Guisados Cochinita Pibil Tacos Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Trim the excess fat from the pork.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the achiote paste, vinegar, oregano, orange juice, and garlic. Mix well.
• Trim the center core from the banana leaves and run them under hot tap water until the leaves become soft and pliable. Remove the excess water from the leaves and lay them, long edges slightly overlapping, onto the countertop.
• Place the roast in a large mixing bowl and add a generous amount of salt and pepper. Add the achiote mixture and cover the roast with the mixture.
• Place the roast on the banana leaves and wrap it well, completely covering the surface of the roast. Place the roast on a rack inside a roasting pan. Add 2 cups water to the bottom of the pan, tent with foil and place it in the oven for 20 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to 275 degrees F and roast for 6 hours.
• Serve with pickled red onions, warm corn tortillas and salsa.

Steps:

• For the pork: Blend the lemon juice, orange juice, vinegar and achiote paste together. Pour the mixture over the pork in a large cooking pot and let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
• The following day, add 2 cups water, the peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, onion, your favorite spices, and some salt and pepper. Let the pork cook over low heat for 3 to 4 hours. When the meat is tender and falling apart, it's ready.
• Serve with hot corn tortillas and your favorite garnishes.

Steps:

• Heat the pork in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Char the habanero by holding it with tongs over the flame of a gas burner for several minutes, turning it as needed, until it is spotted black and blistered all over. Remove the loose outer layers of papery skin from the garlic clove but leave the tight inner peel intact. Char it over the gas burner using the same technique, until it is completely blackened. (If you don't have a gas stove, broil the habanero and garlic clove a few inches from the broiler element, turning as needed to char them all over.)
• Warm the tortillas (see page 85), then wrap in aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Carefully stem the habanero, scrape out the seeds, and coarsely chop the flesh, preferably wearing plastic gloves to protect your fingers from the heat of the chile. Peel the garlic clove, coarsely chop it, and add it, along with about half the habanero, to the bowl of a food processor (preferably a mini one). Add the cilantro, scallion, lime juice, oil, and salt to taste and process until a loose sauce forms. Taste and add the rest of the habanero if you want the salsa to be spicier, and add more lime juice and/or salt if needed.
• Lay the tortillas out on a plate. Divide the pork equally among the tortillas, top with the pickled onions and just a little bit of the salsa (be judicious until you know how much you can handle), and eat.