Shopping list: Pork
• 4 Lbs. Boston butt cut in to large chunks (boneless or if bone in get your butcher to cut it into cross sections on his bandsaw)
• 2 cups Sevile orange juice or 1 1/4 cup lime juice plus 3/4 cup orange juice. Tart blood oranges work well in this.
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 3 oz. achiote paste
• 1 lbs banana leaves with rib trimmed (optional but suggested)
• 1 bunch cilantro chopped for garnish
• 1 white onion finely chopped for garnish
• lime wedges for garnish
• Blue or Yellow corn tortillas
Pickled onions
• 1 medium red onion sliced very thin
• 1 cup sevile orange juice or 1/4 orange juice and 3/4 lime juice
Poblano cilantro Rice(from Rick Bayless)
• 1 2/3 cups chicken stock
• 2 poblano chiles, stemmed and seeded roughly chopped
• hand full of cilantro with stems
• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1 cup medium to short grain rice
• 1 small white onion fine chopped
• 5 garlic cloves finely chopped
• salt
Simple Black Beans
• 1 can black beans drained
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 white onion thin chopped
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp chipotle powder
• salt and pepper
Equipment
• Large baking dish
• tin foil
• underground or not underground oven type cooking implement
• or a grill
What to do: Pork
1. the night before or at the latest the morning before cooking blend the sour orange juice (or lime / orange) and achiote paste and tbs of salt in a blender. Warning here: The achiote paste will stain the hell out of anything it touches so be careful unless you like large deep red stains on everything.
2. add the pork and marinade to a large heavy-duty zip-lock bag or non-aluminum bowl and marinate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 200°
4. Place the banana leaves in the oven for 10 mins or until softened
5. turn oven up to 325°
6. trim a leaf to fit into a large baking dish with 2-3 inches of overlap
7. line the bottom of the dish with the leaf and place the pork on the leaf and pour in marinade
8. trim another leaf to the size of the baking dish with 4 inches overlap
9. cover the pork tucking in the leaf around the sides.
10. Cover the dish in foil and add to the 325° oven or add to indirect cooking on grill. Keep grill temp between 300-350°
11. cook for 3-4 hours until the pork is falling apart. Start checking after 3 hours
12. remove pork and pull apart
13. add a little of the cooked marinade to the pork for desired moisture
Pickled onions
1. place onions in a bowl and cover with boiling water
2. after 10 seconds strain onions
3. add to a glass or non-reactive container and cover with sour orange juice
4. store in refrigerator
Rice
1. Combine chicken stock and poblanos in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
2. Cover and simmer for 10 mins
3. add stock and poblanos to a blender with the cilantro and purée
4. Strain through a mesh strainer and set liquid aside. Discard solids.
5. Heat another pan with olive oil over medium heat
6. add rice and onions and sauté until rice slightly translucent
7. add garlic and cook another minute
8. add liquid to rice and cover, cook over low heat for 15 mins or until done.
9. Once done, remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
Beans
1. heat a sauté pan with olive oil over medium low heat
2. add onions and sauté until translucent
3. add garlic and cook for 1 min
4. add beans and mash into a paste
5. add cinnamon and chipotle powders
6. mash to combine
7. add water until desired consistency
8. season to taste with salt and pepper
Serving
1. heat the tortillas until just soft
2. build tacos using the pork and garnish with white onion, cilantro and pickled onions.
3. serve
4. A good habanero hot sauce works great here