Cochinita Pibil (Barbecued Pork) ????

Me thinks they meant 14 hours.

Actually Pags, I think they meant 4. 14 would scare away people. I swear some of the recipes posted are never actaully tested.

MANY recipes (they're recipes if they're doing them in an oven) aren't worth the paper to print them. They just don't work. Pointed that about about some Emeril Brisket recipes once.

There are NO recipes in BBQ. We aren't cooking a cake here... LOL

If it was the smallest PB you ever saw and thin, then maybe, but it wouldn't be very good.

Why follow their times? I wouldn't. Follow their taste ingredients if you want.

I do that all the time.

But for time, I go with MY times on MY smoker and I know it will work.

The recipe did say "or until tender". So start at 4hrs, but it'll probably take 14hrs. Did they give you a recipe for the marinade? If I recall, the butt is marinated in a Mexican spice mixture first, then smoked wrapped in banana leaves.

Good point Smokin, depending on the readers, 14 hours may well scare people away from trying this recipe. I’m with Pags on the 14 hours. I have a full weekend and I’m doing this for a friend with 4th stage cancer. I have to catch a plane shortly after finishing this smoke, and I just don’t want to cut myself short or serve them late.

Had I not read everything I could find in the forum before starting on my first butt I would have freaked out at how long it was taking to come to temperature. I have steered away from pork (Dr’s orders) until recently so all I have to compare with are beef cook times. I was surprised at how much longer a PB takes when compared to a brisket, but I have to say it was well worth the wait.

Andy, you’re right on. I’ll marinate over night before smoking. I think I’ll forgo the banana leaves and just foil for the rest like you would normally do.

Thanks for the help. I’ll post the recipe and pictures later.

A few tidbits I just read via Google:
From Wikipedia-
Cochinita pibil (also puerco pibil) is a traditional Mexican slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatán Península. Preparation of traditional cochinita or puerco pibil involves marinating the meat in strongly acidic citrus juice, coloring it with annatto seed, and roasting the meat while it is wrapped in banana leaf.

The recipes I read from Rick Bayless and Food Network refer to roasting or indirect grilling in the 325-350. Another comment mentioned marinating at room temp for 4 hours.

Given the acidic marinade, room temperature marinating time, a 325-350 roasting/grill temp and the steam effect created by the banana leaves I would concur that a 4 hr cooking time is entirely possible if using the said methods.

Smokin's family friends are probably the foremost Mexican food historians,Mexican restaurantuers/cooks in the country.They would use the heavy marinade of citrus,color it red with annato ceeds,and steam it in leaves.
Around here,our Cuban communities would do the same in sour orange and without the coloring.

Foil would be a quick alternative,as would chunking the raw shoulders.

Neither of these cultures would be adverse to steaming the pork for four hrs,pulling off chunks and chopping with cleavers.

Hope this helps a litle.

Looked up a recipe for this. Looks and sounds pretty tasty. Might have to try making this one of these days for a change of pace.

Smokin...any chance of squeezing out a really good Chili con Queso recipe from your friends? Rotel and Velveeta just don't cut it.

I made pork pibil from a recipe provided by Todd (he moved and must have moved to a place where there is no internet service. We haven't heard from him in awhile). I used the Anchiote Paste but not the banana leaves. Slow cooked at 225* for the time you'd normally expect from a pork butt. Turned out pretty tasty.

A Spanish friend of ours brought me a bar of Anchiote Paste (looks like a small bar of soap except very red). Be very carefull when using the paste. It adds flavor but also functions as a dye. It will stain things red if you get it in the wrong places. I was very careful with it cause of a caution from Todd.

I'd share the recipe but can't find it. I'll look and post if I find it.

OK. I found it. Here is Todd's recipe for pork pibil.

quote:

The recipes I read from Rick Bayless and Food Network refer to roasting or indirect grilling in the 325-350. Another comment mentioned marinating at room temp for 4 hours.

Given the acidic marinade, room temperature marinating time, a 325-350 roasting/grill temp and the steam effect created by the banana leaves I would concur that a 4 hr cooking time is entirely possible if using the said methods.

