Tacos De Carnitas

Name: Tacos De Carnitas
Ingredients: 4 1/2 lbs pork butt; 6 cups water; 7 slices orange zest; 6 garlic cloves, minced; 1 1/2 onions, diced; 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes; 1 1/2 cinnamon sticks, preferably Mexican; 2 bay leaves; 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano leaves, crushed; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt; salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 24 small corn tortillas, warmed; chopped fresh cilantro; finely chopped onion; fresh salsa verde or hot sauce

16 ingredients

5 steps

Ingredients

4 1/2 lbs pork butt
6 cups water
7 slices orange zest
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 onions, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cinnamon sticks, preferably Mexican
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano leaves, crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
24 small corn tortillas, warmed
chopped fresh cilantro
finely chopped onion
fresh salsa verde or hot sauce

Directions

1

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.
2

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.
3

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.
4

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.
5

Fold a few tablespoons of carnitas inside each tortilla and top each taco with cilantro, onion and salsa.