Place oregano, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, cinnamon, and salt in a mortar and crush with a pestle until pulverized. Set aside.
In a blender add garlic cloves, orange and lime juice, ¼ of a red onion, and spice mixture; and blend until puréed.
Place meat in a glass container and pour the marinade over meat. Massage marinade so that the meat is well covered. Place remaining onion slices and bay leaves over meat.
Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Remove the meat from glass container and place meat in a dutch oven. Cover the meat with lid before baking.
Bake for 3 hours.
The meat should be very tender and fall apart easily when pulled with a fork. If not, return to the oven and cook until tender. Shred meat when done.
Serve the cochinita pibil with warm corn tortillas and eat taco style. Don’t forget the pickled onions.
Pickled Onions:
While the meat is cooking, prepare the onions. Place the onions into a glass bowl. Pour enough boiling water to over the onions, wait one minute, then pour the onions into a strainer.
Return the drained onions and slices of habanero to the bowl and add the lime and orange juice and stir in the salt. Cover and set aside until serving time.
Notes
The nutrition facts are just for meat and pickles and do not include the tortillas you are serving with the cochinita.