Min A.
Yelp
Cochinita Pibil is one of my favorite dishes in the world. It is wonderful in both its simplicity (slow roasted pork) and subtle complexity (citrus based bouquet that utilizes achiote and is tightly wrapped in banana leaves during cook).
Problem(s):
1) I can't find a place that doesn't completely trash it and turn it into pork jerky.
2) It rarely has enough heat (to be fair it's not supposed to be death hot, just a touch with sweet offset).
3) You get your tequila ready to pair just to have the dish.... let you down.
The good people at Milagros have put together an excellent presentation from their menu that more than solves all of these.
To clarify this isn't technically what we recognize as American Mexican cuisine (mostly Tex Mex, snore) as much as it is traditional Yucatán fare. As I am not a native I will not insult those wonderful people by explaining the difference. Use your Google people. Also read more than one article.
Milagros ops to use a shank (I think, they didn't let me in on their recipe) and does the slow roast until the meat falls off the bone and you can cut it with a spoon (yummy). They are generous in fruit usage (OJ and lemon in the sauce, grapes in the mix, I think strawberry in the Habanero jam, as again I'm guessing) without overpowering the Achiote or smoky peppery goodness of the dark disintegrating meaty goodness drowning in the resulting jus.
The wheat tortilla is particularly nice (I know I know, heretic it should be maize) with just the right balance of oily and crispy as to support your magical construction of meat, sauce, and extras in your perfect roll up. Super fun idea to cut up basic ball park sausages into the sauce. Never seen that before.
It's worth making a trip here just for this dish.
I mean have I had a better one? Yes. But I was 2,400 miles from where I'm sitting now in a tiny village somewhere in the Tinúm Municipality with a kind tour guide who was making sure I didn't drive off a cliff as idiotic tourists sometimes do.
So unless you want to involve a passport, plane, car, a couple miles of hiking, learning a second language....... this one is very good.
Make sure you eat the jam. If you don't.......then you are lost in a dark cavern of gastronomic purgatory from which escape may not be possible. Even with a passport and plane ticket.
Hasta!!!!