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Mexican

Cochinita pibil

Non-vegetarian

Yucatecan slow-roasted pork marinated in achiote paste and sour citrus, wrapped in banana leaves until meltingly tender and served in tortillas with pink pickled onions.

Cochinita pibil is a Mexican main course from Mexico, ready in about 4 hours 20 minutes and made with pork shoulder and achiote paste. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

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Shredded achiote-marinated cochinita pibil pork with pickled onions
Photo: Popo le Chien / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-3.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
4 h
Total
4 h 20 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
675

Plus overnight marinating (at least 4 hours).

Ingredients

8 servings

Pickled onions

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Blend the achiote paste (opens in a new tab), orange and lime juices (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab), oregano (opens in a new tab), allspice (opens in a new tab), pepper (opens in a new tab) and salt into a smooth marinade.

    Achiote stains hands, boards and plastic orange — wear gloves.

  2. Step 2

    Coat the pork thoroughly, cover and refrigerate overnight.

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Marinate raw pork in the fridge, never at room temperature.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oven (opens in a new tab) to 160 °C. Line a lidded pot with banana leaves (opens in a new tab) (briefly passed over a flame to soften), add the pork and marinade, fold the leaves over and cover tightly.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Roast until the meat falls apart, 3½–4 hours.

  5. Step 5

    Meanwhile mix the onions, lime juice (opens in a new tab), habanero and salt and leave to turn pink, at least 30 minutes.

    • 5 min

  6. Step 6

    Shred the pork into its juices and serve in warm tortillas (opens in a new tab) topped with the pickled onions.

    • 10 min

About this dish

Origin
Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico · Well documented'Pibil' refers to the Maya earth-oven (pib) in which it is traditionally cooked.More food from Mexico
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Street food
Cooking method
Marinated / cured, Slow-cooked, Roasted
Taste
tangy, earthy, savoury, spicy (chilli heat)
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Festive & celebration · Batch cooking
Cook more with
Pork shoulder · Achiote paste · Orange juice · Lime juice · Garlic · Cumin
Techniques
Roasting · Marinating · Pickling · Curing

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

675 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 356 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 23%
  • Carbohydrate 28%
  • Fat 49%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy675 kcal189 kcal
Protein39 g10.9 g
Carbohydrate48.5 g13.6 g
Net carbohydrate39 g11 g
Sugars5.7 g1.6 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre9.4 g2.6 g
Fat37.6 g10.6 g
Saturated fat——
Trans fat——
Cholesterol133 mg37 mg
Sodium897 mg252 mg
Salt equivalent2.2 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1095 mg
Calcium
138 mg
Iron
5.7 mg
Magnesium
119 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
284 µg
Vitamin C
23 mg
Vitamin D
3.2 µg
Vitamin B12
—
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: banana leaves.
  • Achiote paste: Ground paprika (FDC 171329) used as a stand-in: achiote paste is ground annatto seed with spices, garlic and vinegar.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Serve with

  • Serve as tacos, in tortas (crusty rolls) or with black beans and rice.

Food safety

  • Marinate in the fridge, never at room temperature.
  • The pork is cooked when it shreds easily (well above 71 °C).
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours; reheat to 74 °C.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 4 days in its juices; freeze up to 3 months.

Reheating

  • Reheat covered with a splash of water until hot.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 5

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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