---
title: Cochinita Pibil
tags: ['pork', 'mexican', 'yucatecan', 'traditional', 'slow-cooked', 'achiote']
date: 2025-06-11
author: "corerat"
---

**Cochinita pibil** is a traditional Mexican dish from Yucatán, featuring pork marinated in achiote, wrapped in banana leaves, and traditionally cooked in an underground earth oven using a pre-Hispanic technique called *píib*.

- ⏲️ Prep time: 30 min (plus 8+ hours marinating)
- 🍳 Cook time: 1.5 hours
- 🍽️ Servings: 8-10

## Ingredients

### For the Pork:
- 2 banana leaves, flame-softened
- 3.3 lbs pork shoulder
- 1.1 lbs pork loin with ribs
- 7 oz achiote paste (annatto paste, commercial is fine)
- 1 cup sour orange juice (or ½ cup vinegar + ½ cup regular orange juice)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 allspice berries, coarsely ground
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon chile piquín
- Salt to taste
- 4.5 oz lard

### For the Accompanying Salsa:
- 8 radishes, washed and finely chopped
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 4 habanero chiles, finely chopped
- ½ cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 cup sour orange juice (or vinegar)
- Salt to taste

## Directions

1. Line a baking dish with banana leaves, letting them overhang the sides. Place pork on the leaves.
2. Dissolve achiote paste in sour orange juice and mix in all spices. Coat the pork thoroughly with this marinade.
3. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Pour melted lard over the marinated pork.
5. Wrap tightly in banana leaves, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 1½ hours or until meat is fork-tender and almost falling apart.
6. For the salsa, mix all ingredients and let rest for at least 3 hours.
7. Shred the cooked pork and serve wrapped in the same banana leaves, accompanied by the salsa and fresh tortillas.
