Herbies' Braised Pork Recipe - OUTSTANDING

OK...Here is the recipe as Herbie posted it...and how I "adjusted" it. Don't be put off by the length of the recipe...it took about 20 mins. to prep. and 5 mins. to serve.

1. I put everything in a mini-blender to make the marinating sauce. I think I would cut the salt in half the next time.

2. I used "storebought" salsa that is made fresh and really good. I like the Salsa Verde, DH likes the regular red salsa.

3. This was VERY easy to make and I will do it again, in a heartbeat! I think next time I will serve lime wedges on the side to squirt over the meat in the tortilla. Everything went in the middle of the table and it was not only pretty, but fun to eat!!!

4. Served a lightly dressed coleslaw of green cabbage and a bit of green onion on the side.

5. I used a pork shoulder. The chunks of meat were infused with flavor and there were lots of lean pieces...although you are right, the fat was delicious.

cochinita pibil - pork braised in banana leaves yucatan sytle

working ahead -
the flavor of the pork depends a great deal on the spice rub and the direct contact with the banana leaves. for this reason, you want to be sure to allow enough time - 12 to 24 hours for the pork to sit after being rubbed with spices and wrapped before braising (steps 1 through 3)

note - this is usually made with a whole pork boston butt or picnic shoulder. for a smaller party, scale things back and follow the same recipe with a smaller pork shoulder roast (4 1/2 to 5 pounds) just be sure it's bone in for the best flavor. braise the smaller roast for 4 to 4 1/2 hours.

i will be giving the recipe the way its listed in the book. remember to cut things back if you use the smaller roast

the spice paste
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tbl coarse salt
2 tbls cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tbl dried oregano
2 dried red chiles, crused or 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 trbls achiote paste (optional)
2 to 3 tbls cider vinegar

the braise
2 to 3 large fresh or thawed frozen banana leaves
one 7 to 9 pound bone-in boston butt or picnic shoulder, skin on or off

the salsa
1 small white onion, (4 ounces) finely chipped (about 1 cup)
2 jalapenos, seeded or not as you like, finely chopped
1 cup chopped loosely packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 pound ripe tomatoes, cored and chipped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 to 4 tbls freshly squeezed lime juice
coarse salt

warm corn tortillas for serving

1. making the spice paste - 12 to 14 hours ahead. put the garlic cloves in a mortar, add the salt and work it into a paste with the pestle. (if you do not have a mortar, pour the salt over the garlic on a cutting board and using a combination of a chippeding motion and smearing with the side of the blade, reduce the garlic to a paste. lace the garlic paste in a small bowl,. add the cumin, oregano, chiles, and achiote paste, if using. stir in enough vinegar to make a thick paste. set aside.

2. searing the banana leaves. unfold the banana leaves. with scissors, trim off the fibrous center rib that usually runs down the length of one side of the leaves. (try to cut the rib off in one piece, and save it to tie up the pork once its wrapped in the leaves). if you have gas burners on your stove set one to high and, holding each banana leaf about 2 inches above the burner, pass it slowly across the flame until the leaf appears a darker green and almost wet looking. this will make the leaves more flexible and easier to roll. if you have electric burners, skip this step, the leaves will be a bit less flexible, but they will work fine. lay the leaves out on a work surface, duller side up.

3. rubbing the pork with the spice paste and wrapping in in the banana leaves. if the pork has skin, score a 1 inch deep crosshatch pattern into it to expose the fat beneath. rub the spice paste all over the entire pork shoulder - top and botton. place the pork on one length of banana leaf and fold the leaf snugly around the pork. lift the wrapped pork onto another leaf and wrap it around perpendicular to the first one so that you encase the pork. keep wrapping until you have a neat package without gaps or openings and at least three layers of leaves, depending on the shape and size of your leaves. tie off the package with several loops of the reserved center ribs or kitvchen string.set the pork in a baking dish or on a tray and refr9igerate for 12 to 24 hours.

4. heat the oven to 300 degrees. let the prk sit ayt room temperature while you wait for the oven to heat.

5. the braise. place a rack or a crosshatch of chopsticks in the bottom of a very large dutch oven (8 to 9 quart) or a deep roasting pan. (the rack or sticks will keep the port off the bottom of the pot and better imitate the environment of a fire pit). add 1 to 1 1/2 cups water to the pot - just enough to come about 1/2 inch up the sides, enough to create a bit of steam. place the wrapped pork on the rack or chopsticks. cover the pot tightly with a lid or heavy duty aluminum foil and slide in onto a rack in the lower third of the oven to braise.

after 3 hours, open the pot and carefully turn the pork. since the roast is so large and unwieldy, this can e a gtricky maneuver. if find it easiest to use a pair of thick pot holders or folded dishtowels and to lift the pork with my hands.
it migh also help to have someone stand by to hold the pot to make sure you don't get off balance and drp the whole thing. return the pork to the oven and continue to braise gently for another 2 1/2 to 3 hours you will know the pork is getting close when the house fills with an exotic sweet aroma. to check for doneness, press on the sides of the pork. it should feel soft and tender and it will have shrunk some inside the package too.

6. meanwhile, make the salsa. soak the chopped onion in cold water for 5 minutes to take away some of its bite. drain, place in a clean dish towel, and squeeze dry. in a medium bowl, combine the onion, jalapenos, cilentro, tomatoes, lime juice and salt to taste. the salsa should taste sharp to balance the rich taste of the pork.

7. serving. lift the pork from the braising pan by the strings, if they feel secure or by grapsing it with two pot holders or dish towels and set it on a large platter or tray. tear a few big pieces of banana leaves from the pork and line a platter with them, then unwrap the pork. with two dinner forks, shred the pork into big chunks and pile them onto the banana leaf lined platter.
the pork will be very hot so be content to pull off large pieces. if you braised a skin on pork butt, the skin will have softened and melded with the fat layer underneath. a taste of these two together will make any true pork lover weak in the knees. i like to shred this fatty meat into smaller bit and toss it in with the leaner meat. you can also set it aside in reserve for those who really love the richest bits. spoon some of the warm pan juices over the portk. serve with the salsa and warm corn tortillas.

seems like a big job but hope you make it and let me know how it turned out.