Sunday Gravy with yeah right: Season Premier! Cochinita Pibil!

Well, well, well Gravy Heads! Welcome back!

I trust everyone is doing well and hopefully remaining virus free. It’s been a little while since we got together here and lord knows plenty of shit can go down in that type of timeframe.

Me?

Absolutely COVID fucking free.

Do I still wear a mask?

Nope.

I WEAR TWO MASKS!!

My hands are in a perpetual state of “lizard skin” but I follow all of the protocols to a fucking “T.”

Yep, still working at a physical location 5 goddamn days a week. We certainly did have our scare here at work. We had a mini-outbreak that almost required a call to the Department of Health. When there is a cluster of 3 or more positive tests it has to be reported and that information trickles all the way up to the state level.

We were fortunate (?) that there were only 2 positive tests in our building. Both of the positives were in the back of the building and not in my shop but I do interact with these guys daily.

Both are back to work and both were basically asymptomatic the whole time they were in quarantine.

Oh yeah, I did complete my move and am now back in my old hometown of San Pedro.

PEE-DROH!

Think I’m going to do a special edition of Sunday Gravy where I show off this vastly under-appreciated town. I forgot how much I loved this place.

Sure El Segundo was great, although very, very fucking white but Pedro has this character to it that is undeniable. It also has the ability to take your breath away with some of the views.

More on that to come.

Most of all welcome back people!

This is my 7th season of Sunday Gravy and for the life of me I had no idea I would make it this long.

Don’t worry, my desire to cook and experiment with new foods is as strong as it’s ever been but I’ve got to get seriously creative to keep coming up with new shit.

You may (will) experience a “Version 2.0” of something this season but I promise it will offer improvements and new techniques and ingredients.

Sunday Gravy is one of many features that runs during the NFL offseason in a blatant attempt to keep your eyeballs on [DFO] year round not just during the NFL season.

I appreciate your being here.

So, what do we have today?

My friends we are going to do Cochinita Pibil!

That’s right! That’s that dish from “Once Upon a Time In Mexico” that requires you to kill the cook once you find the best version it.

That’s from a fucking movie. Don’t kill any cooks please.

What is Cochinita Pibil you may be asking? Why it’s right in my motherfucking wheelhouse is what it is! It’s slow roasted pork shoulder cooked in herbs, citrus, spices and wrapped in banana leaves. AKA slow roasted Yucatán style pork. It’s a very old and very traditional dish. Originally it was slow cooked underground which also helps explain the use of the banana leaves.

This fucker is going to blow your goddamn minds!

“But yeah right?” I hear you asking. “You seem to be stuck on Southwest cooking.”

I do. Guilty as charged.

I offer several reasons why.

First? It’s cooking fresh and what’s in season and available.

Second: I’m pretty damn good at this type of cuisine and it’s goddamn tasty.

Also, it’s my environment. It’s part of living in LA for 30 fucking years.

Bukowski said it first: “I have the stink of L.A. in my bones.”

Let’s begin.

While easy to prepare you do; however take the challenge of finding two main yet very unique ingredients.

Check this shit out!

Those are banana leaves! Kind of looks like a fucking floormat for your car but they are quite tasty for today’s application.

Here’s the whole bag.

Where would one acquire these things? Many Hispanic and Asian markets carry them since they are used in Mexican and Thai cuisine. Jamaica also has a fish dish that’s wrapped in banana leaves so they’re not as rare as you would think.

Yes. I got mine from Amazon.

The second item that is a little odd but absolutely essential to this dish is this.

Achiote paste! Also know as Annato.

The fuck is that?

Not quite the texture of modeling clay but in the neighborhood. Achiote has been used as a cooking ingredient – it’s got an earthy, peppery, citrusy thing going on – but another key is its use as a food colorant. It’s been used as dye as well. It’s going to make this motherfucker today RED.

Yes this came from Amazon as well.

That Amazon order involved achiote paste, banana leaves and a new “bubble wall” for my fish tank.

I like to leave the Amazon workers scratching their heads when I order.

Now the real star of our menu today?

You already know that one if you’re a regular reader.

Let’s grab our old friend, Señor Puerco!

Yep. That fucker is my absolute favorite cut of any meat on the goddamn planet. That’s a Boston Butt folks. Something else I want to point out, if you enlarge that photo you’re going to see another amazing thing.

Buck. Seventy. Nine a fucking pound.

Damn skippy.

We’ve used this cut of meat more times than I can count on Sunday Gravy and it won’t surprise any of you that I’ll be using it again in just a couple of weeks.

I’m all about that pig, Boss!

Let’s do this motherfucker!

Cochinita Pibil!

3 to 4 pound slab of pork shoulder

1 onion – sliced thin

4 garlic cloves – minced

1 cup of orange juice – I used blood orange. 2-3 oranges worth.

