Tacos de Carnitas- Crispy Pork Tacos

Crispy pork blanketed by a warm corn tortilla and bathed in a crunch tomato salsa? What could be wrong?

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Antijitos, Brunch, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Bajio Mexican, Mexican

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 3 30

Marinate: 12

Total Time: 16

Servings:

Author: My Hungry Traveler

Equipment

Large Dutch oven with cover or large heavy pot

Ingredients

3 lb Boneless pork shoulder Remove and save fat
1 cup Sliced yellow onion
3 Cloves garlic, crushed
1½ tbsp Kosher salt
3 tbsp Dark brown sugar
1½ tsp Dried Mexican oregano
¼ tsp Ground cinnamon
2 Bay leaves
1 Orange, juiced
1 Lemon, juiced
3 tbsp Vegetable oil
½ cup Rendered fat from reserved pork fat
24 Corn tortillas
1 small White onion, diced
1 Small bunch cilantro, chopped
2 Limes, cut into wedges for squeezing
1 cup Salsa verde and/or guacamole
Kosher salt

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Instructions

Marinate Pork - Remove and reserve all outside fat from pork butt. Cut into 3-inch chunks. In a large pot or Dutch oven, add pork, onion, garlic, brown sugar, salt, oregano, bay leaves, orange and lemon juices. Toss to coat meat, cover, and refrigerate anywhere from 12 to 24 hours.
Cook Pork - Bring pork to room temperature. In a small pan, heat reserved fat over very low heat to render out fat. When crispy, scoop out crispy bits and pour liquid fat into a cup measure. If there's less than ½ cup, top it off with vegetable oil to get to a ½ cup. Pour over the pork in the pot, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for about 3 hours. Begin checking for doneness after 2 hours. When done, pork pulls apart easily with a fork.
Shredding Pork - With a slotted spoon, remove cooked pork to a bowl. Discard cooking liquid and clean the pot. Using a cleaver or 2 forks, shred pork into small chunks or strips.
Crisp Pork - Return pot to stove top over high heat. Add oil and when starting to smoke add a batch of pork being careful not to crowd (it'll steam instead of crisp). Turn as needed to get crisp on both sides, about 4 minutes total. Remove to a bowl and repeat until done. Lightly salt.
Serve - Place 4 stacks of 6 tortillas between wet paper towels and heat for 30 seconds in a microwave oven. Stack them in a towel-covered basket. To eat, place some meat in the middle of 2 folded tortillas, top with salsa, onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Serves with some refried beans on the side. Devour and repeat.

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