Carnitas Tacos and Guacamole
Description
The perfect reason to get out your slow cooker. If you don’t have one, we have instructions for stove top as well.
Ingredients
Scale
- For the Pork Carnitas
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 2 lb pork butt, cut into 3 inch chunks
- 1 each medium white onion, diced into 1/4 inch pieces, divided
- 2 cups lager beer or chicken stock (unsalted)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 each dried whole mild-medium chile such as ancho or guajillo (optional)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- a 2-inch strip of fresh orange peel, taken off with a peeler, or ¼ of an orange, peel and all
- For the Guacamole
- Avocado
- Lime
- Salt
- To Assemble
- tortillas or taco shells
- chopped parsley or cilantro
- lime
- the rest of the diced onion
Instructions
- 1. Dry off your pork cubes with a paper towel. In a Dutch oven, cast iron pan, or heavy frying pan, saute the pork in oil on medium high heat until well browned. Transfer pork to a slow cooker or a heavy pot with a lid.
- 2. Add half of the diced onion (save the other half of the diced onion to garnish the tacos) and the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker or Dutch oven and stir to combine. Simmer on low for 6-8 hours in the slow cooker, or in a Dutch oven on low for 1 ½- 2 hours, checking and stirring from time to time and adding more beer or chicken stock if necessary. Cook until the pork is completely tender and shreds easily with a fork.
- 3. Once the pork is cooked, preheat your broiler to high. Lightly oil a sheet pan. Remove pork from liquid with a slotted spoon. (Save the liquid!) Place pork on the sheet pan and broil for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup reserved liquid, toss, broil again for 5 minutes or until crispy. Then use a fork to shred the pork.
- 4. Serve in tacos, with some chopped onion and parsley and a squeeze of lime! This pork can also be refrigerated in a sealed container with any remaining liquid for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
- 5. For the guacamole, keep it simple. Simply mash up your avocado, and add salt and lime juice to taste. If you have some cilantro, that would make a great garnish.
Notes
- Not Included in Large Culinary Inspirations Box: Beer or stock, dried whole chile, cumin, coriander, black pepper, chili powder, salt.
- Tips
- • Halve this recipe for the Small Culinary Inspirations Box.
- • To quickly peel garlic, smack the entire head firmly on the cutting board to separate the cloves. Then put the cloves into a large container with a lid, and shake hard for 2 minutes! Like magic, your garlic will be peeled.
- • Did you know: the peel or zest is the most flavorful and nutritious part of citrus fruits!