1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes worth)

1 tablespoon of salt

3 ounces of achiote paste make sure it’s red (rojo) paste

Banana leaves to wrap.

Eh, you can use foil to cover if you don’t want to go the banana leaf route but fuck it, we’re going authentic style!

Note: this will require 24 hours to marinate in the fridge so adjust your schedules accordingly.

Now let’s hack!

Then salt the fuck out of it!

Seriously use the full tablespoon of salt.

Now we’re going to make the very simple marinade.

That would be limes and these beauties…

Blood oranges! We need a cup of orange juice. Two oranges wasn’t quite enough so I added enough regular orange juice to make a cup.

Juice up them limes too.

Combine the juices with the achiote paste. Pro tip: you’re going to need your blender. I tried using my immersion blender to save a dish or two but all I ended up doing was spraying red fucking food color all over the fucking kitchen.

Use the blender. That paste is denser than it seems.

Once the marinade is mixed go ahead and pour it over the piggy.

Yeah it’s a little harsh looking. Like, could be used in a zombie movie harsh.

Cover with some plastic wrap or foil and marinate overnight.

Next day and the rest of the prep is easy.

Slice an onion and mince some garlic.

You may need to heat up the banana leaves to make them pliable. I rinsed mine under hot water and then fully dried them with a paper towel.

Line the bottom of a Dutch oven with a layer of banana leaves

Put half of the onion and half of the garlic over the bottom of the leaves, then add in the pork and all of the lovely marinade. Place the remaining half of the onion and garlic on top of the pork. Cover with another piece of banana leaf and wrap as well as you can.

Slap a lid on ‘er.

Then into a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 3 1/2 hours.

I really need to tell you about the cooking smell. This being my first time using achiote I didn’t really know what I was in store for olfactory-wise but holy shit THIS SMELLS INCREDIBLE! My god it will drive you to drink. And guess what? You get to be tortured by the smell for 3 goddamn hours!

When done? Remove the lid.

Let’s unwrap our present, shall we?

Oh my! This should rest for a few minutes prior to gorging.

Now for sides, how about the traditional.

Of course.

I am my readers complete lack of surprise.

The traditional pinto beans, sorted and rinsed, some minced onion and garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, chile powder, chile de arbol, cover with water then low simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Right at the end of cooking  add in some bacon grease and you are there.

Feel free to search the archives if you need full instructions but shit, I’ve made these roughly 25 times so…

Since both beans and the pork items are “assemble and let cook for a long-ass time” type deals why don’t we give an old nemesis another try.

Homemade corn tortillas!

Make the dough.

It’s basically one cup of masa harina (easy to find) and up to one cup of water. Texture is the absolute key to a proper outcome. It should be moist but not sticky. Too moist and the shit sticks to the press and the pan. Too dry and the bastard just falls right the fuck apart. It will take time and multiple attempts before your hands get the needed memory feel for the right texture.

Perfect consistency. That’s the shit I’m talking about.

Let rest covered with a damp paper towel for an hour.

Divide the dough into balls. I guess there were about a dozen or so?

Give one of them balls a press.

Fucking beautiful right?

Get it into a hot pan for about 1 minute per side.

Cook them all. Keep the cooked tortillas covered with a dry, clean kitchen towel while finishing the rest of the batch.

Let’s plate!

Super goddamn easy, just slap some pig on a tortilla maybe some pickled red onions if you prefer – recipe here. 

You could also add on some crumbled Cotija cheese or even a splash of salsa. Of course I used my chile tepin on one and did the other one as seen.

Let’s take a look at them beans up close.

Pork up close.

Where to start? This dish is no “wall flower” dish. This bastard will punch you in the goddamn face with the flavors. It’s a game changer. Slow cooked savory pork with all of the citrus notes, the background of onion and garlic.

Motherfucker!

It’s salty, savory, smoky, rich, spicy, earthy and you put this shit on a homemade corn tortilla too?

Don’t be coming after my ass with a fucking gun for giving you this piece of gloriousness. I’m anti-firearm dammit!

Now that’s how you kick off a new season of Sunday Gravy!

It’s good to be back with you good folks. We’ve got a whole season of exploration and experimentation beckoning.

Damn glad to have you along for the ride.

My hope for this season is that it sees us through the last of this horrible fucking plague. Hopefully by season’s end we’ll all have our vaccines and we can even possibly look forward to getting together with friends and family.

Shit! Maybe even see a game or a concert! Fuck off! Remember those?

My biggest fear though is how long it’s going to take me to WANT to sit in a big ass crowd or on a packed plane.

/shudders

I’ve been home institutionalized for a goddamn year now.

Anyway. Thanks for reading people. You’re the reason I do this.

BE SAFE!

STAY ALIVE!

PEACE!