A good habit to get into before grocery shopping is to quickly inventory your pantry. How many times do you come home with the third jar of cumin or chili powder because you were not sure if you needed it? It used to happen to me often. And for that reason, I have learned to cook from my pantry using up older ingredients before purchasing more.
What is Achiote?
For today’s blog post I was in search for tasty marinade for my pork chops. And lucky for me, I have a good stash of one of my favorite ingredients which is achiote paste. Achiote, or recado rojo, is a blend of spices ground up into a paste. It was originally used by the Mayan people and is used in many delicious Mexican dishes. Some of the most popular recipes that come to mind are tacos al pastor, cochinita pibil and pescado Yucateco. The achiote paste gets its bright red color from the annatto seed.
Chuletas With Yucatan Flavors!
The flavors of achiote, sour orange, habanero and pickled red onions are popular in the Yucatan. This simple and delicious marinade can also be used for chicken, pork and seafood. It’s delicious! I used to be intimidated by habanero peppers until I started using them in salsa recipes. The flavors are unique and kind of addicting!
More Achiote/Annatto FYI
Annatto can be found in the whole seed, powder and sometimes in an oil blend. Some of the spices in the achiote include annatto, Mexican oregano, cumin, clove, cinnamon, black pepper and salt. I have used all forms in different ways. It does not really have a strong or spicy flavor. Just a subtle earthy, somewhat smoky flavor in the background. It’s most popular pairing, in my opinion, is citrus, both limes and oranges are a good starting point when working with an achiote marinade. And of course, fresh garlic is a must. This is one of those recipes that favors a longer marinate time. The pork chops really absorb the citrus and chile flavors. Want some added smoky flavor? Grill it!
Placing out all of the ingredients measured out is what works best for me.
I find that the bone on chops are less expensive and actually have more flavor!
The achiote gives off that beautiful bright red color that looks so appetizing!
And of course, there must be a habanero salsa to serve on the side!
Easy Roasted Habanero Salsa!
This is as easy as it gets! On a dry griddle or skillet at medium heat roast fresh habanero peppers with some cloves of garlic with the husks on. Turn them as needed until they blacken in some spots and become softer. Peel the garlic and remove the stems from the habaneros if you didn’t do it beforehand. Transfer all to the blender. Squeeze in the juice of 1 large lime. Add salt, to taste and then just stream in enough water to get the salsa to blend well.
Chuletas de Cerdo en Achiote (Achiote/Chile Marinated Pork Chops)
Equipment
- Grill
Ingredients
- Juice of 2 large oranges
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 habanero pepper or 2 serrano peppers
- 6-8 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 1/2 ounces of achiote paste crumbled
- pepper, to taste
- salt to taste
- 2 1/2-3 pounds bone on pork chops, 6-7 large chops
Instructions
- lightly season the pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides.
- In the blender, combine all of the ingredients for the marinade. Blend on high until smooth. You may have to pulse it a few times to make sure you get all the garlic cloves blend well. Pour marinade over the lightly seasoned pork, either in a baking dish or a heavy plastic storage bag. Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Remove the pork from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you are ready to cook. Prepare your grill and heat to medium/high heat. Brush grates with half an onion. Cook/grill the pork chops for a total of 8 to 10 minutes, turning as needed during cooking time. Internal temperature of the pork should read 145 degrees.
- Remove from grill onto plate. Cover loosely with foil paper and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Yields 6 servings
Notes
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I use the same achiote…loving the smokiness of it. I’m going to try this next time I buy some chuletas…
I enjoy the achiote.
Can this be made on the stovetop (no grill nor oven used)?
Oh, of course it can be prepared on the stove top no problem Amanda. Do you have a cast iron skillet? Even if you don’t, just sear the marinated chops for about 5 minutes per side. If they are really thick you will have to cook them a little longer. I use my inexpensive meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. It should be at 145 degrees for a moist pork chop.
This is both my husband’s and my favorite recipe, I make quite often. My husband was curious to know if chicken can be substituted for pork. Thank you Sonia for ALL your delicious recipes! I also just ordered your 2nd cookbook (love the first one)!
Absolutely chicken can be used instead of pork. I have even used the achiote marinade for fish and shrimp. All delicious! Thank you for taking the time to write. I appreciate it!