Slow Cooker Cochinita Pibil Tacos
Cochinita Pibil, a specialty of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, is traditionally slow-roasted in banana leaves and served with pickled red onions. The trademark spice in this recipe is the annatto seed, also known as achiote, whose bright red color permeates everything it touches. We messed a little with tradition by skipping the banana leaves and the hours-long roasting in favor of a slow cooker, and we serve the meat in tacos. We also used our Carlito's Rojito Yucatan Rub, which contains annatto seed and was inspired by the flavors of the Yucatan.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds bone-in pork shoulder
- 3 tablespoons Carlito's Rojito Yucatan Rub plus a little more for finishing
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 medium red onions sliced into rings
- sea salt
- black pepper
- corn tortillas to serve
- queso fresco to serve
- sliced avocado to serve
- salsa to serve
Instructions
Marinate the pork:
- Lightly salt the pork and coat it completely on all sides with 2 tablespoons of the spice rub.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the citrus juices with the remaining 1 tablespoon of the spice rub.
- Place the pork in the marinade and coat completely. Refrigerate for several hours, preferably overnight.
Cook the pork:
- Place the pork and the marinade in your crock pot and cook on on low for 8 hours, until the pork is falling off the bone.
Prepare the onions:
- Bring the vinegar to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- Add the onions and simmer, stirring occasionally, until they are tender.
- Drain the onions and set aside.
Shred the pork:
- Remove the pork from the juices and use two forks to shred.
- If you like, use a fat separator to strain the grease out of the sauce.
- Add enough of the juice back to the pork to moisten and add additional flavor.
- Season with some additional Carlito's Rojito Yucatan Rub, salt and pepper to taste, and toss to mix through.
Assemble the tacos:
- Fill each with pork and pickled red onions.
- Top with garnishes of your choosing, and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe inspired by Rick Bayless.
This recipe can use some work:
- Generously season pork with salt & rub and refrigerate uncovered for at least 24 hours.
- Cook in the crock pot on low for 8 hours until falling off bone.
- Shred pork.
- Whisk together a few tablespoons of lime & orange juice in a 2:1 ratio lime:orage.
- Mix lime/orange juice with a few tablespoons of drippings from the crock pot.
- Moisten the meat with the marinade, sprinkle with additional seasoning, toss, and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Broil until crispy, toss, broil some more, moisten with additional marinade, and serve.