No-Waste Tacos de Carnitas With Salsa Verde
Our carnitas recipe is easier than the traditional bucket-of-lard method, and produces results that are juicy and flavorful with plenty of browned crispy bits.
Ingredients
Pork Braising
- 1
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 275°F.
- 2
Season pork with [1 tablespoon] salt and place in a 9x13-inch glass baking dish.
- 3
Split orange into quarters and squeeze juice over pork.
- 4
Nestle squeezed orange pieces, onion quarters, garlic, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick into dish.
- 5
Pour vegetable oil over surface.
- 6
Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until pork is fork tender, about .
Onion-Cilantro Prep
- 7
Combine diced onion with chopped cilantro.
- 8
Refrigerate until needed.
Pork Straining & Shredding
- 9
Set large fine-mesh strainer over a 1-quart measuring cup or bowl.
- 10
Remove and discard orange peel, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves.
- 11
Transfer pork, rendered fat, and cooking liquid to strainer and let drain for .
- 12
Transfer pork back to baking dish.
- 13
Skim fat from surface and add back to pork.
- 14
Shred pork into large chunks with fingers or two forks.
- 15
Season to taste with salt and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Salsa Verde
- 16
Add tomatillos, onion quarters, garlic, and jalapeños to saucepan with strained pork liquid.
- 17
Add water until it is about 1 inch below the top of the vegetables.
- 18
Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until all vegetables are completely tender, about .
- 19
Blend salsa until smooth using immersion blender or countertop blender.
- 20
Season to taste with salt and refrigerate until ready to use.
Broiling Carnitas
- 21
Preheat broiler to high with oven rack 4 inches below heating element.
- 22
Broil pork until brown and crisp on surface, about .
- 23
Remove pork, stir with a spoon to expose new bits to heat, and broil again until crisp, [6 more minutes].
- 24
Tent with foil to keep warm.
Tortilla Heating
- 25
Preheat an 8-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot.
- 26
Working one tortilla at a time, dip tortilla in bowl filled with water.
- 27
Transfer to hot skillet and cook until water evaporates from first side and tortilla is browned in spots, about .
- 28
Flip and cook until dry, about [15 seconds longer].
- 29
Transfer to a tortilla warmer or wrap in a clean dish towel.
- 30
Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Assembly
- 31
Stack two tortillas on top of each other.
- 32
Add [2-3 tablespoons] carnitas mixture to center.
- 33
Top with salsa verde, chopped onions and cilantro, and queso fresco.
- 34
Serve with lime wedges.