Slow-Cooked Carnitas Tacos with Queso Fresco

With fresh toppings and delicious spices, these pulled pork tacos are just the thing to make when you need to feed a crowd.
By The Woks of Life

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Carnitas tacos are the PERFECT thing to make for a giant group of people (good thing I basically made this in my apartment alone and now have two giant tupperware’s full of it. I have no regrets).

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It’s incredibly easy to make…involving only a few minutes of prep, and very little active cooking time. After browning the pieces of pork shoulder, water is added to the pot along with a few seasoning ingredients. You bring the pot to a boil, throw the whole shebang in the oven, and forget about it for the next 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

With that, you’re rewarded with the most awesome carnitas tacos ever. If you’re not into tacos, you can make burritos, quesadillas, or serve the carnitas over rice and beans. Sky’s the limit, people!

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Slow-Cooked Carnitas Tacos with Queso Fresco


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  • Author: The Woks of Life
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Description

With fresh toppings and delicious spices, these pulled pork tacos are just the thing to make when you need to feed a crowd.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4-inch chunks, 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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, until the pork is tender and falling apart.
  3. 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.
  • Category: Main
  • Cuisine: Mexican

 

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