Carnitas tacos

 

Yesterday, at the store, I picked up a small 2 1/2 pound package of pork shoulder. It was a lot smaller than I'd noticed them having before. It was a good size for us without having lots of leftovers.  Besides what was in the picture, there was also some salsa and jalapenos.  BTW 2 1/2 pounds of pork cost less that one pound of hamburger.

Carnitas 

prep 10 min.  Cook 10 hours

INGREDIENTS

Carnitas

• 4 pounds (or 2 kg) skinless, boneless pork butt (or shoulder)
• 3-4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (or Mexican oregano)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 large brown or white onion , cut into wedges
• 8 cloves garlic , smashed
• 2 limes , juiced
• 2 large oranges , juiced (or 3/4 cup natural orange juice)
• 3/4 cup coke (Original or Mexican coke is ideal)*
• 2 bay leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

• Rinse and pat dry pork with a paper towel.
• In the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker, add pork, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, onion, garlic, lime juice, orange juice, coke, and bay leaves.
• Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8-10 hours, or high heat for 5-6 hours (until the meat falls apart).
• Remove pork and shred with two forks (DO NOT DISCARD THE LIQUID!)

TO CRISP IN THE OVEN:

• Transfer the pork to a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking oil spray (or lined with aluminium foil or parchment paper).
• Pour 1 ladle full (about 1 cup) of the liquid from the slow cooker over the pork to season. Broil for 5-10 minutes on high heat until the meat becomes golden browned and crispy on the edges.

TO CRISP ON STOVE:

• Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a non stick pan or cast iron skillet over high heat. When pan is hot, add pork in batches of two or three, and sear until just beginning to crisp. Ladle over about 1/2 cup of left over liquid, and continue cooking until the juices begin to reduce down and the meat is nice and crispy!

TO SERVE:

• Season with a little extra salt and pepper if desired. Pour over more of the slow cooker juices once the meat has crisped for added flavour, just before serving! Serve in Tacos, Burritos, or in a salad!

Carnitas Tacos

PREP TIME: 10 minsCOOK TIME: 8 hrsTOTAL TIME: 8 hrs 10 mins

SERVINGS: 6 tacos CALORIES: 529kcal AUTHOR: Lisa Bryan

Carnitas Tacos

• 1/2 cup red onion finely diced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
• 6 tortillas
• limes for garnish
• 
  

Carnitas Tacos

• 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.