Here I go again with the Puerco Pibil, round two and taking a whole new direction at tackling it.
Went with an enameled roasting pan lined with banana leaves and into the oven vs smoker.
I figured it didn't really make a difference since wrapped in the leaves it didn't take on a good smokiness.
But I guess if it's not spending 12 hours in an airtight pit full of hot rocks and hardwood coals, it's just not going to get that infusion of smokey flavor.
So this time I went with a more traditional approach without smoking it first.
Chunks of boneless pork butt slow braising in classic Puerco Pibil sauce.
And the results were really good this time, very, very moist and succulent, you can see that it is spoon tender in the video clip.
The flavors were great, pretty tasty stuff, even my picky eaters agreed.
Could have been much spicier if I was cooking for myself and others who like it spicy hot. The dish is traditionally very spicy.
So next time I'm gonna try three Habanero chiles.
This dish is a work in progress for me, I'll get it nailed down and be knocking some socks off people.
The Menu
Puerco Pibil
Carne Asada
Frijoles Estilo Rancho
Arroz Mexicana
Guacamole
Pico de Gallo
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 or 3-6 fresh Habanero chiles*
(*Traditionally this is supposed to be a very spicy dish, but it is easily adapted.
Fresh chiles can vary in strength, the bottled hot sauce is a more stable heat source and easily adjustable according to your tolerances.)
1 large Red onion, sliced
3 Bay leaves, fresh
10 cloves garlic
4T salt
3/4C Achiote powder
2T Pepper, ground
1.5T Cumin, ground
1.5t Allspice, ground
3/4t Cloves, ground
Banana leaves
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 12" (deep) or 14", or larger (16") Dutch Oven works really well too.
A large casserole dish 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.
Carne Asada
5.5lbs of Skirt steak marinating in a spicier version of my Carne Asada marinade.
Chile's Carne Asada Marinade
Let marinate for at least 6 hours.
10-12 hours is better.
Grill steak over a very hot fire and get some good char on it.
Cook medium rare.
Slice thin strips across the grain.
Make slices with knife held at a 45° angle.
Pico de Gallo
Freshly made pico de gallo!
Tomato, white and red onion, jalapeno, red/yellow bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, salt, vinegar and lime/lemon juices.
Best marinated overnight.
Guacamole
Freshly made guacamole
Avocado, tomato, onion, red/yellow bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, salt.
Frijoles
Ranch Style Beans / Frijoles Estilo Rancho
Arroz Mexicana
Arroz Mexicana aka Mexican Rice
Tortillas de maiz, Queso Fresco, Guacamole, Cebolla, Cilantro, Lima, Various Habanero Salsas
Money Shots
Went with an enameled roasting pan lined with banana leaves and into the oven vs smoker.
I figured it didn't really make a difference since wrapped in the leaves it didn't take on a good smokiness.
But I guess if it's not spending 12 hours in an airtight pit full of hot rocks and hardwood coals, it's just not going to get that infusion of smokey flavor.
So this time I went with a more traditional approach without smoking it first.
Chunks of boneless pork butt slow braising in classic Puerco Pibil sauce.
And the results were really good this time, very, very moist and succulent, you can see that it is spoon tender in the video clip.
The flavors were great, pretty tasty stuff, even my picky eaters agreed.
Could have been much spicier if I was cooking for myself and others who like it spicy hot. The dish is traditionally very spicy.
So next time I'm gonna try three Habanero chiles.
This dish is a work in progress for me, I'll get it nailed down and be knocking some socks off people.
The Menu
Puerco Pibil
Carne Asada
Frijoles Estilo Rancho
Arroz Mexicana
Guacamole
Pico de Gallo
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 or 3-6 fresh Habanero chiles*
(*Traditionally this is supposed to be a very spicy dish, but it is easily adapted.
Fresh chiles can vary in strength, the bottled hot sauce is a more stable heat source and easily adjustable according to your tolerances.)
1 large Red onion, sliced
3 Bay leaves, fresh
10 cloves garlic
4T salt
3/4C Achiote powder
2T Pepper, ground
1.5T Cumin, ground
1.5t Allspice, ground
3/4t Cloves, ground
Banana leaves
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 12" (deep) or 14", or larger (16") Dutch Oven works really well too.
A large casserole dish 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.
Carne Asada
5.5lbs of Skirt steak marinating in a spicier version of my Carne Asada marinade.
Chile's Carne Asada Marinade
Let marinate for at least 6 hours.
10-12 hours is better.
Grill steak over a very hot fire and get some good char on it.
Cook medium rare.
Slice thin strips across the grain.
Make slices with knife held at a 45° angle.
Pico de Gallo
Freshly made pico de gallo!
Tomato, white and red onion, jalapeno, red/yellow bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, salt, vinegar and lime/lemon juices.
Best marinated overnight.
Guacamole
Freshly made guacamole
Avocado, tomato, onion, red/yellow bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, salt.
Frijoles
Ranch Style Beans / Frijoles Estilo Rancho
Arroz Mexicana
Arroz Mexicana aka Mexican Rice
Tortillas de maiz, Queso Fresco, Guacamole, Cebolla, Cilantro, Lima, Various Habanero Salsas
Money Shots
Last edited:
