A raft of earthy spices and the sweet smell of slow-cooked pork. This is what hits you as soon as you open the lid after three hours of tender cooking.
So here I am making use of the achiote paste I whipped up recently, and the last of that stash of pork loin* which filled a good chunk of space in my little freezer.
The Mayans used to cook the pork in a pit (that’s where pibil comes into it), but a heavy based pot is good enough for me. My backyard isn’t big enough to be digging holes for cooking!
The marinade for the pork may be achiote based, but it’s Seville oranges that give it bitter notes – flavours quite common about the Yucatán, I believe.
No Seville oranges in my part of the world at the moment, so it was a combination of regular naval orange and lime juice, to substitute.
The result – tender shreds of pork with a tart, spice-filled flavour that goes perfectly with cold beer. I’ve brought a few extras to the table, as well.
I knocked together some quick pickled onions – based on one of my other recipes. I also fried up a plantain for a little extra something to nibble on, some stewed black beans, and I even made tortillas from scratch.
Talk about a kitchen marathon!
*Pork supplied by Murray Valley pork
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