A question about a recipe: Cochinita Pibil

I have a question about step 1 on the recipe "Cochinita Pibil" from aargersi. It says:

"...Marinate the pork shoulder with the achiote, orange juice, cumin and half the garlic - this should marinate for 2-3 hours."

Is there any reason I couldn't marinate the shoulder overnight? I'm trying to fit this into an odd work schedule/dinner window. Would the annatto flavor be too pronounced, and if so, would part B of my grand scheme (slow cooker) mitigate that?

Anne S
  • Posted by: Anne S
  • August 17, 2011
  • 3108 views
  • 3 Comments
Cochinita Pibil
Recipe question for: Cochinita Pibil

3 Comments

Anne S.
Anne S. August 18, 2011
Thanks very much! Seems like it might be wise to not pre-"cook" it via marinade then, and just heave it all in the crockpot. And I love all sorts of pickles--looking forward to it!!!
 
aargersi
aargersi August 18, 2011
Hi Anne! I think you could skip the marinade alltogether if it's going in a crockpot all day - I would brown the shoulder, cut it up enough to fit in the crock pot, dump the rest of the stuff in, give it a stir and go to work. It will be fine that night.

As an aside - if you make the onions 2-3 days in advance and cut the beets up a bit you get pickled beets too!!!!
 
JessicaBakes
JessicaBakes August 18, 2011
Interesting fact I learned from good ole Alton Brown: acid actually VERY SLOWLY cooks meat, which is why marinades sometimes will tell you not to leave them in too long. Alton seemed to think that 8 hours was ok, so overnight might work, just be sure to take it out as soon as you wake up and accept that it might be just slightly tougher than you originally wanted
 
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