Cochinita Pibil, Part 2

After being in the slow cooker for 5 hours, I turned the pork down on warm.  It was definitely tender by then, being boneless.  Those banana leaves, I have to say, don't smell all that grand, but they do a wonderful job at keeping the moisture in.  The finished product was beautiful and delicious!

I served the Cochinita Pibil with warm tortillas, shredded cheese, pineapple salsa, tomatillo salsa, cilantro, hot sauce, limes, and grilled corn on the cob.  We have enough pork left over to make burritos, tamales, or enchiladas.  I highly recommend not only this recipe, but the entire book!

Cochinita Pibil, Part 1

I bought a cookbook by the brilliant Rick Bayless not too long ago in the quest to make more Latin-based meals.  This book is gorgeous.  Do not crack it open if your stomach is on empty.  Or even near empty.

For two weeks I wondered what to make from this cookbook until I spied the recipe for Cochinita Pibil.  This is usually a chicken dish, but this recipe called for a pork roast that is cooked in a banana leaf-lined slow cooker.  For years I've wanted to do a pig-in-the-ground party, and this recipe allowed me to do something similar but in my slow cooker.  Genius!!!

I cannot post the recipe as I do not own it or the right to publicly share it.  If you need specifics, shoot me an email.  Cooking experiments can make me pretty nervous. There's so much at stake - cost, time spent prepping and cooking, and then the wonder if the meal will even be any good.  I feel good about it this time.  So far, it's been really simple to make.  The most difficult part was locating banana leaves and the achiote block. I purchased the achiote from Mexgrocer.com.  Later, I found out I could have gotten it for half the price at my local Asian supermarket.  Where I also was able to find banana leaves in abundance.

I lined the slow cooker liner with banana leaves that I had frozen.  Prepping them was simple.  I ran them into a hot water bath for about 10 minutes, then trimmed them up well. Line your slow cooker however best suits the bowl of the cooker.

I made the achiote marinade with lime juice and salt, but since one of my limes had gone bad in the center, I used the juice of one clementine in order to make 1/2 cup juice.  I like the flavor of orange and pork, and the  clementine will bring a slight sweet flavor to the tart limes.  I love limes, and this meal brings about so many flavors I adore in one sitting.

If you've never seen achiote before, it is a paste of annatto seeds, garlic, vinegar, spices, and salt.  You can refrigerate it up to a year, so buy the bigger block.  You'll use it, I promise.  I plan on using mine for more cochinita pibil as well as seafood dishes.

I was supposed to use a bone-in roast but my store had the boneless roasts on sale - buy one get one.  Frugality wins out this time!

This little pork baby has to cook six hours on high, and Part 2 of this post will reveal how it all turned out. I've got my fingers crossed and my taste buds waiting in anticipation!