Those cochinita pibil tacos are juicy, packed with authentic Mexican flavors, and one of the most delicious dishes from Mexico. Learn how to make them at home with this super easy recipe.
3habanero peppers(seeded and cut into thin strips)
2largered onions
½Tbsporegano
½cupbitter Seville orange juice(read notes)
salt(to taste)
Instructions
Marinate the meat:
In a food processor, place the achiote paste, onion, garlic cloves, oregano, cumin seeds, allspice, peppercorns, whole cloves, and cinnamon.
Pour the bitter orange juice, salt, and pulse until you will have a paste (read notes 1 & 2).
Place pork meat in a large bowl and add the achiote paste. Turn to coat well.
Cover and allow the meat to marinate in the fridge for at least 8 hours.
Cook the cochinita pibil:
Fold an oven-proof pot with banana leaves or aluminum foil.
Place the marinated meat inside and cover with more banana leaves.
Pour ½ cup of water into the pot so it will create some steam to cook the meat.
Cook in the oven at 330°F/165°C for 4 hours or until the meat is nicely fork-tender.
*Important! Half into the cooking time, taste the stew and adjust salt if needed.
Make the Xnipec salsa:
Place sliced red onions, habanero pepper, oregano, and salt in a medium bowl.
Add bitter orange juice, and mix for 1 minute.
Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes before serving.
Make the tacos:
Warm the corn tortillas in a comal or skillet for half a minute per side or until soft and pliable.
Place tortillas flat on a plate and add some shredded cochinita in the middle of each tortilla.
Top with the xnipec salsa and enjoy with a squeeze of lime.
Notes
You can make the paste using a molcajete or a mortar too. Working in batches, grind the spices with the achiote and onion adding the orange juice as needed.
If you can't find bitter oranges, you can substitute with a 1:1 mixture of fresh orange juice + lemon juice.
You can use small or large tortillas, depending on which ones you decide to use is the number of tacos you can make per serving.
After washing well the banana leaves, you will need to soften them in hot water to make the pliable.