Yucatan-Style Slow-Roasted Pork
Of all the recipes in the cookbook I cowrote with Boston chef Andy Husbands, The Fearless Chef, the one for slow-roasted pork is the one I’m asked for the most. A new round of requests came after my friend Josh and I made it for my own birthday party a few years ago in Washington. We served it simply, with salsa, sour cream, and tortillas on the side, but trust me, this meat can go into all sorts of recipes, such as in Cochinita Pibil Tacos (page 95), Faux-lognese with Pappardelle (page 140), and Pulled Pork Sandwich with Green Mango Slaw (page 121). I’ve simplified this recipe a little from Andy’s original version, cutting out a 24-hour marinating step, replacing the traditional banana leaves with good old aluminum foil, and using one of my favorite smoke stand-ins, Spanish pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika), instead of oregano. The pork is spicy and deeply flavored and colored, thanks in no small part to the large quantity of annatto seeds (also called achiote) that goes into the paste. These little brick-colored pebbles are worth seeking out at good Latin markets or online through such sources as Penzeys.com.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 to 5 cups, or 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 275°F.
Step 2
Using a spice grinder (such as a coffee grinder reserved for spices), grind the annatto seeds, peppercorns, and cumin seeds to a fine powder.
Step 3
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the garlic cloves, cilantro, and salt and process until finely chopped. Add the orange, beer, red pepper flakes, allspice, pimenton, ground ancho, and the ground annatto mixture and process until a fairly smooth paste forms.
Step 4
Lay a 2-foot sheet of aluminum foil on your work surface. Set the pork in the middle of it. Spread the spicy paste over the pork, coating it on all sides, then tightly roll up the pork inside the foil, tucking in the sides as you go, as if you’re making a burrito. Use another long strip of foil to create another layer, being sure to seal the pork tightly inside the foil. Place the pork packet in a roasting pan, fill it with water to come a couple of inches up the side of the foil-wrapped pork, then use another piece of aluminum foil to cover and seal the whole pan.
Step 5
Roast the pork until you can feel it falling apart inside its package if you push on it, and a skewer inserted through the top of the foil and into the meat encounters no resistance, 4 to 5 hours. (If you’re not sure, err on the side of longer cooking; you really can’t overcook this.)
Step 6
Remove the roast in its foil from the pan, transfer to a platter, and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before slashing open the foil. Discard any large pieces of fat, and use two forks to shred the meat. Combine the meat with enough of the sauce created from the spices and pan drippings so that it is very juicy but not swimming, reserving the rest of this sauce for other uses, such as spooning onto panfried pork chops or adding extra moisture to the Pulled Pork Sandwich with Green Mango Slaw (page 121).
Step 7
Eat one serving of the meat however you like (with tortillas, Citrus-Pickled Onions, page 19, and sour cream is a good bet) while letting the rest cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the leftovers for up to 1 week or divide into 4 to 6 portions, seal in heavy-duty plastic freezer bags, removing as much air as possible, and freeze for up to 6 months.
