Cochinita Pibil Pork Enchiladas

On our last trip to Taos we stopped at Bella’s restaurant just off the plaza, where I enjoyed one of the best platters of pulled pork enchiladas I’ve ever had, Cochinita Pibil wrapped in blue corn tortillas.

There’s absolutely no reason to go to New Mexico if you’re not going to order some sort of entree that includes a blue corn tortilla. It’s a New Mexico specialty that you don’t want to overlook.

I spotted these Cochinita Pibil Enchiladas on the menu and the rest was history.

Enchiladas -blue corn tortillas, topped with red or green chile, or mole poblano and filled with your choice of shredded chicken, carne deshebrada or cochinita pibil.

Cochinita Pibil? New to me, so a must try. Blue corn tortillas = yes please.

I savored every bite and vowed to make these New Mexico pork enchiladas in my own kitchen. The only piece I’m missing are the blue corn tortillas, which are impossible (for me) to find here in Denver. I’m still looking.

This is a great recipe to feed a crowd. You can even make and bake it ahead of time and pop it in the freezer.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Cochinita Pibil pulled pork is made by using a pork shoulder roast marinated and braised in Achiote Paste, lime, orange juice and a lineup of beautiful spices. It’s then shredded and used for Pibil tacos or enchiladas.

Pork Roast For Pulled Pork

• Pork Roast: Purchase a 3 – 4 pound pork shoulder roast, also known as pork butt. When a recipe calls for cutting a pork roast into pieces , I prefer to make things easy and buy a boneless roast.

Whole Seed Spices For The Pulled Pork Marinade

• Cumin seeds: Toasting cumin seeds brings out the best of their earthy warm flavor.
• Allspice berries: Bring a dynamic flavor of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
• Whole black peppercorns: Adds a more pure pepper flavor.

Dried Spices For Pibil Marinade

• Mexican Oregano: Mexican oregano brings a more citrus flavor than regular oregano, as well as some tones of licorice. These flavors are a better fit with Mexican dishes.
• Cinnamon: You can commonly find cinnamon in Mexican cuisine. The most well-known being mole.
• Ground Cloves: An intensely aromatic spice, ground cloves bring a warmness to any recipe.
• Achiote Paste: The star of the show. The deep rust red color alone is spectacular, and Achiote Paste brings an earthy, peppery flavor with a hint of bitterness.

Liquid Ingredients For Conchinita Pibil

• Orange Juice: Adding orange juice not only adds a sweet flavor, but the acid will help tenderize the meat.
• Lime Juice: Lime juice adds that lime flavor that we all love, and also brightens the overall taste.
• Soy Sauce: The salty flavor of soy sauce penetrates the meat better than salt. It’s also a flavor enhancer which will help bring out the savory flavor in any meat.
• White Vinegar: Vinegar helps break down the surface of meat, allowing flavors to penetrate the meat better. It also brightens flavors in any dish.

For The Filling

• Shredded cheddar cheese: Choose a good quality cheddar that will bring the best flavor to the overall dish. I usually reach for Tillamook. And grate that cheese myself. Those bags of grated cheese contain preservatives that will keep the cheese from melting smoothly.
• Sliced poblano peppers: My favorite fresh pepper to use for Mexican recipes. Shaped like a bell pepper, it’s easy to slice or chop and the flavor is similar to a green bell pepper with a little more kick.
• Sliced sweet onions
• Canned chopped tomatoes: Choose a good quality brand of canned chopped tomatoes. We used Pomi in Culinary School and I also like Red Gold Petite Diced. The smaller the dice, the better the tomatoes will break down for flavor and texture.
• Bay leaves: Always bring distinct flavor and fragrance.

How To Make Cochinita Pibil Pork

1. Step 1: Start by trimming the large chunks of fat from the pork roast and cutting it into 2″ thick slabs. Set aside and start making the marinade.
2. Step 2: Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the unpeeled garlic cloves and toast them on each side until they start to brown and are fragrant. Remove and set aside. When cool enough remove peels.
3. Step 3: In the same skillet, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add achiote, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorns, cumin, and allspice and cook, tossing and stirring, until the spices are toasted and fragrant, about two minutes.

4. Step 4: Transfer the toasted spices to a blender or food processor and add garlic, orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce, and a big pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with more salt, if needed.
5. Step 5: Place pork in a roaster pan. Pour marinade over meat and rub it in with your hands. Cover, refrigerate, and let it rest at least three hours or up to overnight.

6. Step 6: Slice peppers and onions. Drain the canned tomatoes.
7. Step 7: Once the pork has marinated, tuck the sliced vegetables and tomatoes, along with bay leaves within the layers of the pork. Cover with foil and bake 300 degrees for three hours.

8. Step 8: Once cooked, shred pork with two forks, soaking it in drippings from the vegetables, sauce and marinade. The onions and peppers are now so tender that they’ll melt into the meat as you shred.

At this point you can either make Cochinita Pibil Tacos, or pork enchiladas.

How To Make Pork Enchiladas

1. Step 1: Set up an assembly line. This is an important step to streamline the process. Place your frying pan (I like to use my omelette pan, perfect size for corn tortillas) on your stovetop burner. Place a plate next to the burner to place the tortillas once they are fried. Add a bowl of enchilada sauce next to the plate. Next station will be the shredded pork. Followed by the shredded cheese.
2. Step 2: The final station will be your casserole pan which has been lined with a thin layer of enchilada sauce.

3. Step 3: Using the casserole pan as your rolling station. Take a fried tortilla and dip it in the enchilada sauce. Tips on frying tortillas below. Place the tortilla in the casserole dish and add a couple of tablespoons of shredded pork.
4. Step 4: Add a heaping tablespoon of shredded cheese. Don’t overfill the enchiladas, as too much might break the delicate shell. Gently roll the corn tortilla around the filling turn seam side down in the casserole.

5. Step 5: Continue to fill and roll the enchiladas until the casserole is full. They can fit snuggly, but don’t overfill the casserole dish. You don’t want to smash them. Six fit nicely in a 10″ x 7″ casserole.
6. Step 6: Top the enchiladas with more cheese and drizzle on additional enchilada sauce.

7. Step 7: Ready for the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until nice and bubbly.