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...