Pork · Yucatecan
Poc Chuc (Yucatecan Grilled Citrus Pork)
Poc chuc means "toasted over coals" in Maya, and it is one of the most loved dishes in Mérida: thin pork steaks bathed in sour orange and grilled until smoky. Because the marinade is simple, the quality of the pork shows; outdoor-reared organic loin stays tender and tastes like pork should.
- Prep20 min
- Cook15 min
- Total35 min
- Servings4
Ingredients
- 800 g outdoor-reared pork loin, sliced into 1 cm steaks and lightly pounded $345
- 1 cup sour orange juice (or half orange, half lime juice)
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 red onion, halved
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 1 habanero chile, a handful of cilantro
- 1 tbsp organic pork lard, for the beans $340
- 2 cups cooked black beans, warm corn tortillas, avocado
Instructions
- Mix the sour orange juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the pork steaks and marinate 30 minutes to 2 hours in the fridge.
- Light a charcoal grill or heat a grill pan very hot. Char the tomatoes, onion halves and habanero until blistered.
- Chop the charred tomatoes with cilantro and a little salt for chiltomate; slice the onion and toss it with a splash of sour orange.
- Drain the pork and grill 2 to 3 minutes per side, until nicely marked and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, melt the lard in a pan, add the black beans with some of their broth and mash into a loose frijol colado.
- Slice the pork and serve with the charred onion, chiltomate, beans, avocado and hot tortillas.
Tips
- Do not marinate overnight: the citrus starts to toughen thin cuts.
- Thin pork chops work too, just grill them a minute longer.
