Okay, I think I've nailed it down and I'm sticking with this as my final recipe.
OMG'osh is this good stuff, no more playing around with it.
Puerco Pibil
6lbs of boneless Butt cut into fist sized chunks
1.5C Sour Orange juice*
(*To mimic Sour Oranges for this or other Mexican recipes such as Carnitas or Carne asada, just mix equal parts Grapefruit juice, Orange juice, Lime juice and Vinegar.)
1.5C White or AC vinegar
1/2C Lemon juice, fresh
3T of El Yucateco Habanero salsa (Red or Red XXXtra Hot), for a sauce that's not too hot*
(*Traditionally this is supposed to be a very spicy dish, but it is easily adapted.
Fresh chiles can vary wildly in their heat/strength, the bottled hot sauce is a more stable heat source and therefore easily adjustable according to your tolerances.)
1 large Red onion, sliced
3 Bay leaves, fresh
10 cloves garlic
4t salt
1/2C Achiote paste
2T Pepper, ground
1.5T Cumin, ground
1.5t Allspice, ground
3/4t Cloves, ground
Banana leaves OR Oven bag.
Preheat oven to 325°.
If using whole spices, grind your spices (except Bay leaves) into fine powder before blending into the other ingredients.
In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients except the pork, Red onion, Bay leaves and Banana leaves.
Blend till mix is smooth.
Place pork in a large bowl and pour the mixture over the chunks of pork and mix to cover.
My large 18" enameled roasting pan works best for me, as I can fit all the pork in one layer for even cooking in the sauce.
But an 8qt 12D" (extra deep) or a 14"-16" Dutch Oven works really well too.
A large covered casserole dish or disposable roasting pan should work too.
Lay two pieces long pieces of twine down, then layer the Banana leaves, fill with pork and sauce and top with the 3 Bay leaves and Red onions.
Fold leaves over to cover and then tie it to seal it up.
If you don't have twine, save one leaf to lay over the top and tuck down around the edges.
Cover with foil or lid and into the oven.
Cook for four hours.
Remove from oven when done, open and trim leaves to access the meat.
Spoon sauce over the meat before serving, sauce is damned good on rice and beans too.
Serve as tacos, burritos, enchiladas or just plated with rice/beans.
OMG'osh is this good stuff, no more playing around with it.
Puerco Pibil
6lbs of boneless Butt cut into fist sized chunks
1.5C Sour Orange juice*
(*To mimic Sour Oranges for this or other Mexican recipes such as Carnitas or Carne asada, just mix equal parts Grapefruit juice, Orange juice, Lime juice and Vinegar.)
1.5C White or AC vinegar
1/2C Lemon juice, fresh
3T of El Yucateco Habanero salsa (Red or Red XXXtra Hot), for a sauce that's not too hot*
(*Traditionally this is supposed to be a very spicy dish, but it is easily adapted.
Fresh chiles can vary wildly in their heat/strength, the bottled hot sauce is a more stable heat source and therefore easily adjustable according to your tolerances.)
1 large Red onion, sliced
3 Bay leaves, fresh
10 cloves garlic
4t salt
1/2C Achiote paste
2T Pepper, ground
1.5T Cumin, ground
1.5t Allspice, ground
3/4t Cloves, ground
Banana leaves OR Oven bag.
Preheat oven to 325°.
If using whole spices, grind your spices (except Bay leaves) into fine powder before blending into the other ingredients.
In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients except the pork, Red onion, Bay leaves and Banana leaves.
Blend till mix is smooth.
Place pork in a large bowl and pour the mixture over the chunks of pork and mix to cover.
My large 18" enameled roasting pan works best for me, as I can fit all the pork in one layer for even cooking in the sauce.
But an 8qt 12D" (extra deep) or a 14"-16" Dutch Oven works really well too.
A large covered casserole dish or disposable roasting pan should work too.
Lay two pieces long pieces of twine down, then layer the Banana leaves, fill with pork and sauce and top with the 3 Bay leaves and Red onions.
Fold leaves over to cover and then tie it to seal it up.
If you don't have twine, save one leaf to lay over the top and tuck down around the edges.
Cover with foil or lid and into the oven.
Cook for four hours.
Remove from oven when done, open and trim leaves to access the meat.
Spoon sauce over the meat before serving, sauce is damned good on rice and beans too.
Serve as tacos, burritos, enchiladas or just plated with rice/beans.
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