Crispy Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork) Tacos
Hello Taco Tuesday!
One positive about quarantining? The return of homemade Taco Tuesdays (*insert salsa dancing emoji here*). Chicken, steak, shrimp, fish… give me alllll the tacos.
In our last Butcher Box order, we received a 4.5 lb pork butt and immediately thought: Carnitas tacos. We used Joshua Weissman’s Crispy Carnitas recipe as inspiration and WOW — even though I’m not usually a huge pork fan — it might just be my new favorite.
If you aren’t familiar with Carnitas, it is the Mexican version of pulled pork; traditionally made with pork shoulder/butt. The higher fat content of these cuts help the pork to stay super tender and juicy while cooking. The end result is rich, tangy and absolutely melts in your mouth.
This is going to become your new go-to recipe for taco night, summer BBQs and football Sundays!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3-4 hours
Yield: 16-20 tacos (using 4-inch tortillas)
CARNITAS TACO RECIPE:
Carnitas:
4-5 pound pork shoulder/butt
4-5 cloves garlic, sliced
3 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
Juice of 2-3 limes
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika (smoked is fine)
2 cups water
Taco + Toppings:
1 package corn tortillas (we use Guerreros or Tortilla Land; GF and only 5 clean ingredients)
1 onion (white, yellow or sweet), sliced
1 bunch cilantro, sliced
1 jar pickled jalapenos
1 lime, sliced
Shredded cheese (we used Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar Cheese)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325F.
Cut the pork shoulder/butt into 2-inch cubes. Do not trim the fat, leave it on there!
Thinly slice 4-5 cloves of garlic.
Mix together salt, coriander, cumin and paprika.
Place pork in a cold (not previously heated) Dutch oven, 6 quarts or larger.
Pour spice mixture on pork and spread evenly. Add sliced garlic and the juice of two large limes and mix evenly. Then, add in the three bay leaves and two whole cinnamon sticks.
Pour in enough water to almost fully cover the pork (about 2 cups).
Cover the Dutch oven and put it on the stove top over medium high heat until the water starts to simmer *Optional but recommended step, as it accelerates the process.
Take the lid off and put in oven for 3-4 hours or until meat becomes tender. Turn the pieces over every so often to ensure even cooking and coloring. You’ll know its done once the liquid has completely evaporated and the fat at the bottom has begun to fry the meat.
Increase oven temperature to 400F. In the meantime, pour pork onto a foil-lined baking sheet and pull the meat apart into chunks.
Once the oven reaches 400F, bake for an additional 10 minutes until it crisps up. Be sure not to leave it in too long, it’ll dry out!
Shred meat, spread over 4-inch tortillas, add desired toppings and enjoy!
Thank you again to Joshua Weissman for the awesome recipe inspiration!
