Cochinita pibil
Pork shoulder marinated in achiote and citrus, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked until it falls apart. Served with habanero-pickled red onions.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 4 hr
- Rest
- 8 hr
- Total
- 12 hr 30 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- Medium heat
- Cost
- A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Cochinita pibil is pork marinated in a paste of achiote, sour orange juice, garlic and spices, wrapped in banana leaves and cooked slowly until it shreds at a touch. In the Yucatán it goes into a pib, a pit lined with hot stones and covered with earth, for most of a night. This home version uses a lidded casserole in a low oven for four hours, which gets the texture and most of the flavour but not the smoke. Sour orange is hard to find outside the region, and a mix of orange and lime juice gets close. Marinate overnight; skipping that is the one shortcut that does not work.
What you'll need
16 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
- Pork
- Pickled onions
- To serve
Ingredients
Pork
- Pork, boneless shoulder, in 6 cm chunks1½ kg
- Achiote, paste (recado rojo)100 g
- Orange juice, freshly squeezed150 ml
- Lime, juiced2
- Garlic, crushed5 clove
- Cumin, ground4.9 ml
- Oregano, dried4.9 ml
- Allspice, ground2½ ml
- Black pepper4.9 ml
- Salt9.9 ml
- Banana leaves, fresh or frozen and thawed4 sheet
Pickled onions
- Red onion, thinly sliced2 medium
- Lime, juiced3
- Habanero pepper, seeded and minced, or less1
- Salt4.9 ml
To serve
- Corn tortilla, warm16
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Break up the achiote paste in a bowl with the orange and lime juice. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, allspice, pepper and salt and mash to a smooth, thin paste; blend it if it stays lumpy. Toss the pork in it, cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours.
10 min
Watch: Achiote stains boards, hands and plastic. Use a glass or steel bowl.
Step 2
For the onions, pour boiling water over the sliced onion, drain after a minute, then toss with the lime juice, habanero and salt. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. They turn bright pink.
5 min
Step 3
Heat the oven to 160°C. Pass the banana leaves briefly over a gas flame or dip them in hot water until glossy and pliable. Line a casserole with overlapping leaves, leaving plenty hanging over the sides. Tip in the pork with all its marinade and fold the leaves over to make a parcel.
10 min
Tip: Cut out the thick central rib of each leaf. It cracks the leaf when you fold it.
Step 4
Put the lid on, or seal with foil and then the lid, and cook for 3½ to 4 hours, until the meat falls apart when pressed with a fork.
240 min160°C
Step 5
Open the parcel and shred the pork in its juices with two forks. Taste and add salt or a squeeze of citrus. It should be juicy, almost wet. Serve with warm tortillas, the pickled onions and a habanero salsa if you want more heat.
10 min
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 644 kcal
- Protein
- 55.8 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 28.7 g
- Saturated fat
- 9.8 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 4.1 g
- Sodium
- 879 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- No major allergens flagged in the structured ingredients.
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Banana leaves → Foil and a tight lid
You lose the faint grassy, tea-like note, but the pork still steams in its own juices.
Achiote paste → 3 tbsp annatto seeds, ground
Grind them to a powder in a spice grinder before mixing with the spices, garlic and juice. They are too hard for a blender alone.
Tips
- Leftovers are better the next day. Reheat covered with a splash of water.
- Frozen banana leaves from Asian and Latin American shops are fine. Thaw them and wipe them clean.
- For panuchos, slit a puffed tortilla, stuff it with refried black beans, fry it, and top with cochinita and onion.
History & culture
In Mérida cochinita is a Sunday morning dish. People queue at market stalls and family loncherías from early, and much of it is gone by noon. It is eaten in tacos, in tortas made with soft bread, and on panuchos and salbutes. The pickled red onion with habanero is not optional. It cuts through the fat.
Pit cooking in the Yucatán is Maya, and pib is the Maya word for the pit. Achiote seeds were used for colour and seasoning long before the conquest. The pork came with the Spanish, as did the bitter Seville orange, so the dish as eaten now is a colonial blend. Cochinita means little pig, and whole suckling pigs were the old standard.
Modern adaptation — In the Yucatán cochinita is cooked in a pib, a pit with hot stones, for six to eight hours, which adds smoke and a slightly drier, caramelised edge. A casserole in the oven gives the same tender, wet pork without the smoke. Orange and lime replace naranja agria, the Seville-type sour orange; if you can buy Seville oranges in winter, use 250 ml of their juice instead of both.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Cochinita pibil take?
12 hr 30 min all in — 30 min prep, 4 hr cook, 8 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 8 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
Medium heat.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
7 more questionsFewer questions
What equipment do I need?
Mixing bowl, Blender, Dutch oven, Oven, Chef's knife.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Banana leaves → Foil and a tight lid. You lose the faint grassy, tea-like note, but the pork still steams in its own juices. Achiote paste → 3 tbsp annatto seeds, ground. Grind them to a powder in a spice grinder before mixing with the spices, garlic and juice. They are too hard for a blender alone.
What should I watch for?
Achiote stains boards, hands and plastic. Use a glass or steel bowl.
Any tips from this recipe?
Leftovers are better the next day. Reheat covered with a splash of water. Frozen banana leaves from Asian and Latin American shops are fine. Thaw them and wipe them clean. For panuchos, slit a puffed tortilla, stuff it with refried black beans, fry it, and top with cochinita and onion.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Leftovers are better the next day. Reheat covered with a splash of water. Break up the achiote paste in a bowl with the orange and lime juice. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, allspice, pepper and salt and mash to a smooth, thin paste; blend it if it stays lumpy. Toss the pork in it, cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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