film and marinate the meat for at the very very least 2 hours but better overnight and up to 24 hours in the fridge. How To Make Cochinita Pibil In The Pressure Cooker Line Pot with banana leaf — if you got your hands on banana leaves line your pot with a small piece. There are several things you have to pay attention to, to avoid the burn warning though. Add a little water (1/4 – 1/3 cup) and let it sit for a few minutes to ensure the leaf is soft and very wet. Also, make sure some of the stew liquid can get to the bottom of the pot. Fold the leaf in a way that makes this possible. If you have one of those super finicky instant pots that give you the burn warning when you just look at them a certain way: don’t line your pot and just put the top leaf on the stew. Add marinated pork — add your marinated pork to your instant pot. Top with banana leaf — top the stew with another small piece of banana leaf. If you didn’t get your hands on banana leaves simply omit steps 1 and 3. No problem at all, the Cochinita Pibil will still turn out amazing. Pressure Cook — pressure cook the pork for 90 minutes on high pressure then wait for full natural pressure release. A lot of recipes out there suggest 45 minutes or 60 minutes and while the pork does cook through in that time it does not really get fall-apart tender. You’re always better off with longer cooking times. Remove banana leaf — remove the top banana leaf with some tongs. Banana leaves are not edible, we just add them for the extra earthy flavor they provide. Then, use two forks to pull the meat apart. Pulling apart is easier in a shallow container than in a big pot. Serve — once all the meat is pulled apart give it a quick toss in the juices and serve. How To Make This Stew In The Slow Cooker Or In The Oven
In the slow cooker you basically follow the same steps as in the pressure cooker version. Instead of the 90-minute pressure cooking time, you just set your slow cooker to 5 hours on high or 10 hours on low.
Same as with the pressure cooker, make sure the bottom banana leaf does not prevent the stew from seeping to the bottom or it’ll burn.
To make the stew in the oven you follow the same directions as with the pressure cooker. Use a dutch oven for this. Place it in the 400F preheated oven then immediately turn down the heat to 325F and slow roast for 4 hours. The reason we preheat the oven to 400F is so the stew gets to a boil first, and then continues simmering on low. It’s important that you do not forget to reduce the heat!
What Goes With Cochinita Pibil?
The number one thing Cochinita Pibil is served with are spicy pickled red onions and this is how you make them:
Peel and thinly slice a large red onion. Deseed and thinly slice a habanero chili. Add salt, pepper, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and a little olive oil to it and mix well. Store in the refrigerator at the very least 6 hours, better overnight and up to a week.
It is a very similar recipe to the Peruvian Salsa Criolla.
Apart form this, cochinita pibil is pretty much always served with fresh cilantro sprinkled on top and in corn tortillas as tacos.
You can of course also serve it over white rice if you like or serve with some guacamole on the side.
How To Make Tacos de Cochinita Pibil
The most common way to eat Cochinita Pibil is in form of tacos with the pickled onions and freshly chopped cilantro on top.
Simply heat corn tortillas in a hot dry pan to make them pliable and wrap them in a kitchen towel to keep warm.
Then make a “taco bar” on the table for everybody to build their own.
Frequently Asked Questions What does cochinita pibil taste like?
The flavor changes drastically depending on the recipe but it always has a somewhat acidic and earthy flavor with juicy and soft meat that almost melts in your mouth and requires very little chewing. The marinade is what dominates the flavor but the pork’s texture is felt in every bite.
What is cochinita pibil in English?
Cochinita means baby pig and pibil means braised in an earth oven (a pib).
Is cochinita pibil spicy?
It is not hot spicy but definitely spicy in sense that the achiote, cinnamon, clove, and cumin give a strong spiced flavor.
Print Cochinita Pibil Cochinita Pibil is a traditional Mexican pork stew. Fall-apart tender pork in an earthy and smokey sauce based on orange juice and achiote paste. Course Main Course, meat Cuisine Mexican Keyword Cochinita Pibil, Mexican Pork Stew Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes marinating 12 hours Total Time 2 hours Servings 8 people Calories 340kcal Ingredients 5 lbs pork shoulder any part is fine 8-10 oranges 1 cup orange juice 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 4 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tsp sea salt 1 tsp oregano 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp clove 3.5 oz achiote paste 1 banana leaf optional 1 large red onion 1-2 habanero chilis 2 Tbsp lime juice 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 1/2 Tbsp olive oil sea salt pepper corn tortillas cilantro Instructions Trim thick layers of fat from pork and cut into large 2-3" chunks. Press 1 cup orange juice out of oranges, add 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, chopped garlic, sea salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and clove and give it all a quick whisk. Then add achiote paste in junks and mix by hand or mix everything in the blender (faster but may stain your blender red if the jug is made of plastic). Pour marinade over pork and use tongs to mix well. Then cover airtight with cling film and place in the refrigerator for at the very least 2 hours, better overnight, and up to 24 hours. Finely slice red onion and deseeded habanero chili and add to a sealable bowl or jar, add lime juice, 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, olive oil, sea salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Seal and place in the refrigerator until it's time to serve. In the Pressure Cooker: Add a piece of banana leaf to the bottom of the pressure cooker (*see notes) and wet with 1/4-1/3 cup water, then add the marinaded pork, then put another piece of banana leaf on top of the pork. Seal the pot and set it to 90 minutes on high pressure. Then wait for natural pressure release. In the Slow Cooker: Add a piece of banana leaf to the bottom of the slow cooker without covering the whole bottom, just part of it. Put marinated pork on top, then put another piece of banana leaf on top of the pork. Place the lid on the slow cooker and set it to 5 hours on high or 10 hours on low. In the Dutch Oven: Preheat the oven to 400F. Add a piece of banana leaf to the bottom of your dutch oven without covering the whole bottom, just part of it. Put marinated pork on top, then put another piece of banana leaf on top of the pork. Put on the lid, place in the oven and immediately turn down the heat to 325F. Braise for approximately 4 hours. Discard banana leaves, they are not edible. Use two forks to shred the pork. This will be very easy, the pork will fall apart as soon as the forks touch it. Mix in well into the marinade. Serve the cochinita pibil on heated corn tortillas and top with onion salsa. Video Notes * some Instant Pots show the burn warning if you just look at them a certain way. Make sure the banana leaf is soaking wet at the bottom and also make sure the stew can seep to the bottom around the leaf, don’t line the bottom in a way that will avoid the stew reaching the bottom of the pot. Watch your pressure cooker closely while it’s trying to get to pressure. If it does show the burn warning while trying to get to pressure, turn the valve to the venting position to ensure all pressure is out before opening and use a wooden spatula to move the bottom banana leaf in a way that will let more stew reach the bottom and set the cooker again. Nutrition Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 715mg | Potassium: 882mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 326IU | Vitamin C: 76mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 3mg #Featured #RedOnion #MeatAndChicken #Habanero #PorkShoulder
