Carnitas Taco Recipes

ZESTY CARNITAS TACOS

Steps:

• Carnitas: Trim fat from pork. Cut pork into 2- to 3-inch pieces; transfer to a 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in onion, orange juice, cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, oregano, and cayenne.
• Cover and cook on Low 8 to 10 hours, or on High 4 to 5 hours. Transfer pork to a large bowl; shred using 2 forks. Add enough cooking liquid from slow cooker to moisten.
• Lime Crema: Add 2 tablespoons lime juice to a small bowl. Stir in yogurt and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Dust with chili powder.
• Tacos: Serve pork in tortillas with cabbage, red onion, and pico de gallo (if using). Garnish with crema and lime zest.

SUPER TASTY CARNITAS TACOS

Steps:

• In a small bowl place oregano, cumin, black pepper, salt, and chili powder, then mix thoroughly.
• Rub the spice mixture generously around the entire pork shoulder and place in the slow cooker.
• Top with pork with the onion, minced garlic, jalapeno, and orange juice in the slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on the low setting for 8-10 hours, or high heat for 5-6 hours. The meat should be tender and nearly falling apart.
• Remove the pork from the slow cooker to a large cutting board and use two forks to shred the meat. (Don't get rid of the liquid as you will be using it later)
• Place the shredded pork on a baking sheet.
• Pour 1 cup of the reserved slow cooker liquid over the pork to season.
• Broil for 5-10 minutes on high heat until the meat becomes golden browned and crispy on the edges.
• Serve immediately with tortillas, freshly diced onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice.
• Note: you'll likely have have leftover carnitas. You can make more tacos or enjoy the carnitas in burritos or on salads. You can also store it in the fridge and then reheat to enjoy later.

CARNITAS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Pat the pork butt dry with a paper towel. Use a large, sharp knife to trim away excess fat. Cut the pork butt into 1" thick slices. Then, cut each slice into 1" cubes.
• Transfer the pork to a 4-5 quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven. Add all of the dry spices, and massage them onto the pork with your hands.
• Add the orange juice, lime juice, and a 1/2 cup water to the Dutch oven and stir to combine. Add the bay leaves, cover, and transfer to the oven.
• Cook for 2 hours. Remove from the oven, and turn on the broiler on high. Have ready a rimmed sheet pan lined with nonstick aluminum foil.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to the prepared sheet pan. Using the tines of a fork, gently press down on the pork to ever-so-slightly break it apart.
• Place the pork under the broiler, and watch closely so that it does not burn. As soon as the pork begins to tinge with dark brown hues and crisps up on the edges, remove it from the oven. Depending on your broiler, this could take anywhere from 1- 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Place the Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-high heat and allow to come to a simmer. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Add the cornstarch slurry to the cooking liquid and allow to simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Either add the pork back to the Dutch oven and stir or brush the sauce lightly over the carnitas. Serve with tortillas and your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!

CARNITAS TACOS

Steps:

• Cut roast in half; place in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Pour tomatoes over top. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender., Remove meat from slow cooker; shred with 2 forks. Skim fat from cooking juices. Return meat to slow cooker; heat through. Using a slotted spoon, place 1/2 cup on each tortilla; top with cheese. Serve with sour cream if desired.

CARNITAS TACO

Steps:

• In a large saucepan melt lard over moderate heat. Add pork, salt and pepper and simmer until tender. Cook about an hour, being careful not to crisp the meat. Remove pork and set aside until cool. Shred the meat by hand or with tines of a fork. Remove and discard any remaining fat. Transfer to a medium saucepan, add the Arbol salsa and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently. Serve or assemble within a toasted corn tortilla to make taco. Carnitas can stay refrigerated for up to five days before assembling within a taco.
• Preheat broiler. Place tomatoes and tomatillos on a baking sheet. Broil, turning occasionally until charred all over, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook until onions are soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender. Puree and then strain. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. Arbol salsa can be stored in the refrigerator 3 to 5 days, or frozen for weeks.

PORK CARNITAS TACOS

Steps:

• Tie the thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine; combine the pork, garlic, bay leaves and thyme bundle in a large Dutch oven. Add the vegetable oil, lime juice, orange juice, 1 cup water and 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low; cover and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.
• Uncover the pot and continue simmering, stirring once or twice, until the pork is tender, about another 1 hour, 15 minutes. Increase the heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 35 more minutes. Discard the thyme bundle and bay leaves, then increase the heat to medium high so the pork starts to fry. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the pork is golden brown and crisp in spots, about 10 more minutes. Serve in tortillas with assorted toppings.
• Combine 1 thinly sliced red onion, 1 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon each coriander seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a small saucepan. Boil 2 minutes; let cool.

CARNITAS WALKING TACOS

Steps:

• Place the pork shoulder, garlic, bay leaves, large chunks of onion, ancho chile powder, cumin, cloves, orange juice, lime juice, 1 tablespoon salt, a generous amount of black pepper and 1/2 cup water in the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook until the meat is tender and can easily be shredded with a fork, 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
• Remove the pork to a large bowl and use two forks to shred. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the pork and 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the pork is crispy and dark brown, about 15 minutes. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining oil, pork and 1/2 cup cooking liquid (discard the remaining liquid), another 15 minutes.
• Open the tortilla chip bags and crush a few of the chips. Gently roll down the tops of the bags about a third of the way. Fill the bags with some dollops of sour cream, then pork, then garnish with the finely chopped onions, radishes, cilantro and a few dashes of hot sauce. Serve with the lime wedges.
• In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, chili powder, salt and lime zest. Set aside.

TACOS DE CARNITAS

Steps:

• Trim any thick fat from surface of pork. Cut meat into 1-inch cubes, discarding any that are pure fat. Put pork in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches, orange zest, garlic, chopped onion, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, bay leaves, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the cloves.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Skim off any scum that forms on surface. Simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, until pork is very soft; add water if necessary to keep meat submerged. Season with salt, then continue to cook until water has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Cook a little longer to fry meat slightly; cook even longer if you prefer crisper meat. Stir often and add a bit of water if meat sticks or seems about to burn.
• Remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Spoon a few tablespoons of carnitas onto each tortilla. Top each taco with cilantro, finely chopped onion and salsa. Serve.