Tacos De Carnitas
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork shoulder, either butt or picnic
- 7 strips orange zest
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large onion, chopped, plus finely chopped onion for garnish
- 1 ¼ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 stick cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons crushed, dried oregano leaves, preferably Mexican
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 24 small corn tortillas, warmed for serving
- chopped cilantro, for garnish
- salsa, for garnish
Instructions
- Trim any thick fat from surface of pork. Cut meat into 1-inch cubes, discarding any that
are pure fat. Put pork in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches, orange zest, garlic, chopped onion, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, bay leaves, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the cloves. - Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Skim off any scum that forms on the surface. Simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, until pork is very soft; add water if necessary to keep meat submerged. Season with salt, then continue to cook until water has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Cook a little longer to fry meat slightly; cook even longer if you prefer crisper meat. Stir often and add a bit of water if meat sticks or seems about to burn.
- Remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Spoon a few tablespoons of carnitas onto each tortilla. Top each taco with cilantro, finely chopped onion and salsa. Serve.