WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Traditionally prepared in the Yucatán peninsula, cochinita pibil is a whole suckling pig that is marinated in citrus and earthy spices, wrapped in banana leaves, and pit-roasted. Smoky and tangy, the pork turns out tender and full of flavor. We wanted a version that we could recreate at home using a grill instead of a roasting pit and that wouldn’t require handling a whole suckling pig. Our first step was to settle on the cut of meat. We chose pork shoulder, since its rich marbling would keep the meat tender and moist on the grill. Many modern recipes call for wrapping the pork in banana leaves before cooking, but tests revealed that any flavor from the banana leaves was easily overpowered by the traditional citrus marinade; plus, wrapping the meat prevented the smoke from flavoring the pork. After a little research, we realized that the banana leaves were traditionally used to protect the meat from the pit, not to flavor the pork; we decided to forgo them. Next we focused on boosting the flavor of the marinade. To re-create the sweet and sour flavor profile of traditional sour orange juice (which can be hard to come by), we used a combination of lime juice and orange juice. We rounded out our marinade with garlic, oregano, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, and a local favorite, annatto powder. We let our pork rest in the tangy, earthy marinade for an hour before smoking. After an hour on the grill the pork had plenty of smoke flavor so we moved the cooking indoors to the oven. Once the pork was tender, we put it under the broiler for a few minutes to give it a crisp crust. We tossed the shredded pork with a couple tablespoons of lime juice to bring the fresh citrus flavors back into focus. Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. Annatto powder, also called achiote, can be found with the Latin American foods at your supermarket. If you’d like to use wood chunks instead of wood chips when using a charcoal grill, substitute 2 medium wood chunks, soaked in water for 1 hour, for the wood chip packet. Serve with Pickled Onions and Jalapeños and warm tortillas.

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons lime juice (5 limes)
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons annatto powder
• 1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 (4-to 5-pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and quartered
• 2 cups wood chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine ½ cup lime juice, orange juice, annatto powder, chipotle, garlic, oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, 2 teaspoons pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and cloves in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Place pork in bag, press out as much air as possible, and seal. Turn bag to distribute marinade, then refrigerate pork for at least 1 hour or up to 2 hours, flipping occasionally.
2. Just before grilling, soak wood chips in water for 15 minutes, then drain. Using large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked chips in foil packet and cut several vent holes in top.
3. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent halfway. Light large chimney starter three-quarters filled with charcoal briquettes (4½ quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour into steeply banked pile against side of grill. Place wood chip packet on coals. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent halfway. Heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 5 minutes.
4. FOR A GAS GRILL: Remove cooking grate and place wood chip packet directly on primary burner. Set grate in place, turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 15 minutes. Turn primary burner to medium-high and turn off other burner(s). (Adjust primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature around 325 degrees.)
5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Remove pork from marinade and pat dry with paper towels; discard marinade. Place pork on cooler side of grill, cover (position lid vent over meat if using charcoal), and cook for 1 hour. During final 20 minutes of grilling, adjust oven racks to upper-middle (at least 6 inches below broiler) and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 325 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil.
6. Transfer pork to prepared sheet, cover with foil, and crimp edges tightly to seal. Roast pork on lower rack in oven until fork slips easily in and out of meat, 1 to 2 hours.
7. Remove top layer of foil and place sheet on upper rack. Turn on broiler and broil pork until well browned and crispy in spots, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board and let cool slightly. Using 2 forks, shred into bite-size pieces; discard excess fat. Toss shredded pork with remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice in bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.