In Mexico, the dish known as cochinita pibil is made by rubbing a whole suckling pig with warm spices and juice from bitter oranges, then wrapping it in banana leaves and slowly pit-roasting it until it is succulent and richly flavored.
To achieve a similar dish at home, we turned to well-marbled pork butt roast and traded the banana leaves and pit of coals for a Dutch oven, which, when placed in a moderate oven, allowed the pork to braise gently to tenderness.
To give the pork its distinctive flavor, usually achieved with hard-to-find ingredients like bitter oranges and annatto, we used frozen orange juice concentrate, tomato paste for color and depth, and bay leaves for herbal flavor.
A quick habanero sauce, made with a traditional cooked-carrot base, and pickled red onions balanced out the rich meat. Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt. If you want a spicier sauce, you can add the remaining habanero; if you are spice-averse, substitute a less-spicy jalapeno for the habanero.
CITRUS-BRAISED PORK TACOS
Servings: 6
Start to finish: 3 hours
For the pork:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
5 bay leaves
Salt and pepper
1 (2 1/2-to-3 pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and cut into 1 inch chunks
For pickled red onions:
1 red onion, halved and sliced thin
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
For habanero sauce:
1 cup water
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 vine-ripened tomato, cored and chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 habanero chile, stemmed
1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
18 (6 inch) corn tortillas, warmed
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