Ingredients:

• 1 Kilo Pork Loin
• 1 Tablespoon Cumin
• 2 Tablespoons Oregano
• 1 Tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 Tablespoons Chili-Lime Powder, or Chili Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Chicken Bouillon Powder
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
• Salt to Taste
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 1 Large Onion
• 2 Habanero Chile Peppers, Minced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 Cups Orange Juice
• Freshly Squeezed Juice of 1 Lime
• 2 Cups Milk
• 1/2 Cup Butter, or Lard
• 1/2-1 Cup Water

Directions:

Lay the pork loin fat-side down. Cut it through to the fat in about 1-2″ wide strips. Be careful not to cut all the way through the fat! The “strips” must still be attached by the fat.

Mix the cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, chili-lime powder, chicken bouillon, black pepper, salt in a small bowl. Coat the pork loin with spice mixture, including the fat side and down into all the cuts.

Put the pork loin fat-side down in a large heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat. Pour the vegetable oil into the pot around the pork loin. Cut the ends off the onion, peel off its skin, cut the onion in half. Then cut it into wedges. Arrange the onion wedges in the pot around the pork loin. Add the habanero peppers, garlic, and bay leaf to the pot.

Pour the orange juice into the pot surrounding the pork loin, being careful not to wash the spices off it. Add the lime juice and milk, again trying not to wash the spices off the pork loin. Cut the butter into smaller slices and add to the broth.

Add enough water to just cover the pork loin, about 1/2 to 1 cup.

Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for about 3 hours. Remove the pork loin from the pot. It should be falling apart at this point.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a large fork, press the meat apart into smaller bite-size pieces. This will be very easy to do as the meat should be very tender and easily fall apart.

Put the pulled pork (carnitas) into an oven dish and add the onions. Spoon some of the broth from the pot over the meat. Toss the meat to cover it thoroughly with the broth. Discard the remaining broth in the pot, or freeze it to serve as a base for another dish.

Bake the carnitas for about 15 minutes until the broth cooks off and the tips of the meat are a bit crispy. If there´s still broth in the dish, remove it from the oven, toss the meat in the juice again, put it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes or so, and then remove.

Enjoy the carnitas with warmed corn tortillas, beans, and pico de gallo.

Recipe Posted by Lindsay

Pork Ribs by Amy Hernandez

Ingredients:

• 2 Lbs baby back ribs, 2-3 inch pieces
• 1 Tsp salt
• 1 Tsp oil
• 1 1/2 Lbs fresh tomatillos, outer husks removed and rinsed
• 2-3 Jalapeño chiles
• 1/2 Small onion
• 2 Large fresh guero chiles
• 2 Large garlic cloves minced
• 3/4 cup firmly packed cilantro leaves
• 1 Tsp salt or to taste
• 1 Cup of water

Directions:

Rinse the meat and pat dry. In a large skillet with a lid set over medium-high heat. Season meat with 1 tsp of salt and place in skillet to brown (this may need to be done in two small batches) Be careful not to burn the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet as these will give a great flavor to the salsa. Once done, remove meat from skillet and remove skillet from heat until salsa is ready.

Place now the tomatillos, onions, jalapeños, and guero chiles on a dry pan or comal at medium high heat. Roast thoroughly, turning occasionally. Place garlic, cilantro and salt into blender bowl and then add in additional items (except for the guero chiles) as they finish roasting. Chiles and onion will be soft when they are ready, and the tomatillos will turn from bright green to a more yellow hue. Peel guero chiles and set them aside until the final step.

Blend the salsa well. Return the skillet to a medium high heat and pour in the salsa. Stir gently to release the brown bits on the bottom. Add browned ribs and 1 cup of water to salsa and cover. Reduce heat to low and cook covered until ribs are tender, about 40 minutes. Check occasionally to see if more water is needed.

