Cochinita Pibil

by Ericka Sanchez on Feb 10, 2017 (updated Feb 10, 2019)

This is part of a sponsored collaboration with National Pork Board and DiMe Media. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
Special occasions call for special dishes. One of my favorite ways to celebrate love is with a home cooked feast that calls for traditional ingredients. Cochinita pibil, or pibil pork, is a very popular dish in southern Mexico, mainly in the Yucatan peninsula area.

This famous dish is an infusion of Mayan and Spanish cultural influences. Made with an achiote (annatto) paste and citrus marinade, it is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked until tender. This delectable pork dish gets its name “pibil” from the technique used to tenderize and cook the meat. “Pibil” means “bajo tierra”, “underground” in Mayan. A deep underground hole or oven is customarily dug up to cook large amounts of pork meat. It is then topped with hot rocks and cooked for hours until the meat is succulent and ready to shred.
Cochinita Pibil

I didn’t dig a hole in my back yard but I did use a heavy cast iron pot to simulate and speed up the heat and cooking process. Made in just under 120 minutes with minimal prep time, this flavorful dish was on my table ready to be devoured.
Cochinita Pibil

Cochinita pibil is easy to prepare. With only a few ingredients needed and made with practically any boneless pork cut, this dish can feed a large crowd at a fraction of the cost. It’s so traditional, Cochinita Pibil is the perfect dish to serve at parties and holiday feasts. And because everything is so accessible at your nearest grocery store, this meal can be served as “El Sabor de Hoy” or todays flavor for a casual lunch or dinner.