Cochinita Pibil Tacos | Authentic Recipe

Those cochinita pibil tacos are juicy, packed with authentic Mexican flavors, and one of the most delicious dishes from Mexico.

If you think you know traditional Mexican cuisine but you haven’t tried tacos de cochinita pibil, you’re missing out and I’m happy to introduce you to this wonderful recipe.

this recipe

What Is Cochinita Pibil?

Cochinita Pibil is a traditional Yucatecan dish that consists of marinated pork meat with annatto seeds (achiote), spices, and bitter orange. The meat is wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked in a píib, which is an earth oven. 

Pibil, which comes from píib, is a Yucatecan Mayan cooking technique of pre-Hispanic origin that consists of digging a hole in the ground, making a stove with firewood and stones to place the banana-leaf-wrapped meat, covering it with soil, and letting it cook slowly over several hours.

The result is incredibly tender and flavorful meat that can be shredded very easily to make tacos or other traditional dishes. Cochinita pibil has an earthy and slightly sour taste with a depth of flavor from the spices.

One of the signature things about this dish is the bright red-ish color achieved by marinating the meat with a paste called recado rojo. This seasoning is made using annatto seeds (more of this below).

The tender meat is then shredded and used to make tacos, panuchos, or just served on a plate along with xnipec salsa, which consists of red onion, habanero peppers, and bitter orange juice.

The Origin

The origin of cochinita pibil goes back to pre-Hispanic times when the Mayan people used to cook a similar dish with deer, pheasant, wild turkey, or peccary meat in an underground oven.

It wasn’t until colonial times that people started using pork meat for this dish, along with other new ingredients such as Seville oranges.

Eventually, traditional píib was replaced by normal ovens and steam cookers for convenience. However, people in Yucatan still maintain the tradition of making an earth oven on special occasions.

For example, in Kantunilkín city, they make a píib on December 8 to celebrate the date of the Immaculate Conception.

And just as in colonial times, this recipe is particularly appreciated during Hanal Pixan (meal of the souls) from October 31 to November 2.

As you can see, these cochinita pibil tacos are more than just a delicious meal. There’s a lot of history and tradition in every bite and it’s a very special recipe for Mexicans. 

What Is Achiote?

Achiote, also known as annatto, is an orange-red condiment made from achiote seeds, which come from the Bixa Orellana tree.

This tree grows in South America and Central America, so achiote is a common ingredient in many recipes from this part of the world.

You can find whole seeds, ground achiote, achiote paste, and achiote oil.

Achiote has a mild peppery flavor and a hint of bitterness, smokiness, and earthiness and it gives cochinita its signature orange-red color!

You can buy achiote at Latin American stores and online, it usually comes in small packets (about 3.5oz/100g). Once opened, you can store it wrapped with cling film in the fridge for months.

How To Make Cochinita Pibil Tacos

Make the marinade (recado rojo)

Place achiote paste, onion, garlic cloves, oregano, cumin seeds, allspice, peppercorns, whole cloves, and cinnamon in a food processor.

Add the bitter orange juice, salt, and pulse until you will have a paste.

Note: You can also make this paste using a molcajete or a mortar. Working in batches, grind the spices with the achiote and onion adding the orange juice as needed to make a paste.

Marinate the meat:

Place pork meat in a large bowl and add the recado rojo paste. Turn to coat nicely all meat.

Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the meat to marinate for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

Cook the cochinita

The next day, fold an oven-proof pot with banana leaves or aluminum foil.

Place the marinated pork along with any remaining achiote marinade.

Now, close with more banana leaves or foil to nicely wrap the meat inside and pour 1/2 cup of water into the pot so it will create some steam to cook the pork meat.

Cook in the oven at 330°F/165°C for 4 hours or until the meat is nicely fork-tender.

Half into the cooking time, taste the dish and adjust salt if needed.

If you making your tacos right away, shred the meat inside the pot using two forks

If you want to make your tacos for later or want to store your cochinita, allow it to cool down, shred it, and transfer it to a container, juices included, then cover until needed.

Make the Xnipec salsa:

• Peel the onions and slice them.
• Remove the stem of the habanero peppers and cut them in half.
• Remove the seeds and then cut the habanero chilies into thin strips.
• Place all in a bowl.
• Add bitter orange juice, oregano, and salt to taste.
• Toss for 1 minute, adjust salt to taste, and set aside.

Make the tacos:

1. Warm the corn tortillas in a comal or skillet for half a minute per side or until soft and pliable.
2. Place tortillas flat on a plate and add some cochinita in the middle of each tortilla.
3. Top with pickled onions and enjoy with a squeeze of lime.

Recipe Notes

• Meat needs to marinate. For hours, there are no shortcuts for this, the longer marinates, the more tender and flavorful the pork will be.
• Slow cook. It can be tempting to just throw everything in your Instant Pot but believe me, this recipe requires a slow-cooking process for a reason, long cooking yields not only tender meat but also the most succulent and juicier texture.
• Make it easier: Want a hassle-free recipe? Use your slow cooker and cook for 8 hours at low or 6 hours at high.
• Double the recipe. This is a long process recipe, make sure you double it if you want to have leftovers for other meals.

How To Serve

Cochinita pibil tacos are usually served only topped with the traditional salsa with red onions and habanero, and a squeeze of lime. No cilantro, no cheese, and no cream!

Sometimes a salsa with tomatoes and habaneros is made, but that’s optional as the traditional Xnipec is already super spicy. But if you want to try some salsa, we recommend this salsa roja.

And since you’ll need something fresh and sweet to wash down the spiciness, try one of our recipes for agua fresca:

• Pineapple Water.
• Tamarindo Drink.
• Guava Fresca.
• Oatmeal Agua Fresca.

Even though those tacos de cochinita pibil are sold all year round in Mexico, during the celebration of Día de los Muertos they become one of the most iconic dishes not only in Yucatán but in the whole country.

How To Store And Reheat

This recipe freezes wonderfully and can be used for many other preparations, not only tacos. But you should assemble only the tacos you intend to eat as on their own, tacos don’t store well.

Our recommendation is to store ingredients like tortillas, pibil meat, and salsas separately.

To store the meat in the fridge, allow it to cool down then transfer it to an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator. It will last up to 4 days.

To freeze, we recommend you divide the leftovers into resaleable bags and then freeze them for up to 3-4 months.

When you are ready to make your cochinita pibil tacos, just thaw and reheat the meat on the stovetop or the microwave.

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• Pork chilorio.
• Chicken tinga.
• Birria de res.