When the meat is tender, add the guero chiles and check for salt. Be very careful not to make final check for salt until the meat is tender and the salsa is at the consistency you desire. Otherwise the end result can be too salty if additional reduction of salsa occurs. Serve with beans or rice with warm corn tortillas. Serves 4-6.

Recipe Posted by Lindsay

Cochinita Pibil (CC photo by ecollins93 courtesy of Flickr)

Cochinita pibil, a slow-roasted pork dish, originates in the southern Mexico, specifically the Yucatan Peninsula, comprising the states of Yucatan, Campeche and Quintana Roo. Traditional Yucatan food as we know it today arises from the fusion of early European influences with native Mayan food and preparation techniques. For example, cochinita pibil resulted from the succulent combination of Spanish pork with pre-Hispanic Spices and cooking methods.

Traditionally, this dish involves marinating cochinita, which is literally baby pig (pork shoulder, loin, or Boston butt roast can be used instead), in the juice of Seville or bitter oranges, coloring it with achiote (annatto seed), wrapping it in a banana leaf, and then slowly roasting it over hot stones underground. Such preparation is thus well-summarized by the descriptive Mayan name “cochinita pibil” which basically means “baby pig roasted under the ground”. The tender, flavorful pork results both from marinating it for at least 8 hours in highly acidic juice and slowly cooking it for hours. Since bitter oranges aren’t always available, you can combine lemon or lime juice with orange juice to achieve the same results. The achiote gives cochinita pibil it’s characteristic color and is best if added in paste form, which is made from grinding the achiote (or annatto) seeds along with other spices.

A firey, pickled onion-habanero salsa is the vital condiment that must be served with cochinita pibil, whether enjoyed in tacos or tortas (sandwiches).

Marinade Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
• 1 1/2 Cups Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
• 90 grams Achiote Condimentado Paste
• 4 Cloves Garlic
• Salt to Taste
• Pepper to Taste
• 2-3 Tablespoons Chicken Bouillon Powder, optional
• 3 lbs. Pork Shoulder or Loin

Wrap Ingredients:

• 2-4 Large Banana Leaves
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil or Melted Lard

Salsa Ingredients:

• 6 Habanero Chiles
• 2 Cups Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Cup Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
• 1 Cup Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice
• Salt to Taste

Marinade Directions:

Dilute the achiote paste in the lime and orange juice. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as chicken bouillon if desired. Cut the pork into stew-sized pieces. Marinate the pork in the achiote-juice mixture in a covered dish in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours. Marinating is essential to succes, so this step cannot be skipped.

Salsa Directions:

Toast the habanero chiles in a skillet over medium heat. Remove from heat and cool. Finely chop the chiles, and add the onion, lime and orange juice. Add salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving with the cochinita pibil.

Wrap and Roasting Directions:

Pre heat oven to 325 degress Farenheit.

To prepare the banana leaves, hold them over a gas burner or put them in a skillet over medium heat. Heat them until they can change color a bit and soften. This prevents them from tearing when you wrap the pork in them. Be careful not to overtoast them or they’ll become brittle.

In a rectangular pan, lay a banana leaf lenghtwise and another along its width. Place the marinated pork, pouring all the marinade on top of it, on the leaves and pour the vegetable oil or melted lard over the pork. Fold the banana leaves over the pork and flip the wrapped pork seam-side down in the pan. Make sure the leaves are moist so they won’t burn. Cover with foil. (Some people just choose to cover the pork with foil without the banana leaves because they think they are just for show. However, the leaves do add their own unique, subtle flavor to the pork, so don’t skip this step either).

Bake for 2 hours. Remove from oven and carefully remove foil. The pork should be very tender and fall apart easily when pulled with a fork. If not, return to the oven and cook until tender. Shred pork with 2 forks when done.

Serve the cochinita pibil with warm corn tortillas and eat taco style. If prefered, serve it sandwich-style on warm bread. In either case, don’t forget the pickled onion-habanero salsa!

Posted by Lindsay