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 serving 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. Recipe inspired by Rick Bayless.
Lightly salt the pork. Coat it completely on all sides with the spice rub. You should still have some spice left over.
In a separate bowl, mix together the citrus juices with what remains of the 2-3 tablespoons spice. Using a large bowl or a large plastic ziploc bag, place the pork in the marinade and coat completely. Refrigerate for several hours, preferably overnight.
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.
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. Then add as much of the juice back to the pork as you desire. Add additional Carlito's Rojito Yucatan Rub, salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the tacos, filling each with pork and toppings of your choice. Enjoy!
Slow Cooker Cochinita Pibil Tacos
COMMENTS
Erica on
Thanks Lynn! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Great idea to use turkey!
Lynn on
Great recipe. I love the Carlito Rojito Yucatan Rub: great alternative to the available commercial achiote pastes which all have chemicals/preservatives, and much more convenient than, and comparable to, making the achiote paste from scratch…speaking from personal experience! Nice recipe: as we do not eat pork, subbed out turkey thigh and added some duck fat and butter for that delicious fat element.
Thanks Lynn! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Great idea to use turkey!