Ever since I watched the Ten Minute Cooking School by Robert Rodriguez on the Once Upon a Time in Mexico DVD, I knew that I wanted to make that dish. In the movie, Johnny Depp’s character eats it constantly and even shoots the chef once because it’s too good.
So tonight I start, my first cooking endeavour, which has been a long time coming. I’ve been meaning to make this for a while, and I’ve finally rounded up all the ingredients. Wish me luck. I’ll update later on how it went.
Update: Really good. Kinda screwed up at first by adding a bit too much salt. So a counter-measure was used (a tomato paste) and it was absolutely delicious. With rice, it’s so good. Looking forward to making it again and improve upon it.
Puerco Pibil Recipe
Ingredients:
- 5 Tbs. annato seeds
- 2 Tbs. salt
- 1 Tbs. peppercorns
- 8 whole allspice
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. whole cloves
- 8 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 habañeros (deveined, seeds removed)
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- juice of 5 lemons
- splash of tequila
- 5 lb. pork butt, cut into 2” cubes
- 1 lb. banana leaves
Directions:
- Combine all whole spices in a coffee grinder or spice mill. Grind them well, to a fine powder.
- In a blender or food processor, combine spice powder, garlic, habañeros, orange juice, vinegar, lemon juice, and tequila.
- Place the pork in a large ziplock bag and add the marinade; shake well. Marinate for 12 to 24 hours, shaking 2 or 3 times.
- Preheat oven to 325º. Line a baking pan with the banana leaves - you will wrap the pork in them, so be sure to overlap them well and leave enough so the edges will overlap, making a tight “package.” Dump the pork and marinade into the pan; wrap with banana leaves. Put more leaves on the top. Cover the whole thing with tinfoil and seal the edges so no steam escapes.
- Bake for 4 hours or until pork is tender and falling apart.
- Serve over a bed of white or Mexican rice. Garnish with a tomato wedge and a fresh jalapeño or serrano pepper.
Prep. time: 15 minutes; Marinate time: overnight; Cook time: 4 hours; 8 servings