Carnitas Street Tacos

200 min · Medium · Serves 1

540 kcal per serving · 32g protein

Crispy-edged slow-cooked pork piled into double-stacked corn tortillas with raw onion, cilantro, and lime. Pure Mexico City street food.

Ingredients

• 200 g Pork shoulder
• Small corn tortillas × 6
• 40 g White onion (finely diced)
• 2 tbsp Fresh cilantro (chopped)
• Lime (cut into wedges) × 1
• Orange × 1
• Garlic cloves × 3
• Bay leaf × 1
• 1 tsp Ground cumin
• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Lard or neutral oil

Method

1. Cut and season the pork

   

   Cut pork shoulder into 5cm chunks. Season liberally with salt, cumin, and oregano.

2. Crush garlic cloves

   

   Crush garlic cloves.

3. Put the pork

   

   Put the pork in a dutch oven (a heavy pot with a lid) with the garlic and bay leaf.

4. Squeeze in the orange

   

   Squeeze in the orange, drop in the rind too, then add just enough water to barely cover the meat.

5. Cover and simmer on low

   

   Cover and simmer on low for 2.5 hours until fork-tender — the pieces should pull apart easily with a fork.

6. Remove pork

   

   Remove pork (discard bay leaf and orange rind).

7. Heat lard or oil

   

   Heat lard or oil in a heavy pan over high heat.

8. Add pork pieces

   

   Add pork pieces and let them crisp without moving for 3 minutes, then toss and crisp another 2 minutes until deeply caramelized.

9. Warm the tortillas

   

   Warm tortillas directly over a flame or in a dry pan for 30 seconds per side until softened and slightly charred at the edges.

10. Double-stack two tortillas per taco

    

    Double-stack two tortillas per taco.

11. Pile crispy carnitas

    

    Pile crispy carnitas in the center. Top with diced onion and cilantro.

12. Serve with lime wedges

    

    Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over.