Puerco Pibil recipe

jeffinsgf

Here's the recipe for the Puerco Pibil I made at the EGGstravaganza last week.

Drop me an e-mail if you try it and like it.

Puerco Pibil PDF

BigDaddy - OCT

Wow, that sounds really good and think it would be perfect for stuffing in a chimichanga or even ABTs. Chopped onion and cilantro do sound good on a soft taco as well.

Is there a subsitute for the achiote paste? There is not a good market here for me to look in.

Thanks!

Bruce

Beli

Love the stuff.......first time I see it cooked with tequila though..... :woohoo:

BENTE

Pork, Butt, Pureco Pibil

The Legend of Puerco PibilWe first encountered Puerco Pibil (also called Cochinita Pibil) at Outdoor Home's Julycooking class presented by Springfield restauranteur James Clary. We loved the spicyaroma and unique flavor of the roast pork and tried it out in our Egg the next week.While investigating possible variations on the theme, we discovered some interestingtidbits about the dish. The traditional Puerco Pibil is wrapped in banana leaves andburied in an underground fire pit, much like a Hawaiian luau preparation. “Cochinita”translates as “small pig”, where “puerco” is simply “pork”. So, a true Cochinita Pibilwould be a small pig, roast whole in the spicy mix, while Puerco Pibil would be a porkshoulder or butt prepared in this fashionThe dish was made famous among fans of a somewhat obscure film (Once Upon aTime in Mexico) starring Johnny Depp. Depp's character (Agent Sands) is obsessedwith the dish and orders it throughout the movie. At one point, when the dish isparticularly well prepared he feels he must murder the chef, or the world will be out ofbalance. Producer Robert Rodriguez included a short film in the DVD release of themovie where he prepares Puerco Pibil. Most recipes you will find on the internet for thedish are variations or direct copies of the one he gives in the DVD.Clary's interpretation of the dish as a BGE candidate adds a new dimension of flavor tothe dish and a unique approach to BGE cooking (that can be used on other meats aswell). By cooking over an open fire, but closed up in the Egg, the meat stays moist (as itdoes in the closed vessel oven method) but develops a smoky flavor that deliciouslybalances the spice. That smoky element is missing when the dish is roast in an oven.But, cooking the meat in a pot full of marinade is a unique approach to cooking in theEgg (hey, that's what we all expect from James!).Today we have blended my favorite elements of the Rodriguez recipe with my favoriteelements of Clary's. It's easy to find those two on the internet (Google Puerco Pibil forthe Rodriguez recipe and James' is on the Outdoor Home website). Our recipe as we'veprepared it today is on the opposite side of this page.Jeff & Nancy Farrisjeffinsgf@wildblue.net


3/4 cup achiote paste (Latino Market on St. Louis, a couple blocks west of Glenstone)
10 cloves of garlic, chopped (a little more doesn't hurt)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup tequila
juice of 2 limes
juice of 4 lemons
3 or 4 fresh jalapeños chopped (Seeds in = HOT! No seeds = zippy! We leave a few.)
8 bay leaves, crumbled
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground thyme
2 tsp fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon of dried)
1 Tbs sea salt
2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
4-5 lb pork butt (bone in, if you can find it)



1 Mix together all of the ingredients (except the pork) in a medium sized mixing bowl.
2 Traditionally, the pork is cut into two inch cubes. James Clary did his for the class as
3 whole roasts that were shredded when done. There are advantages to each approach.
4 The cubes will cook a bit quicker and give more surface area for the spice to work in. I
5 think the bone is an essential flavoring for roasts, making the whole roast approach
6 more appealing. For the EGGstravaganza we're going to try a hybrid approach, leaving
7 some meat on the bone and cutting some into large chunks. However you choose to
8 prepare the meat, once it is ready, toss it thoroughly with the marinade. Heavy duty
9 Ziploc® bags are our favorite tool for this job. Let the meat marinate at room
10 temperature for at least 4 hours -- more is better.
11 Light the Egg and adjust the temperature to 225 - 250. Add smoking chips or chunks.
12 We use hickory blended with cherry at about a 60/40 ratio. Put the meat and the
13 marinade in a pot and place it in the Egg. We use a Dutch oven that we bought just for
14 this purpose. The pot is going to come out of the Egg pretty ugly looking, so this is not
15 a job for your (or your significant other's) favorite stew pot. Plastic or Bakelite handles
16 would seem like a really bad idea, too. Cook with the Egg closed and vented for an
17 even temperature and the lid off the stew pot (so the smoke can reach the meat) for
18 about 6 hours if whole, 4 to 5 if cubed.When the meat falls from the bone and shreds
19 easily, remove from the Egg and pull the meat out of the sauce. Let it cool a bit, then
20 shred the pork, pulling it apart with your hands. I'm not much for using gloves in the
21 kitchen, but the achiote's red color stains your hands for days. I'm using gloves this
22 time. Skim the fat off the sauce, then pour most of it over the shredded meat. Serve
23 the meat as an entree over rice, or use it as a filling for tacos or burritos. We like it as a
24 taco on small corn tortillas with a bit of fresh cilantro and some chopped onion. I think it
25 would be great as a burrito with a pile of cilantro rice and some Mexican white cheese.


Recipe Type
Barbecue, Main Dish, Meat

Recipe Source
Author: jeffinsgf

Source: BGE Forum on 2008/10/01

jeffinsgf

Thanks, Bente.

Given my experience on other BB's (not cooking related) I did not post my rather verbose recipe directly on the forum. Thought that might be considered rude by some. Now its available both ways!

jeffinsgf

Bruce,

Let your mouse do the walking!

http://www.mexgrocer.com/3119.html

BENTE

well there are alot of living cookbook users around here and i had a little trouble copy ing it (proabably because i am a dimrod :P ) so i figured if there was someone like me that may need the help :laugh: