Carnitas Tacos with Slow Cooked Pork
These pork carnitas tacos are delicious and beyond simple. Pork shoulder is browned, covered with water and spices and slow cooked in the oven until tender (and crisp on top)!
Servings: 12
Calories: 444kcal
Ingredients
- 4 lbs boneless pork shoulder (Cut into 4-inch chunks and trimmed of excess fat. Keep the skin if you can get it!)
- salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 1 small head red cabbage (shredded)
- 1 small orange (juiced and zested)
- olive oil
- flour or corn tortillas (toasted)
- chopped avocado
- cilantro
- queso fresco
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Rub the pork thoroughly with salt. In a large ovenproof pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat and sear the pork in batches until it’s browned on all sides.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Add all the pork back into the Dutch oven, along with the spices, bay leaves, and garlic, and cover the meat 2/3 of the way up with water. Cover and bring to a boil on the stove. Once boiling, place the Dutch oven into the oven uncovered. Cook 3 ½ to 4 hours, checking the pork every hour (give it a stir and add more water if the pot starts drying out), until the pork is tender and falling apart.
- Toss the shredded cabbage with orange juice, orange zest, olive oil, and salt to taste. To serve, take a toasted tortilla shell and add some of the carnitas, cabbage slaw, avocado, cilantro, and queso fresco. Serve with a squeeze of lime.
Notes
Each serving is estimated at about 2 tacos.
Nutrition
Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 757mg | Potassium: 963mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 610IU | Vitamin C: 30.4mg | Calcium: 121mg | Iron: 2.6mg