Recipe: Carnitas Tacos

dp spotlight sf Recipe: Carnitas Tacos

PREP TIME: 20 mins
COOK TIME: 2.5 hours

 

If you've never had Tacos de Carnitas (aka pulled pork tacos), you're in for a treat. If you've never made them yourself, you're in for a surprise for how easy it is to make. It just requires a quality pork shoulder (we've got you covered) and a tiny bit of patience.

We made ours in our electric pressure cooker to save on time, but you could easily do this in a slow cooker over several hours. You could also use your oven to slow cook, but the preparation will be slightly different - just ping us if you'd like to know how!

We topped our tacos with sliced avocado, chopped onion, pickled jalapenos, pickled onions, chopped cilantro and lime juice. But this is your party, so top it however you prefer...fiesta time!

 

INGREDIENTS:

Servings: 6 - 8

2.5 - 3.0 lbs heritage breed pork shoulder
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
1.5 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (reserve some and chop finely for garnish)
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (~2 oranges)
1/4 cup beer
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp cooking oil (we use avocado oil)
2 avocados, sliced for serving
Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Pickled jalapenos and/or pickled onions, for garnish
24 small corn tortillas, warmed for serving


PREPARATION:

STEP 1
Rub pork shoulder all over with the salt & pepper. If you have time, let it stand in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

STEP 2
Combine the oregano, ground cumin, ground cinnamon and olive oil in a bowl and then rub all over the pork shoulder.

STEP 3
Place the pork shoulder in the pressure cooker (fat cap up), and top with the chopped onion, minced garlic, orange juice, and beer. Add a little water to make sure the entire bottom of the pot is covered in liquid.

STEP 4
Turn pressure cooker to high and cook for 90 minutes. Let pressure release naturally. If using a slow cooker, cook on low for 10 hours or high for 7 hours.

STEP 5
At this point, the pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from the pressure cooker, let it cool slightly, and then shred it with two forks.

STEP 6
Turn on saute function of electric pressure cooker to reduce down the remaining juices. Stir frequently to reduce until you have about 1 to 2 cups of a nice sauce. Remove from the pot and set aside.

STEP 7
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once the oil is hot, crisp the shredded pork by adding it to the skillet. Drizzle over some of the sauce and wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom of the pork is nice and crusty. With a spatula, turn the pork to briefly sear the other side, but only for a bit because you want a nice mix of juicy and crispy bites! Do this step in batches, if necessary, as you don't want to crowd the skillet.

STEP 8
Just before serving, drizzle over the remaining sauce. Serve by layering onto warmed tacos and topped with your preferred garnishes!

 


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