For dinner this Christmas eve I made Puerco Pibil – a slow-cooked pork dish with an amazingly intense flavour. It’s flavoured -and coloured- with annatto seeds; they have a distinctive, slightly sharp flavour and a deep red colour, as you can see from the photos. This is an uncompromising meal. When you eat, it rampages down your throat. When I first made it, ’twas was like nothing I had ever tasted before and it remains one of the most unique flavours I have ever encountered. It’s not just the heat from the chilli, its the combination of that along with the vinegary tang and the distinctive flavour of annatto which makes it. You have to try it.
You may have heard of this recipe, as it was made famous by the film, Once Upon A Time In Mexicoin which Agent Sands (Johnny Depp) eats a Pibil so delicious that he is compelled to go into the kitchen of the restaurant and shoot the chef. It’s a great film; a real epic – I recommend you buy it!On the bonus section of the DVD there is a ’10 minute cooking school’ – a video of the director, Robert Rodriguez, cooking Puerco Pibil. It was a couple of years ago when I saw this, I was intrigued and decided to try it out. It was so good that I’ve made it several times since!
in which Agent Sands (Johnny Depp) eats a Pibil so delicious that he is compelled to go into the kitchen of the restaurant and shoot the chef. It’s a great film; a real epic – I recommend you 
Puerco Pibil Recipe (Serves 6)
Take about 2.5kg of pork shoulder, cut into very large chunks (at least 5cm cubes) and set aside. Grind 5 dessert spoons of annatto seeds, 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon of cloves and 8 allspice in a spice grinder. Put these dry spices into a large bowl (or zip-lock bag) in which you will marinate the meat. Chop 4 red chillies and 8 large garlic cloves and add to the bowl. Now add to the bowl 200ml of orange juice, 200ml of white wine vinegar, the juice of 5 lemons, a glug of tequila, 1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the meat to the ingredients in the bowl, mix well, cover and leave to marinate for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight. Heat an oven to 165C/Gas mark 3. Line a roasting tin with banana leaves, if availiable. Pour in the meat along with the marinate, cover and cook for 4 hours. Just before serving, remove from oven and sprinkle over another 1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar. Serve with fluffy white rice.
Take about 2.5kg of pork shoulder, cut into very large chunks (at least 5cm cubes) and set aside. Grind 5 dessert spoons of annatto seeds, 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon of cloves and 8 allspice in a spice grinder. Put these dry spices into a large bowl (or zip-lock bag) in which you will marinate the meat. Chop 4 red chillies and 8 large garlic cloves and add to the bowl. Now add to the bowl 200ml of orange juice, 200ml of white wine vinegar, the juice of 5 lemons, a glug of tequila, 1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of salt. Add the meat to the ingredients in the bowl, mix well, cover and leave to marinate for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight. Heat an oven to 165C/Gas mark 3. Line a roasting tin with banana leaves, if availiable. Pour in the meat along with the marinate, cover and cook for 4 hours. Just before serving, remove from oven and sprinkle over another 1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar. Serve with fluffy white rice.
Hi I am in Darwin Australia and just bought a packet of Annatto seeds with no idea of how to use them. I have been on a great journey of discovery and fully intend to create Puerco Pibil. Thanks for the recipe and I'll let you know how it goes.
Christina