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Cochinita Pibil Tostadas a la \"Mike\" aka L.R.
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Comments
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Barry any banana leaf will do.....
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Great looking food Beli, it looks like you are back
Ross -
Tks Ross.....I'm feeling a bit better today and since I'm at home got more time to cook
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sorry to steal your thunder beli, just thought i would add to your wonderful post.
this is a from a post earlier this year. it includes a recipe that i used to make the pibil and it turned out wonderful.
you may also try this link for additional info.
http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=620721&catid=1
The Legend of Puerco Pibil
We first encountered Puerco Pibil (also called Cochinita Pibil) at Outdoor Homeʼs July
cooking class presented by Springfield restauranteur James Clary. We loved the spicy
aroma 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 interesting
tidbits about the dish. The traditional Puerco Pibil is wrapped in banana leaves and
buried 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 Pibil
would be a small pig, roast whole in the spicy mix, while Puerco Pibil would be a pork
shoulder or butt prepared in this fashion.
The dish was made famous among fans of a somewhat obscure film (Once Upon a
Time in Mexico) starring Johnny Depp. Deppʼs character (Agent Sands) is obsessed
with the dish and orders it throughout the movie. At one point, when the dish is
particularly well prepared he feels he must murder the chef, or the world will be out of
balance. Producer Robert Rodriguez included a short film in the DVD release of the
movie where he prepares Puerco Pibil. Most recipes you will find on the internet for the
dish are variations or direct copies of the one he gives in the DVD.
Claryʼs interpretation of the dish as a BGE candidate adds a new dimension of flavor to
the dish and a unique approach to BGE cooking (that can be used on other meats as
well). By cooking over an open fire, but closed up in the Egg, the meat stays moist (as it
does in the closed vessel oven method) but develops a smoky flavor that deliciously
balances 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 the
Egg (hey, thatʼs what we all expect from James!).
Today we have blended my favorite elements of the Rodriguez recipe with my favorite
elements of Claryʼs. Itʼs easy to find those two on the internet (Google Puerco Pibil for
the Rodriguez recipe and Jamesʼ is on the Outdoor Home website). Our recipe as weʼve
prepared it today is on the opposite side of this page.
Jeff & Nancy Farris
jeffinsgf@wildblue.net
The Recipe for Puerco Pibil
¾ cup achiote paste (Latino Market on St. Louis, a couple blocks west of Glenstone)
10 cloves of garlic, chopped (a little more doesnʼt hurt)
½ cup orange juice
½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup tequila
juice of 2 limes
juice of 4 lemons
3 or 4 fresh habanero chilis chopped (Seeds in = HOT! No seeds = zippy! We leave a few.)
8 bay leaves, crumbled
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground thyme
2 teaspoons fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon of dried)
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 teaspoons fresh cracked pepper
4-5 pound pork butt (bone in, if you can find it)
Mix together all of the ingredients (except the pork) in a medium sized mixing bowl.
Traditionally, the pork is cut into two inch cubes. James Clary did his for the class as
whole roasts that were shredded when done. There are advantages to each approach.
The cubes will cook a bit quicker and give more surface area for the spice to work in. I
think the bone is an essential flavoring for roasts, making the whole roast approach
more appealing. For the EGGstravaganza weʼre going to try a hybrid approach, leaving
some meat on the bone and cutting some into large chunks. However you choose to
prepare the meat, once it is ready, toss it thoroughly with the marinade. Heavy duty
Ziploc® bags are our favorite tool for this job. Let the meat marinate at room
temperature for at least 4 hours -- more is better.
Light the Egg and adjust the temperature to 225 - 250. Add smoking chips or chunks.
We use hickory blended with cherry at about a 60/40 ratio. Put the meat and the
marinade in a pot and place it in the Egg. We use a Dutch oven that we bought just for
this purpose. The pot is going to come out of the Egg pretty ugly looking, so this is not
a job for your (or your significant otherʼs) favorite stew pot. Plastic or Bakelite handles
would seem like a really bad idea, too. Cook with the Egg closed and vented for an
even temperature and the lid off the stew pot (so the smoke can reach the meat) for
about 6 hours if whole, 4 to 5 if cubed. When the meat falls from the bone and shreds
easily, remove from the Egg and pull the meat out of the sauce. Let it cool a bit, then
shred the pork, pulling it apart with your hands. Iʼm not much for using gloves in the
kitchen, but the achioteʼs red color stains your hands for days. Iʼm using gloves this
time. Skim the fat off the sauce, then pour most of it over the shredded meat. Serve
the meat as an entree over rice, or use it as a filling for tacos or burritos. We like it as a
taco on small corn tortillas with a bit of fresh cilantro and some chopped onion. I think it
would be great as a burrito with a pile of cilantro rice and some Mexican white cheese. -
TKS Mark...think I got it as well...a little time consuming but well worth it...
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Dang Beli,that looks great :woohoo: When you come up to the smokehouse,I'll let ya make those for me :P Great pics man
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Doug......I'll cook for you & your family free of charge... :P indefinitely.....just keep me withing reaching distance of the fridge with the cool ones....
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They look excellent, Beli. I am so glad to see you cooking the past two days. I guess egging has the added
benefit of making you feel better! And that is some good looking comfort food.
Faith
Tampa, FLHappily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini -
Faith....feeling much better now TKS .......and having the spare time, egging seems to be the best way to spend it
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