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Oven-Baked Cochinita Pibil Tacos

Name: Oven-Baked Cochinita Pibil Tacos
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 180 min
Total time: 210 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 80 g Achiote paste (recado rojo); 1 cdita Salt; 150 ml Bitter orange juice; 0.5 cdita Black pepper; 2 Habanero chilli; 18 Corn tortillas; 1 cdita Ground cumin; 4 hojas grandes Banana leaves; 1 Red onion; 4 cloves Garlic cloves; 1 kg Pork shoulder; 1 cdita Yucatecan oregano

210 min (30 prep + 180 cook) Medium 6 servings Yucatán

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 27 Mar 2026 · Updated: 29 Mar 2026

Yucatecan cochinita pibil baked in banana leaves with achiote and bitter orange, served in tacos.

About this recipe

Oven-baked cochinita pibil tacos are a home kitchen version of the legendary Yucatecan pibil, prepared without an underground pit or wood-fired oven but with all the authentic flavour of achiote, bitter orange and Mayan spices. The pork is marinated for hours in red recado and baked wrapped in banana leaves until so tender it shreds itself. Served in corn tortillas with pickled red onion and habanero chilli.

History & Origin

Cochinita pibil is the most iconic dish from Yucatán and one of the most recognised Mexican dishes worldwide. Its name comes from the Mayan 'pib', meaning underground oven: the meat was cooked in a pit dug in the earth, covered with heated stones and banana leaves - a technique dating to pre-Hispanic times. When the Spanish introduced pigs in the 16th century, the Yucatecan Maya adopted the meat and adapted it to their cooking techniques and marinades with achiote, bitter orange and spices. The result was cochinita pibil, a perfect synthesis of two cultures. Today the home oven version has democratised this dish, allowing any Mexican (or global) household to enjoy it in all its glory without needing a pit in the garden.

Estimated cost

£15.00

Total cost

£2.50

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

350

Calories

22g

Protein

30g

Carbohydrates

15g

Fat

Fibre

600mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Make the marinade: dissolve 80 g achiote paste (recado rojo) in 150 ml bitter orange juice (or half sweet orange, half lime). Add 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp Yucatecan oregano, 1/2 tsp black pepper and salt to taste.
💡 Bitter orange is key; if unavailable use 75 ml sweet orange juice + 75 ml lime juice.
2
Cut 1 kg pork shoulder into large 6-8 cm pieces. Marinate in the adobo for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight in the fridge.
3
Preheat oven to 160°C. Line a deep ovenproof dish with banana leaves briefly passed over a flame to make them pliable. Place the marinated pork with all the marinade. Cover tightly with more banana leaves and foil.
💡 If you don't have banana leaves, use double foil. The flavour changes slightly but it works.
4
Bake at 160°C for 3 hours until the meat is tender enough to fall apart when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and rest 15 minutes before shredding.
5
Shred the meat with two forks, mixing well with the cooking juices. Serve in warm corn tortillas with pickled red onion and chopped habanero chilli.
💡 For pickled red onion: marinate sliced red onion in bitter orange juice with salt and oregano for 30 minutes.