Carnitas, a classic Mexican dish, is a labor of love that requires time and patience. The traditional recipe involves braising pork shoulder in lard until it's fall-apart tender, but this can be a time-consuming process. The recipe provided here offers a more efficient way to make carnitas, using a combination of braising and roasting to achieve the same delicious result in less time. The result is a juicy, flavorful pork that can be used in tacos, burritos, or any other dish that calls for carnitas. Additionally, this recipe includes a recipe for a flavorful salsa verde that pairs perfectly with the carnitas.
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NO-WASTE TACOS DE CARNITAS WITH SALSA VERDE (FOOD LAB)
Steps:
- 2 Set fine-meshed strainer 1 quart liquid measure or bowl. Remove orange peel, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves from pork. Transfer pork and liquid to strainer. Drain for 10 minutes. Transfer pork back to casserole. You should end up with about 1/2 cup liquid and 1/2 cup fat. Using a flat spoon, skim fat from surface and add back to pork. Shred pork into large chunks with fingers or two forks. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Transfer remaining liquid to medium saucepot. 3 Add tomatillos, remaining 2 onion quarters, remaining 2 garlic cloves, and jalapeƱos to saucepot with strained pork liquid. Add water until about 1-inch below the top of the vegetables. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until all vegetables are completely tender, about 10 minutes. Blend salsa with hand blender or in a stand-up blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt. Allow to cool and refrigerate until ready to use. 4 To serve: Place casserole dish with pork 4-inches under a high broiler and broil until brown and crisp on surface, about 6 minutes. Remove pork, stir with a spoon to expose new bits to heat, and broil again for 6 more minutes until crisp. Tent with foil to keep warm. 5 Meanwhile, heat tortillas. Preheat an 8-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Working one tortilla at a time, dip tortilla in bowl filled with water. Transfer to hot skillet and cook until water evaporates from first side and tortilla is browned in spots, about 30 seconds. Flip and cook until dry, about 15 seconds longer.
TACOS DE CARNITAS
2001 Best Recipe from the San Francisco Chronicle. Serve with avocadao slices, sour cream, and limes and of course margaritas! Recipe courtesy Tara Duggan
Provided by cookiedog
Categories Pork
Time 3h15m
Yield 12 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Fold a few tablespoons of carnitas inside each tortilla and top each taco with cilantro, onion and salsa.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 491.1, Fat 28.1, SaturatedFat 9.5, Cholesterol 112.3, Sodium 348, Carbohydrate 23.5, Fiber 3.4, Sugar 1.1, Protein 34.9
Tips:
- To save time, you can use a slow cooker to cook the carnitas. Simply add the pork shoulder, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, and bay leaves to the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the pork is fall-apart tender.
- If you don't have time to make the salsa verde, you can use store-bought salsa instead.
- To make the tacos more flavorful, you can add other toppings such as guacamole, sour cream, or pickled onions.
- These tacos are also great for meal prepping. Simply cook the carnitas and salsa verde ahead of time and then assemble the tacos when you're ready to eat.
Conclusion:
These tacos de carnitas with salsa verde are a delicious and easy way to use up leftover pork shoulder. They're perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal or for a party. With a few simple ingredients, you can create a flavorful and satisfying taco that everyone will love. So next time you have leftover pork shoulder, don't throw it away! Make these tacos de carnitas with salsa verde instead.
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