Yucatecan Pork (Cochinita Pibil)

This fantastic dish comes from Rick Bayless's "Everyday Mexican". Rick Bayless does it again. This is my current favorite cookbook because the recipes really are easy enough for every day, but they sing with authentic Mexican flavors and take me back to our days living in Mexico.

The hardest part of making this dish (aside from finding the ingredients) is juicing limes and slicing onions, which is to say that I think it's easy. It's pretty quick to assemble and fabulous enough for company, but we love it so much we sometimes find it difficult to share. It's my all-time favorite way to eat pork, and perhaps the main reason my daughter hasn't become vegetarian yet. It's the perfect combination of flavors - I LOVE the red onions pickled in fresh lime juice on top - they turn a lovely pink color and are so tart and crunchy. We like to eat it just with some shredded cabbage and warmed corn tortillas. You can make little soft tacos to eat it, and the leftovers are also good on tostadas (layer on the shredded pork, pickled red onions and cabbage). If I'm making it just for us, I usually freeze half of the pork to eat later with freshly made pickled red onions. And I've found the leftover pink and oniony lime juice from the red onions is great in guacamole (the color's not the best, but the flavor is).

We found achiote paste at the Mexican grocery store just off of Bates street in Oakland, but I bet you could find it at Reyna's in the strip. I got the optional banana leaves at the Asian store in Wilkinsburg in the frozen section, and I think their aroma adds a lot to the experience of opening up the crockpot, unfolding the banana leaves, and finding this perfectly tender and savory piece of pork roast nestled inside - I can almost imagine it was roasted in a pit for a day or two.

Sorry no pictures - we couldn't wait to dig in. I'll have to take some the next time I make it.

So, with that raving intro, here it is:

Slow-Cooked Achiote Pork (Cochinita Pibil)
1/2 of a 3/5 oz. package achiote seasoning (he recommends Yucateco brand adobo de achiote)
3/4 cup fresh lime juice (divided use)
salt
half a 1 lb pkg banana leaves, optional (defrosted if frozen)
3 lb. bone-in pork shoulder roast (I think I've usually made this with 3-4 lbs boneless pork loin)
1 large white onion, sliced 1/4 in. thick
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup roasted fresh chile salsa or bottled habanero hot sauce for serving

Place the achiote seasoning in a small bowl. Pour in 1/2 cup lime juice and 1 1/2 tsp salt (he calls for 2, but I prefer it with this), then use the back of a spoon to work the mixture into a smooth, thickish marinade.

If you have banana leaves, cut two 2-foot sections and use them to line a slow-cooker -- lay one down the length, the other across the width. Lay in the pork and pour the marinade over and around the roast. Scatter the white onion over the meat.

Pour 1/2 cup water around the meat. Fold up the banana leaves to roughly cover everything. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours, until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender (this can also hold on the keep warm setting for 4 more hours or so).

Once you've started the meat, combine the red onion with the remaining 1/4 cup lime juice in a small bowl. Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp salt, toss and set aside to marinate, stirring from time to time.

Use tongs to transfer the meat (it will easily break into delicious-looking pieces) and onions to a serving dish. Spoon off any rendered fat that's floating in the juices (I also peel off the layer of fat from the top of the roast and discard it). If there are 2 cups or more of the sauce, put it in a saucepan and boil it down to 1 cup. Spoon the sauce over the meat. Top with the lime-marinated red onions and serve with the salsa and plenty of hot tortillas.

This can also be baked in a dutch oven for 2 1/2 -3 hours at 300 degrees. And you can substitute chicken thighs for the pork. Black beans make a great side dish, too.