Woo... there's some really good looking stuff here! My photography skills are minimal, but WTH...
Chicken and seafood have always been eaten by the Maya peoples in the Yucatán , as well as rabbit, venison, doves, pheasant... and pork in post-Columbian times. These are often cooked with chile peppers, habaneros, tomatoes, achiote, wild onions, chayote and cucumbers. As with the rest of the Caribbean, fruit plays a big part in the cuisine. Papaya, bananas (and plantains), mamey, oranges, avocado, guava, mango, guanabana and pineapple are common. Contact with the Europeans also introduced cumin, coriander and saffron. If I had to come up with a terse description of foods of the Yucatán, I'd say sweet and peppery, though the food itself is usually fairly mild compared to other parts of Mexico. The natives like to get a blast of intense heat up front with salsas and sauces made with habaneros and let the heat dwindle while enjoying the flavors of the food.
Traditionally, this dish would be pit-roasted in banana leaves and served up with plenty of warm tortillas to make tacos.
Stickman's Yucatan-style Asado de Puerco Con Chile Guero, Plantano y Piloncillo
1 small cone of piloncillo (or 2 tbsp dark brown sugar like I used)
3/4 cup of water
1-1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 pound of fresh yellow chiles (like Hungarian Hot Wax or Banana peppers. I used the Hungarians)
a 2-pound boneless pork shoulder roast
a medium white onion, cut into 1/4 inch slices
banana leaves to line the pot and more to line the serving platter
a large ripe plantain, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
salt to taste
Garnish:
1 small red onion cut into 1/8 inch rings and rinsed under cold running water
2 limes cut into wedges
1. add sugar to hot water and dissolve, then set aside
2. roast chiles over an open flame or 4 inches under a broiler until blackened and blistered all over. Place in a bowl and cover with a kitchen towel until cool enough to handle. Cut off the stem end, slit up the side from one end to the other and open out flat. Gently scrape out seeds and membrane, flip over and scrape away blackened skin. Cut into 1/2 inch slices
3.In a large (7 qt) dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high. Brown the pork on all sides and remove to a plate. Add white onion and cook until richly browned (make sure to incorporate all the brown crispies on the side of the pot!) Scrape out and set aside with rajas (roasted pepper strips)
4. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line unwashed dutch oven with banana leaves after cutting away with scissors any of the hard mid-rib that may still be attached. Place pork inside first, followed by rajas, caramelized onions, plantains, and finally pour sugar water over the top. Fold over the ends of the banana leaves to cover, secure lid or cover as tightly as possible with aluminum foil and bake until fork tender... about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
5. Line a warm serving platter with more banana leaf . Transfer the pork to the platter with 2 spatulas and use a pair of tongs to break up into small chunks.
6. Remove banana leaves from pot, scraping any lingering goodness back inside. If there's a lot of fat on top of the pan juices, spoon it off. Taste the juices and season to taste with salt. Spoon everything in the pot over the pork. Garnish with red onion slices and lime wedges and serve with Habanero sauce and plenty of tortillas for making tacos!