Pork Pibil

 

Originating from the Yucatan peninsula, this dish is traditionally made with a whole suckling pig cooked by burying the meat in a pit. Today, you can try pork pibil tacos at Wahaca, a Mexican restaurant chain with branches all over London. It has a delicious floral, tangy and yet mildly spicy flavour that entices the taste buds, the primary source of this unique taste comes from the Annatto seeds. This dish is perfect for cooking for a party, be it as part of a three-course Mexican themed menu for four with plenty of leftovers, or part of a Cinco De Mayo festive table. Best served with rice, tacos, salsa and re-fried beans.

Before cooking

Served with Coriander Rice

Ingredients
3-4 lbs (1.8-2kg) Pork shoulder joint

2½ tbsp ground Annatto (achiote) seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tsp black Peppercorns
¼ tsp Allspice
¼ tsp Cloves
100ml Orange juice
3 cloves of Garlic, crushed
Juice of 3 lemons
1/2 tbsp white wine Vinegar
Banana Leaves (optional)

Recipe
First you need to dice your pork joint. I got a de-boned shoulder and diced it myself, but you could ask the butcher to do it as it does take some time if you have the bone-in. I discarded a lot of the tough skin but not too much of the fat as this renders off during the cooking time. Add your meat to a large non-reactive container.

Place the black peppercorns, allspice berries, cloves, cumin seeds and garlic in a pestle and mortar and grind to a fine paste. Sprinkle this over the meat with the annatto and salt, give it a good rub first and then add the liquids. Refrigerate overnight to get the maximum flavour into the meat.

On the day you're ready to cook, pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees. If you were able to acquire banana leaves, line your casserole dish with the leaves. If not, use a double layer of aluminium foil instead, place the meat onto the lining of your casserole and use the excess to seal your meat in. It should look like a snug package in your casserole dish. You don't need the lid on, but I put it on anyway to retain the heat inside the casserole. Cook on a medium shelf for 3-5 hours, depending on how late your guests are! But seriously, the longer the better as you want the meat to fall off your fork as you spoon it out.

Enjoy with rice, or on a nice taco with red onions.

Leftovers