Saturday, August 14, 2010

Carnitas Tacos

Carnitas taco on a soft corn tortilla w/ guacamole


Nothing says good Mexican street food like a good carnitas taco with its soft corn tortilla "shell" and tender, juicy, salty pork in the middle.  Mmmmm...mouthwatering.  This recipe is sure to satisfy a craving  yummy Mexican food.


I found this recipe on Epicurious.com a long time ago. Now that I'm looking at it, I seemed to have veered from the original recipe. It's one of those eyeball-it kinds of recipes for me, so try it a few times and see what works for you. 

Carnitas


Ingredients:

  • 1 4-pound pork butt or shoulder, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2-3 cans of chicken broth
  • enough water to cover pork in pot by 1/2 inch
  • lots of fresh corn tortillas warmed in a hot skillet and kept warm in a tortilla warmer (or in aluminum foil) 
Instructions:

In the past, I've trimmed off a lot of the fat and gristle before cooking, but I've found that leaving all of that on, and then picking it out when I'm "pulling" the pork, makes it much more tender and flavorful. You know, all that fat. So, just cut the butt/shoulder up into chunks, fat and all.
Place pork in a heavy large pot. Add broth. Add enough water to cover pork by 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover partially and simmer until meat is very tender and liquid is absorbed, about 2-3 hours. Cool slightly. Shred meat and remove fat and gristle. Season with salt, if necessary. Cover and keep warm.

Onions & Cilantro: finely dice one small onion (I use yellow onion) and chop a handful of clean cilantro leaves and mix with the onion. Add the juice of a lime wedge and mix. I will sometimes add a dash of hot sauce (like Frank's Red Hot), to spice it up a little. Serve with the carnitas tacos. Mmmmm...



5 comments:

  1. MMMM...Kelly, do you make your own tortillas?

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  2. Oh no. I've tried making my own tortillas, and they don't compare to what I can buy in the store. Maybe someday I'll try to put in my 10,000 hours making tortillas to get it right. It would have helped if I at least had a Mexican grandma. :)

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  3. What could I use instead of chicken broth? My daughter is allergic to chicken and beef so looking for some new pork reciepes! Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would use vegetable stock instead of chicken in your case. I think Swanson makes one, as do other manufacturers. Have you ever made pork stock? Here's a recipe I found from Emeril Lagasse: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/pork-stock-recipe/index.html
      Let me know if you try either of those things out.

      Delete
  4. there is the recipe that is awesome! Easy and they are good!
    2c all purpose flour
    1/2 tsp salt
    3 tbsp olive oil
    3/4 water

    Mix and roll out and heat basically. They taste really good!

    ReplyDelete

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