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Cochinita Pibil (Yucatán-Style Citrus Pork — Crock Pot)

A slow-cooked Yucatán-style citrus pork with deep achiote flavor. Minimal effort, big payoff, and perfect for tacos, bowls, and freezer meals.
Serves 10–14
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Level:
Beginner

This crock pot cochinita pibil delivers deep citrus and achiote flavor with very little hands-on work. It’s designed for batch days — one cook turns into tacos, bowls, nachos, and freezer meals that reheat like they came from a restaurant.

Ingredients

• 4–5 lb pork shoulder or pork butt (boneless or bone-in)• Full batch DIY achiote paste• 1 cup orange juice (or 3/4 cup orange juice + 1/4 cup lime juice)• 2 Tbsp vinegar (white or apple cider)• 1 large onion, sliced (optional)• Salt, to taste (depends on paste seasoning)

Optional (traditional additions):• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (a very small pinch)• 2–3 bay leaves• 1–2 chipotle peppers in adobo (optional heat)

Instructions

  1. Trim large pieces of excess fat from the pork, leaving some for flavor. Cut pork into 4–6 large chunks.

  2. In a bowl, whisk achiote paste, orange juice, and vinegar until smooth.

  3. Add sliced onion to the crock pot if using, then place pork pieces on top.

  4. Pour sauce over the pork and turn pieces to coat evenly.

  5. Cover and cook on LOW for 8–10 hours or HIGH for 4–6 hours, until pork shreds easily.

  6. Shred pork directly in the crock pot and stir it back into the cooking juices.

Optional (recommended):7. Spread shredded pork on a sheet pan, drizzle with some cooking liquid, and broil 3–6 minutes until crispy edges form.

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