Carnitas Tacos
Carnitas tacos are made with slow cooked pork shoulder or butt and they are a delicious treat every now and then. While high in saturated fat, two tacos also offer 34 grams of protein. You can make your carnitas in a slow cooker but this recipe calls for boiling the meat in a fragrant mix of orange zest, garlic, chopped onion, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, bay leaves, oregano, and cloves. The meat is incredibly tender and has a lovely, rich flavor. Add avocado, cilantro and fresh pico de gallo for additional flavor notes. And lightly frying your corn tortillas in avocado or olive oil provides a wonderful crunch to the tacos.
Makes: 6-8 servings
Time to cook: 2.5 hours
Ingredients
3 pounds pork shoulder, either butt or picnic
7 strips orange zest
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 large onion, chopped, plus finely chopped onion for garnish
1¼ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 cinnamon stick, preferablyMexican canela
2 bay leaves
1½ teaspoons crushed dried oregano leaves, preferably Mexican
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
24 small corn tortillas, warmed, for serving
Avocado, sliced
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Salsa for garnish
Cooking Instructions
1. 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, 1½ teaspoons salt and the cloves.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Skim off any scum that forms on surface. Simmer uncovered for 1½ 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.
3. Remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Spoon a few tablespoons of carnitas onto each tortilla. Top each taco with sliced avocado, cilantro, finely chopped onion and salsa. Serve.
Nutrition per serving
574 calories; 33 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 499 milligrams sodium.
Recipe by Tara Duggan, NY Times Cooking
