Thread: Puerco Pibil and Carne Asada

Here I go again with the Puerco Pibil, round two and taking a whole new direction at tackling it.

Went with an enameled roasting pan lined with banana leaves and into the oven vs smoker.
I figured it didn't really make a difference since wrapped in the leaves it didn't take on a good smokiness.
But I guess if it's not spending 12 hours in an airtight pit full of hot rocks and hardwood coals, it's just not going to get that infusion of smokey flavor.

So this time I went with a more traditional approach without smoking it first.
Chunks of boneless pork butt slow braising in classic Puerco Pibil sauce.
And the results were really good this time, very, very moist and succulent, you can see that it is spoon tender in the video clip.
The flavors were great, pretty tasty stuff, even my picky eaters agreed.
Could have been much spicier if I was cooking for myself and others who like it spicy hot. The dish is traditionally very spicy.
So next time I'm gonna try three Habanero chiles.

This dish is a work in progress for me, I'll get it nailed down and be knocking some socks off people.

The Menu
Puerco Pibil
Carne Asada
Frijoles Estilo Rancho
Arroz Mexicana
Guacamole
Pico de Gallo


Puerco Pibil
6lbs of boneless Butt cut into fist sized chunks
1.5C Sour Orange juice

(To mimic Sour Oranges for this or other Mexican recipes such as Carnitas or Carne asada, just mix equal parts Grapefruit juice, Orange juice, Lime juice and Vinegar.)

1.5C White or AC vinegar
2/3C Lemon juice, fresh
3-6 Habanero chiles
(depending on your heat tolerance, this is supposed to be a very spicy dish)
1 large Red onion, sliced
2 Bay leaves
12 cloves garlic
4T salt
3/4C Achiote powder
2T Peppercorns, ground
1.5T Cumin, ground
1.5t Allspice, ground
3/4t Cloves, ground
Banana leaves

Preheat oven to 350°.

If using whole spices, grind your spices before blending into the other ingredients.

In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients except pork, onion, Bay leaves and banana leaves.
Pour the mixture over the chunks of pork and sauce to cover.
Line roasting pan, dutch oven or whatever you're using with banana leaves.
Pour pork and sauce into leave lined cooking container.
Top with bay leaves and onions, fold leaves over to cover.
Cover with foil or lid and into the oven for four hours.

[MEDIA=youtube]rKUrS3yY_Lo[/MEDIA]

Carne Asada
Skirt steak marinating in a spicier version of my Example #2 Carne Asada marinade.
Chile's Carne Asada Marinade

Pico de Gallo
Freshly made pico de gallo!
Tomato, white and red onion, jalapeno, red/yellow bell pepper, cilantro, garlic, salt, vinegar and lime/lemon juices.
Best marinated overnight.



Guacamole
Freshly made guacamole
Avocado, tomato, onion, red/yellow bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, salt.



Frijoles
Ranch Style Beans / Frijoles Estilo Rancho



Arroz Mexicana
Arroz Mexicana aka Mexican Rice

Tortillas de maiz, Queso Fresco, Cebolla, Cilantro, Lima



Money Shots

That's a fine looking meal , Now you have me thinking about dinner and I haven't had breakfast yet.