yucatan

Castacán is the Yucatecan version of crispy pork belly. These tacos, based on the ones I had at Wayan'e, a Mérida institution, are crisped up on a griddle, then topped with shredded cheese. As the cheese melts, it oozes into the cracks and spaces between the meat, binding the bits of pork belly together. The whole thing sizzles until the cheese is browned and crisped, lending an extra dimension of nutty flavor and texture to the taco.

Yucatecan Pork Belly and Cheese Tacos (Tacos de Castac&#225;n Con Queso) Recipe

For the Castacán:

(1kg) fresh, skin-on pork belly

salt and black pepper

(235 milliliters) melted lard or vegetable oil

cloves

orange (preferably bitter Seville orange), cut into quarters

cinnamon stick,

garlic

To Finish and Serve:

Kosher salt

(340 grams) shredded Oaxaca or low-moisture mozzarella cheese

corn tortillas

Yucatán-Style Habanero Salsa (or your favorite salsa)

Lime wedges

cilantro leaves

For the Castacán: Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 275°F. Season pork with salt and pepper on both sides. Place in a cast iron skillet or baking dish not much larger than it. Pour melted lard or vegetable oil on top. Stick 1 clove and 1 cinnamon shard into each orange segment. Nestle oranges and garlic around pork. Cover with foil and place in oven. Cook until pork shows almost no resistance when poked with a knife, about 5 hours. Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Discard garlic and oranges. Drain fat and reserve for another use. Proceed to step 2, or wrap pork in foil and refrigerate for up to 5 days before proceeding as directed.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place the cooked pork belly skin side up on a rimmed baking sheet lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Roast until skin is bubbly and crisp, 12 to 20 minutes, folding up foil to shield sides if they threaten to burn.

Transfer crisp pork to a cutting board and cut into 1/2-inch lardons.

To Finish and Serve: Heat a griddle or a large cast iron pan over medium heat until hot. Add small piles (about 2 tablespoons each) of chopped pork. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring and flipping each pile, until brown and crisp on most sides, about 1 minute. Add a small pinch of shredded cheese to each pile, allow it to melt (about 30 seconds), then carefully flip, scraping up browned cheese from bottom of pan. Cook until second side is browned and crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer each pile to a warmed corn tortilla and serve immediately with Yucatán-Style Habanero Salsa or other salsa, lime wedges, and chopped cilantro.

With minimal preparation, you can have an intensely smoky, fruity, fiery salsa on the table to heat up any taco night (or anything else you want spicier, really).

Yucat&#225;n-Style Hot Dried-Chili Salsa (K'uut Bi Ik) Recipe

dried chiles de árbol (30 grams; about 25 dried chilies) (see note)

dried chiles pasillas (30 grams; 3 to 4 whole chilies) (see note)

juice

Salt

Use kitchen shears to trim stems from all chilies. Discard stems. Place chilies on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high power until fragrant and pliable, about 20 seconds total, adding time in 5-second increments if chilies do not smell toasted after the initial 20.

Combine chilies, lime juice, grapefruit juice, and orange juice in the jar of a blender with a small pinch of salt. Blend at high speed until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, let rest for 15 to 20 minutes, then stir in more salt to taste. Salsa can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for several weeks.

This is normally a chicken dish, but I used chachalaca. Any white meat will work, and I can recommend quail, grouse, partridges, pheasants, rabbits or squirrels as alternatives.

Sopa de Lima

white meat, chicken, grouse, quail, turkey, etc.

chicken stock

thyme

dried oregano, (Mexican if possible)

black peppercorns,

allspice berries, (or 1/4 teaspoon ground)

whole cloves, (or 1/4 teaspoon ground)

bay leaves

celery stalks, chopped

chicken fat, olive oil or vegetable oil

white or yellow onion, chopped

poblano or green bell pepper, diced

garlic,

habanero chile, minced ((optional))

paste tomatoes,

lima juice ((see above

Cilantro and tortilla chips

Either put the chicken into a large soup pot whole, or cut it into pieces. Your choice. Add the remaining soup base ingredients plus enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring this to a simmer and cook gently until the meat is tender, anywhere from 30 minutes for quail to 3 hours for an old rooster or turkey legs.

Remove the bird and strip the meat from the bones. Reserve the meat and discard the bones -- unless you have lots of time, in which case return the bones to the pot and keep cooking for another hour. Whenever you are ready, strain the soup base into a large bowl through a strainer lined with a paper towel. Discard the solids and reserve the broth.

SOUP BASE

Heat the chicken fat or olive oil in a clean pot over medium heat. Add the onions and stir to coat with the oil. Cook until soft and translucent, but not browned, about 5 minutes. After about 3 minutes of cooking, add the diced poblano or bell pepper.

