Tacos de Carnitas

Serves: 6 to 8
Time: 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients

• 3 pounds pork shoulder, either butt or picnic
• 7 strips orange zest
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped, plus finely chopped onion for garnish
• 1 ¼ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cinnamon stick, preferably Mexican canela
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 ½ teaspoons crushed dried oregano leaves, preferably Mexican
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 24 small corn tortillas, warmed, for serving
• Chopped cilantro for garnish
• Pickled onions
• Salsa for garnish

Preparation

1. Trim any thick fat from surface of pork. Cut meat into 1-inch cubes, discarding any that are pure fat. Put pork in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches, orange zest, garlic, chopped onion, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, bay leaves, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the cloves.

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Skim off any scum that forms on surface. Simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, until pork is very soft; add water if necessary to keep meat submerged. Season with salt, then continue to cook until water has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Cook a little longer to fry meat slightly; cook even longer if you prefer crisper meat. Stir often and add a bit of water if meat sticks or seems about to burn.

3. Remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Spoon a few tablespoons of carnitas onto each tortilla. Top each taco with cilantro, finely chopped onion and salsa. Serve.

Notes

Put the meat under a broiler at the end to get crispy