Tacos de Carnitas
When Mexican families get together there is a lot of food served to feed a lot of people. Tacos de Carnitas is a dish where tortillas are filled with loads of fresh salsa and then lashing of rich pork, slow cooked, sometimes over a smoky fire, with zingy citrus, loads of fresh herbs, onion and garlic until the pork is super soft sitting in a rich sweet yet tangy sauce. So easy to make. So easy to eat.
Serves 6
Carnitas
1 kg pork shoulder meat
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small orange, halved
2 onions, diced
3 fresh bay leaves
5 garlic cloves, crushed
5 stems oregano
1 cinnamon quill
250ml chicken stock
Salt and pepper
To serve
12 large fresh corn tortillas
Lettuce, finely chopped
Tomato Salsa
Crème fraiche or sour cream
1 onion, diced
½ bunch coriander, chopped
Preheat the oven to 170°C. Slice the pork into 4cm cubes. Heat the oil in a medium oven and fireproof casserole pot over high heat. Season the meat and brown it in the oil. Place the rest of the ingredients for the carnitas in the pot and bring to a boil. Cover with the lid and cook for 2 ½ hours. Increase heat to 220°C. Remove the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes.
To serve, wrap the tortillas in a clean tea towel, place them in a steamer and heat for 10 minutes. Arrange the salsa, crème fraiche, onion and coriander or anything you like in tacos (perhaps forgo the cheese) in bowls. Remove the carnitas from the oven, and check for seasoning. Remove the oranges and herbs from the carnitas. Fork apart the meat until slightly shredded. Using a pair of tongs place a generous serving of carnitas in each tortilla and top with lettuce, salsa, crème fraiche, onion and coriander.
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Tacos de Carnitas
Ingredients
- 1 kg pork shoulder meat
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small orange, halved
- 2 onions, diced
- 3 fresh bay leaves
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 5 stems oregano
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 250ml chicken stock
- Salt and pepper
- 12 large fresh corn tortillas
- Lettuce, finely chopped
- Tomato Salsa
- Crème fraiche or sour cream
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ bunch coriander, chopped
Method
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- Slice the pork into 4cm cubes. Heat the oil in a medium oven and fireproof casserole pot over high heat. Season the meat and brown it in the oil.
- Place the rest of the ingredients for the carnitas in the pot and bring to a boil. Cover with the lid and cook for 2 ½ hours. Increase heat to 220°C. Remove the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes.
- To serve, wrap the tortillas in a clean tea towel, place them in a steamer and heat for 10 minutes. Arrange the salsa, crème fraiche, onion and coriander or anything you like in tacos (perhaps forgo the cheese) in bowls.
- Remove the carnitas from the oven, and check for seasoning. Remove the oranges and herbs from the carnitas.
- Fork apart the meat until slightly shredded. Using a pair of tongs place a generous serving of carnitas in each tortilla and top with lettuce, salsa, crème fraiche, onion and coriander.