Max, unless I am overlooking something I don’t see anything that would make it safe to let the PB set at room temperature for 4 hours. What am I missing? Is the marinade acidic enough to prevent bacterial growth on the raw meat?

I should have known it’s been done here before. Todd’s recipe is pretty close to the one I was given to try.

Pags, many many thanks for the heads up on the staining power of the Anchiote Paste, I would have walked into that one blind.

We have a large Hispanic population here so all of the ingredients are readily available. I was planning on skipping the banana leaves because I think they will prevent the pork from developing the smoke flavor. Now I am beginning to rethink using them for the banana flavoring. Any thoughts on the pros and cons about smoking the PB wrapped in banana leaves?

There is a video on the cooking process on youtube by director Robert Rodriquez: [URL=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO8EiScBEjA ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO8EiScBEjA [/URL] (Warning: Language.) He cuts the shoulder into 2 inch cubes, thus the shorter cooking time.

Hey Chef-Boy-Arnie,

I've had a chance to go too a few authentic Mexican Markets and you'd have nightmares about food safety. My first experience was at Meridian Mexico and the way they hauled the 1/2 beef side in the back of a Mazda pickup, used a old metal two wheel dolly to transport it to the hanging spot/market. This was in 90* weather, I assume they sold it all that day? At least the chickens,in the market, were in a open top cooler, but it is hard for me to believe they were kept below 40*.

It makes me understand why you eat refried beans in Mexico....LOL!

quote:

Max, unless I am overlooking something I don’t see anything that would make it safe to let the PB set at room temperature for 4 hours. What am I missing? Is the marinade acidic enough to prevent bacterial growth on the raw meat?

I'm pretty fussy about food safety but given an acidic marinade, I'd say you're OK if we're talking about a room temp less than 80 o. Above that I'd adjust for 2 hrs under refrigeration followed by 2 hrs @ room temp.

As for banana leaves...they impart next to nil in flavor. They're used mainly to create steam and/or protect meat from direct contact with coals.

So would aluminum foil accomplish basically the same thing as the banana leaves? Would make life simpler.

Essentially, yes. Banana leaves were Mayan foil

Like Max says.The flavors are coming from the citrus and the heavy hand with spices.The Mayans probably didn't have Reynolds,or Alcoa in their area.

The Hawaiian aproach of steamed pork gets its flavor from liquid smoke.

Like Cal says about open markets in Mexico,the years I worked the country.

There were usually old wood tables with the beef and pork ,broken down carcass cuts on them.They laid there all day ,feeding the flies.

Funny ,Kaopectate was about 10% of the cost north of the border.

BTW the family friends of Smokin's I refer to are the Rick Bayliss family ,as they all grew up in OK City.

Since I haven’t graduated from the school of counter top marinating just yet I believe I’ll do my marinating in the fridge for now

Since the AmeriQue does a moist smoke am I safe to assume I can smoke this unwrapped like anyother PB and save the foil for the rest period?

I haven't had the pleasure of going to Mexico yet, but I’ve been in the open markets of Thailand and the super grocery stores in Brazil and have bought up my share of Kaopectate while there. The open markets were an eye opener (and a nose closer in the afternoon). The super grocery stores in Brazil were a surprise to me. They are on the line of a Super Wal-Mart, fairly clean with a throwback to the 50s. Eggs are on a pallet in the isle. Meat, fish, seafood, and poultry are kept on ice or open top coolers, and the butcher works on a table right there in the isle. Flies? Oh yeah. Lots of them.

IMHO. I'd use the foil/banana leaves. The Amerique is a moist environment, but I don't think it will provide the same steam effect. If we're trying to make Pibil, I'd go with the recipe then deviate next time. Maybe half foil, half non foil if you're wanting some smoke.

The Pork Pibil is very flavorful.

Thanks Pags, foil or banana leaves it is.
If I can get to it I’ll pick up some banana leaves, but it doesn’t look good.
I just found out my son is having surgery this afternoon.
I mixed up the marinade last night and will put the PB in it tonight when I get home and let it set overnight.
I’ll start a new thread with pictures of the end product

Hope all goes well for your son. We'll say a little prayer.

Thank you. Those little prayers help in a big way