Tacos De Carnitas

Submitted by Stephanie Y.

"2001 Best Recipe from the San Francisco Chronicle. Serve with avocadao slices, sour cream, and limes and of course margaritas! Recipe courtesy Tara Duggan"

 

• Ready In: 3hrs 15mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 4 1⁄2 lbs pork butt
• 6 cups water
• 7 slices orange zest
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1⁄2 onions, diced
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1⁄2 cinnamon sticks, preferably Mexican
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons oregano leaves, crushed
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt
• salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 24 small corn tortillas, warmed
• chopped fresh cilantro
• finely chopped onion
• fresh salsa verde or hot sauce

directions

1. Trim any thick fat from the outside of the pork butt. Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes. Discard any cubes that are pure fat, but don't try to trim all of the fat out of the meat.
2. Put the pork in a large pot. Add the water the strips of orange zest, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, bay leaves, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cloves. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Skim off any scum that forms on the surface. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until the pork is very soft, adding more water if necessary to keep the meat submerged. Season with salt.
3. Bring to a gentle boil and cook until the water has evaporated about 30 minutes. Cook a little longer to fry the meat slightly. (Note: if you want extra-crispy carnitas, fry approximately 25 minutes.) Watch carefully to prevent burning.
4. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. Put the meat in a fine strainer and push gently with a wooden spoon to remove any excess fat. Discard the fat.
5. Fold a few tablespoons of carnitas inside each tortilla and top each taco with cilantro, onion and salsa.

Reviews

[Tallie in Pacific NW]

Excellent recipe! Used carnita meat from the butchers selection and opted for crockpot. Where I went wrong was pushing the meat thru the strainer losing all the moisture. That was bummer and I should have put 2 and 2 together on that one. Next time I'll know to set aside a cpl cups of the juices as an add in on fry time. Thank you for the fabulous recipe-it's totally authentic and took us back!

 

[Jonathan Melendez]

Trust me, these are the best carnitas you'll ever make. They're juicy, tender and flavorful. Perfect for your weekday taco night. I can't recommend this recipe enough!

 

[kimdpeterson]

I signed up for an account just to rate this... This is by far my favorite recipes to make. The flavors mix together nicely. I do like a little heat in my dishes, so I add about 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp chili powder and 1/2 tsp cumin (I'm addicted. I can't help it). Great to serve with fresh jalape

 

[Chicagoland Chef du Jour]

Simply delicious! I used pork shoulder/ butt and all the ingredients. All of the flavors blended smoothly and nothing was overwhelming. Served on flour tortillas & topped with avocado slices, chopped fresh cilantro leaves and onions. I did not take the meat to the browning stage, just short of it, keeping it moist. This is company worthy and great for a family weekday dinner, we will make this often. Cookiedog, thanks a BUNCH! YUM!

 

[MarraMamba]

outstanding group of flavors. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though my mother called while it was cooking and the pot burnt :D Luckily the pork had ended in a pile so there was enough that had not been touched by the charring lol. The verde sauce, chilantro and sour cream (i used fat free) just freshened the whole thing up. Thanks so much for posting.