1/2 cup achiote paste
10 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
8 bay leaves, crumbled
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 Tbs kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Contents :
4 pounds boneless pork butt/shoulder, cut in huge 3-inch cubes.
2 white onions, sliced 1/2-inch thick
5 Roma tomatoes, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 pound banana leaves, softened over low flame, or aluminum foil
4 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and sliced into strips
In a medium bowl, mash together the achiote paste, garlic paste, orange juice, lime juice, ground bay leaves, cumin, cinnamon, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper with a fork. Add the pork, toss to evenly coat, and marinate, at room temperature, at least 4 hours or overnight
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Heat a large, dry cast-iron skillet over high heat. Char the onion until blackened on both sides. Then char the tomatoes on both sides. Reserve.
Roast chiles on a BBQ or over flame then put in plastic bag for 10 minutes. Remove, discard seeds and membrane and cut into even strips.
Soften banana leaves over low flame
Place a rack in botttom of dutch oven or baking dish to lift pork off braising liquid
Line entire pot with intact overlapping leaves from the rack up to and over the lip edge of the pot
Arrange the pork in an even layer over the banana leaves and top with the onions, tomatoes, chiles, and all the marinade. Fold over the banana leaves to enclose contents of pot and then close dutch oven. Make sure pot is tightly sealed so no liquid is lost. In the Yucatan they traditionally bury this entire pot in coals for hours .
Bake 4 to 4.5 hours (turning over after 2 hours) or until the pork is very fork tender and moist. Remove from oven, let sit 10 minutes, and then unwrap. Using two forks, shred pork into bite-sized pieces. There will be delicious gravy and juice that you can serve separately or combine with meat if you like your pulled pork juicier.
Serve with avocado, Bitter orange sauce and soft corn tacos.
Russ:
Amended Mary Sue Milliken recipe to minimize liquid and to lift pork, chiles, onions and tomatoes from braising liquid.
