Mexican recipe

Cochinita Pibil

Name: Cochinita Pibil
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 40 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Mexican cuisine
Ingredients: 1600 g boneless pork shoulder, cut into large chunks; 90 g achiote paste; 240 ml orange juice; 60 ml lime juice; 30 ml white vinegar; 5 garlic cloves; 3 g ground cumin; 2 g Mexican oregano; 12 g fine salt; 4 large banana-leaf sections; 250 g red onion, thinly sliced; 120 ml lime juice for pickling onion; 1 habanero chile, thinly sliced

Yucatecan pork marinated in achiote and bitter-orange-style citrus, wrapped in banana leaves and slowly roasted until it pulls apart into brick-red, fragrant strands.

Yucatán Peninsula

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 3 hr
Total: 3 hr 40 min
Servings: 8

Cochinita pibil shredded in banana leaf with pink pickled onions — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Jennifer Woodard MaderazoSource page · Original file · CC BY 2.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

1600 g
boneless pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
90 g
achiote paste
240 ml
orange juice
60 ml
lime juice
30 ml
white vinegar
5
garlic cloves
3 g
ground cumin
2 g
Mexican oregano
12 g
fine salt
4
large banana-leaf sections
250 g
red onion, thinly sliced
120 ml
lime juice for pickling onion
1
habanero chile, thinly sliced

Method

01
Blend the achiote marinade
Blend achiote, orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano and salt until smooth.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Marinate the pork
Coat the pork thoroughly, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Quick-pickle the onion
Toss the red onion and habanero with the pickling lime juice and a pinch of salt; chill for at least 30 minutes.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Soften the banana leaves
Pass each banana-leaf section briefly over low flame or a hot dry pan until glossy and flexible, without scorching through.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Line the roasting dish
Cross two layers of softened banana leaves in a deep roasting dish, leaving enough overhang to fold over the pork.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Enclose the marinated pork
Tip in the pork and all marinade, fold the leaves tightly over the top, then cover the dish securely with a lid or foil.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Slow-roast until tender
Roast covered at 175°C for 2 hours 30 minutes, then check that the pork yields easily to a fork.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
08
Rest in the leaves
Leave the covered pork to rest for 20 minutes so the bubbling juices settle and reabsorb.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
09
Shred and moisten
Shred the pork into coarse strands and fold through enough roasting juices to keep every piece succulent.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
10
Serve with pickled onion
Serve the cochinita hot on banana leaf with the pink pickled onion and habanero alongside warm corn tortillas.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Preheat the oven and pan fully so the stated bake time begins from a stable temperature.
Let slow-roasted meat rest in its wrapped cooking juices before shredding so the fibres relax and the rendered juices can be folded back through the meat.

Common mistakes

Overbaking to chase darker colour can dry the centre before the surface looks dramatically brown.
Cutting while piping hot makes fillings and sauces run before they have time to set.

Substitutions

Use a baking vessel of similar volume if the specified pan is unavailable and begin checking doneness early when its shape differs.
If banana leaves are unavailable, seal the meat tightly in baking parchment and foil; it will stay moist, though the finished dish will lose some of the leaf aroma.

Storage

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C for up to 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed until piping hot throughout.

Cultural context

Pibil refers to a Maya cooking tradition associated with food cooked in a pit oven; contemporary home versions recreate its wrapped, slow-cooked character in a conventional oven.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Authentic Cochinita Pibil — Photograph by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo; CC BY 2.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Mexican recipes

Cochinita Pibil

Ingredients

Method

Blend the achiote marinade

Marinate the pork

Quick-pickle the onion

Soften the banana leaves

Line the roasting dish

Enclose the marinated pork

Slow-roast until tender

Rest in the leaves

Shred and moisten

Serve with pickled onion

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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