Carnitas Walking Tacos Recipes

Steps:

• Place the oregano, peppercorns, chiles, bay leaf, canela, garlic, onion and orange in the center of a 1-foot square piece of cheesecloth. Gather up the edges and tie with kitchen twine to secure the aromatics inside the sachet.
• Place the sachet, pork shoulder, pork belly, stock, brown sugar and 4 teaspoons salt in a large heavy pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the pork is tender and shreds easily, about 2 hours.
• Remove and discard the sachet. Transfer the pork shoulder to a rimmed baking sheet.
• Increase the heat to high and continue cooking the pork belly until only the fat remains and the pan juices are completely evaporated, about 15 minutes. Carefully transfer the pork shoulder back to the pot (it's ok if it breaks apart) and fry it in the rendered fat, turning occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pot, until browned on all sides and just beginning to crisp, 10 to 15 minutes; the shoulder will start to shred and that's ok. Most of the pieces should be bite-size with some smaller shredded and super-crisp bits in the mix. Transfer the carnitas with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet.
• Serve the carnitas with tortillas, cilantro, onions, limes, salsa verde and pico de gallo.
• Gently stir the tomatoes, chiles, garlic, onions, cilantro and lime juice in a medium bowl until completely combined. Taste and season with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt and more lime juice if needed. Let the pico sit uncovered to let the flavors meld, about 10 minutes.

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:

• Melt the lard in a large deep saucepan over moderate heat. Add the pork, salt and pepper, and simmer until tender, being careful not to crisp the meat, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. (Reserve the lard for future use.) When cool enough to handle, shred the meat by hand or with the 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, 5 to 8 minutes. Carnitas can be kept in the refrigerator up to 5 days and reheated before assembling the tacos.
• For Carnitas tacos, dip 24 small corn tortillas in water, shaking off excess. Toast one at a time in a nonstick pan over moderate heat about 1 minute per side. Wrap in a towel to keep warm. For each taco, stack 2 tortillas and layer with warm carnitas, Salsa Fresca, chopped cilantro and avocado slices or simply chopped onion and cilantro.

Steps:

• 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 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.