Tacos de Carnitas

Name: Tacos de Carnitas
Total time: 2 min
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; 1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes; 1 cinnamon stick, preferably Mexican canela; 2 bay leaves; 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried oregano leaves, preferably Mexican; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 24 small corn tortillas, warmed, for serving; Chopped cilantro for garnish; Salsa for garnish

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Total: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Servings: 7

Cost: $6.09 /serving

Author : Kim Severson

corn tortillas pork shoulder spices

Instructions

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Step 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, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the cloves.

Step 2

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.

Step 3

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.

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