The key to a restaurant-worthy taco night is carnitas tacos. They're stuffed with meltingly delicious pork and have beautiful, crunchy edges. Just make your carnitas in a slow cooker (it's incredibly easy) and top them with fresh garnishes.
THE BEST CARNITAS TACOS
Carnitas tacos are certainly familiar to you if you enjoy delicious Mexican food. Wrapped in a toasty tortilla blanket, juicy shredded pork It's then garnished with freshly chopped onion and cilantro.
So don't restrict yourself to a Mexican restaurant or taco truck for your taco fix. You can replicate the same flavors and sensations at home.
Now come the handmade carnitas tacos. Because of the slow cooker, the pork is meltingly soft with precisely crisp edges. Just mix in all of your ingredients, let it simmer all day, and then crisp it up on the grill for a few minutes before taco night. Taco-truck style, tuck the carnitas into warm tortillas and top with simple, fresh toppings.
HOW TO MAKE CARNITAS TACOS
To begin, let's make certain you're buying the appropriate kind of pork. Because of the increased fat content, carnitas are often made from pork shoulder or butt. This helps the meat stay moist and soft during cooking.
Further information on how to season and cook your pork can be found in my carnitas recipe. When it's finished broiling in the oven, it's time to make the tacos.
Make a batch of warm tortillas to serve with your carnitas. Garnish with freshly chopped onions and cilantro. Then finish with a squeeze of tangy lime juice. This is your traditional carnitas taco recipe.
But if you want to amp up the flavor, stay tuned for extra toppings like cheese and, of course, guacamole!
GET CREATIVE WITH TACO TOPPINGS
While onions and cilantro are traditional toppings for carnitas tacos, there's no reason to stop there.
- Tortillas: They include my freshly produced cassava flour tortillas and maize tortillas. Large butter lettuce leaves, on the other hand, are a low-carb choice that tastes just as good.
- Fresh dips: Serve with a scoop of fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, or salsa.
- Cheeses: My favorite is cotija, but you can also use queso fresco.
SUPER TASTY CARNITAS TACOS
Ingredients
CARNITAS RECIPE
- 4 pounds skinless, boneless pork shoulder or butt
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 orange, juiced
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded and finely diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
CARNITAS TACOS
- ½ cup red onion, finely diced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 6 tortillas
- limes, for garnish
Instructions
CARNITAS
- In a small bowl place oregano, cumin, black pepper, salt, and chili powder, then mix thoroughly.
- Rub the spice mixture generously around the entire pork shoulder and place in the slow cooker.
- Top with pork with the onion, minced garlic, jalapeno, and orange juice in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on the low setting for 8-10 hours, or high heat for 5-6 hours. The meat should be tender and nearly falling apart.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker to a large cutting board and use two forks to shred the meat. (Don't get rid of the liquid as you will be using it later)
- Place the shredded pork on a baking sheet.
- Pour 1 cup of the reserved slow cooker liquid over the pork to season.
- Broil for 5-10 minutes on high heat until the meat becomes golden browned and crispy on the edges.
CARNITAS TACOS
- Serve immediately with tortillas, freshly diced onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice.
- Note: you'll likely have have leftover carnitas. You can make more tacos or enjoy the carnitas in burritos or on salads. You can also store it in the fridge and then reheat to enjoy later.
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