Wahaca’s Famous Pork Pibil by Wahaca

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Wahaca’s Famous Pork Pibil

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Wahaca’s Famous Pork Pibil

Mexican

Sharing plate

Over 2 hours

Pork

Easy

Serves

This sumptuous pork pibil recipe from Wahaca co-founder Thomasina Miers takes a long, slow cooking time, but you will be more than rewarded for your patience — the pork neck will be meltingly tender when ready. Pile into tacos to serve with some pickled onions, or enjoy with rice.

Find more delicious Mexican recipes to cook at home at Wahaca at Home.

Recipe courtesy of

Ingredients

For the Marinade

1 tsp allspice berries
2 tsp ground cumin seeds
½ tsp cloves
1 tsp peppercorns
100g achiote paste
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
Large bunch of fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano
3 fresh bay leaves
2 tbsp sea salt
3 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 6 oranges (about 450ml)

For the Pork:

1.5kg neck of pork, cut into a few large pieces
1 habañero or Scotch bonnet pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
25g butter

Method

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Method

To make the marinade, warm the spices in a dry frying pan for a few minutes then grind to a fine powder. Place in a blender with the achiote paste, vinegar, onion, garlic, herbs, salt and olive oil and pulse to start breaking up the achiote. Slowly pour in the orange juice with the motor running to get a smooth paste. Pour about a third of the marinade over the pork, ensuring it is thoroughly coated. Refrigerate overnight. Freeze the remaining marinade or keep it fresh for a week in the fridge (and try it with something else, like barbecued chicken).
When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 130C/266F/gas 1.
Transfer the pork and its marinade to a large casserole dish and add chopped chilli and butter. Bring to a simmer, cover with foil and a tight-fitting lid and cook slowly for 3—4 hours until the pork is soft and falling apart. Serve chunks of pork in deep bowls with rice or steamed potatoes, lots of sauce and piles of pink pickled onions on top.