Carnitas Tacos Recipes

Steps:

• Carnitas: Trim fat from pork. Cut pork into 2- to 3-inch pieces; transfer to a 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in onion, orange juice, cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, oregano, and cayenne.
• Cover and cook on Low 8 to 10 hours, or on High 4 to 5 hours. Transfer pork to a large bowl; shred using 2 forks. Add enough cooking liquid from slow cooker to moisten.
• Lime Crema: Add 2 tablespoons lime juice to a small bowl. Stir in yogurt and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Dust with chili powder.
• Tacos: Serve pork in tortillas with cabbage, red onion, and pico de gallo (if using). Garnish with crema and lime zest.

Steps:

• Cut roast in half; place in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Pour tomatoes over top. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender., Remove meat from slow cooker; shred with 2 forks. Skim fat from cooking juices. Return meat to slow cooker; heat through. Using a slotted spoon, place 1/2 cup on each tortilla; top with cheese. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan melt lard over moderate heat. Add pork, salt and pepper and simmer until tender. Cook about an hour, being careful not to crisp the meat. Remove pork and set aside until cool. Shred the meat by hand or with tines of a fork. Remove and discard any remaining fat. Transfer to a medium saucepan, add the Arbol salsa and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently. Serve or assemble within a toasted corn tortilla to make taco. Carnitas can stay refrigerated for up to five days before assembling within a taco.
• Preheat broiler. Place tomatoes and tomatillos on a baking sheet. Broil, turning occasionally until charred all over, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and cook until onions are soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender. Puree and then strain. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled. Arbol salsa can be stored in the refrigerator 3 to 5 days, or frozen for weeks.

Steps:

• Trim any thick fat from the outside of the pork butt. Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes. Discard any cubes that are pure fat, but don't try to trim all of the fat out of the meat.
• Put the pork in a large pot. Add the water the strips of orange zest, garlic, onion, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, bay leaves, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cloves. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Skim off any scum that forms on the surface. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, until the pork is very soft, adding more water if necessary to keep the meat submerged. Season with salt.
• Bring to a gentle boil and cook until the water has evaporated about 30 minutes. Cook a little longer to fry the meat slightly. (Note: if you want extra-crispy carnitas, fry approximately 25 minutes.) Watch carefully to prevent burning.
• Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. Put the meat in a fine strainer and push gently with a wooden spoon to remove any excess fat. Discard the fat.
• Fold a few tablespoons of carnitas inside each tortilla and top each taco with cilantro, onion and salsa.

Steps:

• Toss pork in bowl of slow cooker with salt, black pepper, and dried oregano to coat.
• Placed onion atop pork.
• Cover slow cooker and cook pork on low setting until meat is very tender and falling apart, about 6 hours.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to cutting board.
• Discard onion pieces.
• Using fingers or fork, shred pork.
• Transfer carnitas to platter.
• Place avocado slices, cilantro sprigs, and sliced red bell pepper, if desired, alongside.
• Wrap corn tortillas in damp kitchen towel; microwave until warm, about one minute.
• Serve carnitas with warm tortillas and tomatillo salsa.