When the onions are soft, add the garlic and habanero, if using. Let this cook for a minute or two, then add the shredded meat, the tomatoes and the broth. Bring this to a simmer and add salt to taste. Let it all cook for 20 minutes, then add the lime zest and juice. Turn off the heat, and serve the soup with the tortilla chips and cilantro.

TO FINISH THE SOUP

Real cochinita pibil is not spicy, but it has a uniquely sweet, earthy aroma imparted by Seville oranges, achiote, charred garlic, and spices. That earthiness is backed with the aroma of the banana leaves it's cooked in, along with smokiness from hours of cooking. Maybe you can't make cochinita pibil without an actual pib, but you can fake it pretty darn well, and that's what we're going to do today.

Cochinita Pibil (Yucat&#225;n-Style Barbecued Pork) Recipe

For the Marinade:

(30 milliliters) lard or vegetable oil

achiote (annatto) seeds (1 1/2 ounces; 40 grams)

(about 6 grams) Mexican oregano

(3-inch) Ceylon cinnamon stick,

(about 8 grams) whole black peppercorns

(about 4 grams) whole cumin seed

(about 4 grams) whole allspice berries

(175 milliliters) bitter (Seville) orange juice, juice

(60 milliliters) white vinegar

(15 milliliters) soy sauce

For the Pork:

(1.8kg) boneless pork shoulder

banana leaves (see note)

Roma tomatoes, sliced

bell

white onion, sliced

To Serve:

Yucatán-style pickled onions and salsa

Thread garlic cloves onto a metal skewer and grill directly over the flame of a gas grill until completely blackened on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Alternatively, toss them in a dry skillet over high heat until blackened. Peel the blackened skins when cool enough to handle.

Heat oil or lard in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add achiote, oregano, cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorns, cumin, and allspice and cook, tossing and stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a blender along with peeled garlic, bitter-orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, and a big pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Season to taste with more salt. It should be quite salty and have a consistency like ketchup. If too thick, thin it with water until it flows slowly.

Pour marinade over meat and rub it in with your hands. Cover, refrigerate, and let it rest at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Lay out 2 to 3 overlapping banana leaves on a work surface. Place 1 piece of pork in the center and layer with some of the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and bay leaves.

Form a tight parcel by folding the bottom side up and the top side down, then rolling in the sides. Secure parcel with kitchen twine and transfer pork to an oven-safe baking sheet or disposable aluminum baking tray. Repeat with remaining pork and banana leaves.

Light 3/4 chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill, and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the medium-high heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes.

Place a few large hardwood chunks on the coals (no need to soak). Place aluminum tray or baking sheet on the side opposite the fire and close lid. Smoke pork, aiming for a temperature between 250 and 300°F inside the chamber the whole time, until a metal skewer inserted into pork shows no resistance, 4 to 5 hours total. (Adjust heat by adding coals and/or adjusting the air vents.) Add extra wood chunks to the coals once per hour.

Remove pork from grill and transfer parcels to a deep platter, shallow bowl, or rimmed tray. Unwrap banana leaves and serve immediately, shredding pork with two forks, soaking it in drippings, and stuffing it into tortillas with pickled red onions and salsa.

Those cochinita pibil tacos are juicy, packed with authentic Mexican flavors, and one of the most delicious dishes from Mexico. Learn how to make them at home with this super easy recipe.

Authentic Cochinita Pibil Tacos

pork

corn tortillas (read note 3)

banana leaves (or foil)

limes (for serving)

Tbsp achiote paste (read notes)

Seville orange juice (read notes)

onion

oregano

cumin seeds

allspice

¼ tsp black peppercorn

cinnamon

tsp salt

habanero peppers (seeded

red onions

salt (to taste)

In a food processor, place the achiote paste, onion, garlic cloves, oregano, cumin seeds, allspice, peppercorns, whole cloves, and cinnamon.

Pour the bitter orange juice, salt, and pulse until you will have a paste (read notes 1 &amp; 2).

Place pork meat in a large bowl and add the achiote paste. Turn to coat well.

Cover and allow the meat to marinate in the fridge for at least 8 hours.

Marinate the meat:

Fold an oven-proof pot with banana leaves or aluminum foil.

Place the marinated meat inside and cover with more banana leaves.

Pour ½ cup of water into the pot so it will create some steam to cook the meat.

Cook in the oven at 330°F/165°C for 4 hours or until the meat is nicely fork-tender.

*Important! Half into the cooking time, taste the stew and adjust salt if needed.

Cook the cochinita pibil:

Place sliced red onions, habanero pepper, oregano, and salt in a medium bowl.

Add bitter orange juice, and mix for 1 minute.

Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes before serving.

Make the Xnipec salsa:

Warm the corn tortillas in a comal or skillet for half a minute per side or until soft and pliable.

Place tortillas flat on a plate and add some shredded cochinita in the middle of each tortilla.

Top with the xnipec salsa and enjoy with a squeeze of lime.

Make the tacos:

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