A classic and unforgettable Yucatecan Mexican dish, modified here for an electric pressure cooker. Scratch-made with wonderful ingredients, plus a smoky twist.
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine Mexican, North American
Keyword authentic, cochinita pibil, instant pot cochinita pibil, instant pot puerco pibil
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 40 minutesminutes
Total Time 2 hourshours50 minutesminutes
Servings 8people
Calories 468kcal
Ingredients
Basics
1kgpork shoulder
Marinade
2tbspwhole annattosee note
1.5tspcumin
1tspcoriander seed
1tsporeganoMexican, if you can find it
1/2tspallspice berries(~14-16 berries)
1/2tspblack peppercorns
2cloves
1smallbay leaf
1/2tspsalt
2inch piececinnamon(preferably true cinnamon, not cassia)
3/4cupseville orange juice(or 1/4 cup each orange, lime, and grapefruit juice)
To Cook
2roma tomatoeshalved
1/2red bell peppersliced
1/2tspground chipotle powder
banana leaves
To Serve (all Optional)
tortillas(I prefer corn)
smoky dried chili salsa(aka k'uut bi ik - see note)
quick pickled red onions
guacamole
Instructions
Prep and Marinade
Cut the pork shoulder into several large pieces. Cut across the grain of the muscle so that the cooked shredded pork isn't too long.
Combine all of the dry ingredients for the marinade in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Grind until you've obtained a fine powder.
Combine the Seville orange juice and spice powder to form a rub/marinade. Pour this over the pork and ensure that it's evenly covered. Marinade for a minimum of 2 hours or up to overnight.
To Cook
Line the bottom of the pressure cooker (see note below for slow cooker option) with one banana leaf and a splash of water.
Lay two large banana leave segments perpendicular to each other on a flat surface.
Place a piece of the marinated pork on the banana leaves, then some tomato and pepper and a little bit of the chipotle powder. Repeat with the remaining portions, then bundle the banana leaves around everything and tie them closed with kitchen string (or use toothpicks to pin the leaves together at the top).
Place the wrapped pork in the pressure cooker (I used an Instant Pot). Close and cook on manual for 40 minutes. Release naturally, or wait 10 minutes and do a quick release if you're pressured for time. Pun intended.
Remove the pork from the banana leaves and shred. Serve as you like, though I personally love it in tacos with pickled red onions, smoky dried chili salsa, and guacamole. See notes for related recipes.
Notes
Annatto: Annatto (whole or ground) is an essential ingredient in this recipe and can't really be replaced. It can be found at Mexican grocery stores and online at better Mexican/spice stores. Whole annatto is a rather hard spice, so if you don't have a spice grinder or good mortar and pestle, buy pre-ground. Achiote paste (aka recado rojo) is NOT the same thing as ground annatto, and is in fact a spice blend that includes many of the ingredients used in this recipe. However, annatto in Spanish is achiote (entero, meaning whole, or molido, meaning ground), so read your packaging carefully.Slow Cooker Variation: Follow the instructions as for the pressure cooker, but add the finished package of pork, vegetables, and marinade to a slow cooker and cook on low for 9-10 hours.Recipe: Mexican Pickled Onions Recipe: Smoky K'uut Bi IkNote: The marinade minus the last two ingredients is basically achiote paste, so if you're looking to make it for any other recipes, now you can!