Taco Night
Pork Carnitas Tacos
Citrus-braised pork shoulder broiled until the edges crisp.
Carnitas are made twice: once slow and wet in the oven, once fast and dry under the broiler. The second part is what makes them carnitas.
Ingredients
- For the pork:
- 4 lb pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 onion, quartered
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- For the tacos:
- Corn tortillas, warmed
- Diced white onion
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Salsa and sliced avocado
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 325°F. Season the pork chunks with cumin, oregano, salt, chili powder, and black pepper.
- 2
Put the pork in a Dutch oven with the orange juice, lime juice, broth, garlic, onion, and bay leaves.
- 3
Cover and braise 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until the pork shreds easily with a fork.
- 4
Shred the meat and reserve the braising liquid.
- 5
Spread the shredded pork on a sheet pan, spoon over some of the liquid, and broil 3–5 minutes until the edges are brown and crisp.
- 6
Spoon a little more liquid over the crisped pork and pile into warm tortillas with onion, cilantro, lime, salsa, and avocado.
- 7
Flavor Table Tip: Crisping the shredded meat is half the recipe — skip it and you just have braised pork.