Recipe for Cochinita Pibil?

[Jesus]

The problem with both the Cochinita Pibil and Carne al Pastor is the cooking and getting the exact flavor.

My Mom tried the Cochinita Pibil and the results were good but the flavor wasn´t the proper one of the taco carts. Of course a normal gas oven would never get to the level of a hole in the dirt.

[mindz]

Intersting to see everyone's comments and recipes. I've made it also; my local Mexican grocery now has the sour orange juice, but I've also made my own mixture with part grapefruit juice. I think that grapefruit has the bitter/sour flavor you need. Banana leaves I buy frozen at an Asian grocery. The biggest disappointment, in making cochinita pibil in the States, is the pork itself. It goes against our health-conscious ways, but you need pork with lots of fat, or the dish will be dry and the flavor thin.

I've been off the forum for quite a while, but will be coming to Playa March 20-23, after three peaceful days at cesiak in Sian Kaan.

[Jesus]

Originally Posted by mindz

Intersting to see everyone's comments and recipes. I've made it also; my local Mexican grocery now has the sour orange juice, but I've also made my own mixture with part grapefruit juice. I think that grapefruit has the bitter/sour flavor you need. Banana leaves I buy frozen at an Asian grocery. The biggest disappointment, in making cochinita pibil in the States, is the pork itself. It goes against our health-conscious ways, but you need pork with lots of fat, or the dish will be dry and the flavor thin..

Completely agree, the fat during the cooking is important for the flavor, same as with Carnitas, if they are not greasy they won´t taste good, and they don´t need to be as greasy at eating time,
I have never thought about the grapefruit substitute, good to have an alternative.

[heater]

can anyone tell me which of these recipes would be the most comparable to the taste of the cochinita pibli at the food carts?

[Jesus]

Originally Posted by heater

can anyone tell me which of these recipes would be the most comparable to the taste of the cochinita pibli at the food carts?

Besides the recipe, a lot has to do with the cooking method (stove, oven, underground dirt oven, etc) and utensils used (pot, glassware, clay pot, banana leaves vs. aluminum foil, etc).

And also the "Sazon" which translated would be something like the "special touch of each cook".
Sorry for not being of much help in this particular question.

[Sol]

Originally Posted by Jesus

Besides the recipe, a lot has to do with the cooking method (stove, oven, underground dirt oven, etc) and utensils used (pot, glassware, clay pot, banana leaves vs. aluminum foil, etc).

And also the "Sazon" which translated would be something like the "special touch of each cook".
Sorry for not being of much help in this particular question.

Banana leaves make quite a difference and the underground oven is the best since it is almost airtight. Cochinita prepared the non-traditional way doesn't come close to the original method of cooking. It can be very delicious, but it'll lack those special flavors. Also, as you mentioned, the sazón has a lot to do with it as well.
I can prepare rice using the exact same recipe as my mom but no way does it compare. She was one of those cooks that didn't use measuring spoons etc. She just threw things together and would come up with some wonderful food.