Autumn is my absolute favourite season for cooking, because I can pull out my slow cooker and let it work its magic on our weekly meals! Stews, soups, slow-cooked roasts, and of course… pulled pork! I discovered the deliciousness that is pulled pork as an adult, thanks to my husband’s Mexican roots. There are many variations on Mexican pulled pork, but the most famous is probably cochinita pibil, a specialty from the Yucatan.

This recipe incorporates achiote paste, which is used in a lot of Mexican cooking. Achiote can be bought at Mexican specialty stores or restaurants, ordered online (just do a quick google search), or sometimes even found in speciality grocery stores. It is also called anatto, and is a paste that combines several different spices. Definitely worth having in your pantry! I usually just line my suitcase with about 15 boxes of achiote when I come home from Mexico. I swear they must think I’m smuggling the stuff in when they scan my bags… I wonder what I should call my foodie smuggling operation? #OrganizedThyme

[Whatever, I laughed.]

I’m really happy to be joining ten other Canadian bloggers to pull together a giant round-up of our very best slow cooker recipes for fall. These are the ones we always turn to when our families want comfort food, or when we have a big crowd showing up for dinner! You’re getting the best of the best in this hop. 🙂 Special thanks to Jo-Anna from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs for pulling this event together.

Cochinita Pibil MéxiCanada

(Mexi-Canadian Pulled Pork)

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 5 lb pork shoulder, cut into several large cubes
2 medium onions, cut into large slices

Marinade:

1 tbsp achiote paste (if you don’t have achiote paste, you can substitute with this)
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tbsp paprika
1.5 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground chili pepper
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup maple syrup (there’s your Canadian twist!)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil

Directions

Cut the onions into large slices and line the bottom of the slow cooker with them. Cut the pork into large cubes (a 3 1/2 lb pork shoulder should be cut into about 6 large cubes/pieces) and put them on top of the onions (including the bone).
To make the marinade, first bring to a simmer the orange juice. Add the achiote paste and allow it to dissolve in the orange juice. Meanwhile, mix all the other marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add the orange juice-achiote mixture and pour it over the pork and onions.
Cook in a slow cooker on LOW heat for 8 hours. When it’s done, remove the pork and onions from the leftover juice and shred. Add a bit of the leftover juice and serve! I like to serve my cochinita pibil as tacos al pastor, which are pork tacos with onion, pineapple, salsa, cilantro, and lime. Adding some tomato is also great!

I served my cochinita pibil on tostadas (which are crispy corn tortillas), because we have trouble finding proper corn tortillas in our area (and the flour ones Just Won’t Do). Not as perfect as hot corn tortillas, but not bad either – and a great way to serve this to a lot of people!

Take a moment and visit all the other amazing bloggers who are participating in this slow cooker hop. You can fill your weekly menu just with this hop! Hooray for tried-and-true recipes!