This rich and savory meat rub features earthy flavors from freshly ground spices, a little garlic kick, and a bit of sweet and sour from bitter orange juice.
Grind the annatto seeds, coriander seeds, Mexican oregano, black peppercorns, kosher salt, cumin, and cloves, until finely ground. You can grind them in a food processor, blender, spice grinder, coffee grinder (that has been well cleaned), or in a mortar and pestle.
Add the garlic cloves and bitter orange juice, and process (or grind) until it is smooth and a paste has formed. If your paste is too thick for your liking, you can add an extra tablespoon or two of the bitter orange juice, as desired.
Use paste immediately, as desired.
Notes
*Or 3 tablespoons ground annatto. **If using a mortar and pestle, you may find it easier to pre-mince your garlic before adding it to the pestle. ***If you do not have bitter orange juice (Naranja Agria), you can make a substitute by whisking together 1/4 cup orange juice plus 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons white vinegar. You can find jarred bitter orange juice in the Latin aisle at the grocery store commonly sold by Goya and Badia brands. It can be listed as Naranja Agria, sour orange juice, or bitter orange juice.