Southwestern Recipes

Tacos de Carnitas

To make this recipe your own, try serving the carnitas tacos with different toppings—other slaws and salsas would work, as would cilantro sprigs, shredded lettuce, and crumbled queso fresco. On the side, serve grilled corn or sliced watermelon.

Tacos de Carnitas

Prep: 30 min | Cook: 3 hr
Yield: 8 tacos, or 4 servings, + leftover pork for 8 more

Ingredients

Carnitas

  • 1 (2 pound) boneless blade (shoulder) pork roast, cut into 4 x 4 x 2 inch pieces
  • 4 cups lard
  • 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 bay leaves

Chile De Arbol Coleslaw

  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, or other neutral-flavored oil
  • 6 chiles de arbol
  • 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice, or more to taste
  • 1 1/4 cups savoy cabbage, shredded
  • Salt to taste

Tomatillo Pico De Gallo

  • 2 tablespoons tomatillos, diced
  • 1 tablespoon red onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon cilantro, finely chopped
  • Salt to taste

Tacos

  • 8 (6 inch) corn tortillas, warmed
  • 3 tablespoons dry roasted peanuts

Instructions

Carnitas

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a braising pan or skillet just large enough to hold the meat over medium heat, combine lard, sweetened condensed milk, orange juice, onion, garlic and bay leaves, stirring occasionally until the lard melts.
  3. Add pork (the liquid should cover the meat) and bring to a simmer.
  4. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until the pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
  5. While the pork is cooking, make the Chile de Arbol Coleslaw and Tomatillo Pico de Gallo.

Chile de Arbol Coleslaw

  1. In a small skillet over medium heat, warm oil.
  2. Add chiles and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chiles darken and are toasted, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
  3. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  4. In the jar of a blender, combine chiles (including oil from the pan), peanuts, honey and lemon juice and process to a chunky puree, scraping down the jar as necessary. Add more lemon juice to taste or if the dressing is too chunky.
  5. In a large bowl, combine the cabbages with dressing and salt to taste.
  6. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Tomatillo Pico De Gallo

  1. In a medium bowl, combine pico de gallo ingredients.
  2. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Tacos

  1. Shred half of the pork**
  2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook shredded pork and a tablespoon or two of the cooking liquid, stirring occasionally, until the pork is heated through and crisped, 3 or 4 minutes.
  3. Arrange tortillas on plates or a platter, top with pork, coleslaw, pico de gallo and peanuts and serve.

Notes

Leftover pork can be stored in the cooking liquid, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: National Pork Board
Inspired by the dish Chef Patricio Sandoval prepared for Food Network In Concert.



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