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Closeup look of texture of Cochinita Pibil served in a blue bowl and topped with red onion.
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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