Carnitas Taco From 'Tacolicious'
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2- to 3-inch cubes
- 1 cup sliced yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup lard
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Corn tortillas, warmed, for serving
- Chopped white onion, chopped fresh cilantro, salsa of choice, and lime wedges, for serving
- Put the pork in a nonreactive Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot with a lid. Add the onion, garlic, sugar, salt, oregano, bay leaf, orange juice, and lemon juice and toss to coat the meat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Bring the pork to room temperature. Heat the lard in a small pan over medium heat until it melts, then pour it over the pork. Cover the pot, place over medium-low heat, and cook the pork for about 3 hours, until the pork begins to pull apart easily when tested with a fork.
- Remove from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a bowl. Discard the cooking liquid and clean the pot. Using a couple of forks, shred the pork a bit but not completely, removing any large chunks of fat.
- Return the pot to the stove top over high heat and add the oil. At the minute the oil begins to smoke, using tongs or a spoon and working in batches to avoid crowding, carefully add some of the meat to the hot oil and cook, turning as needed, for about 4 minutes, until crisp on all sides. (If some onions are still attached, don't worry about it.)
- Serve with the tortillas, onion, cilantro, salsa, and lime.
pork shoulder, onion, garlic, dark brown sugar, kosher salt, oregano, bay leaf, freshly squeezed orange juice, freshly squeezed lemon juice, lard, vegetable oil, tortillas, white onion
Taken from www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/09/carnitas-taco-from-tacolicious.html (may not work)