Carnitas Tacos -

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Carnitas Tacos

These Carnitas Tacos are a slow cooked to perfection. They're the perfect recipe to make on a chilly weekend!

Prep Time30

Cook Time4

Total Time4 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: carnitas, pork, pork shoulder, taco

Servings: servings

Calories: 256kcal

Author: David

Ingredients

2-3 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
5-6 pound pork shoulder
1 white onion coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic peeled and thinly sliced
1-2 chipotle peppers finely chopped (see note below)
1 Tbsp adobo sauce see note below
1 ½ Tbsp juniper berries lightly crushed
2 bay leaves
½ Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 cups chicken broth

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Place a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil and heat until oil is hot.
Place the pork shoulder in the pan and sear each side for about 2-3 minutes. Continue rotating until all sides of the pork shoulder have been seared.
Reduce heat to medium and add the chopped onions. Cook for 6-8 minutes.
Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the chicken broth (garlic, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, juniper berries, bay leaves, chili powder, oregano, thyme and cumin) to the pot.
Add chicken broth to the pot. Then add water until the water is about ¾ of the way up the side of the pork shoulder. Stir the pot gently.
Cover and place pot in the oven for 4 hours.
Once cooked, transfer the pork shoulder to a large cutting board. Discard the remaining liquid.
Once pork is cool enough to handle, shred it using 2 forks.
To prepare, place about 2 cups of pork in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2-3 Tbsp of chicken stock and cook until stock has evaporated and pork is slightly crispy.
Serve in tacos or burritos along with shredded lettuce, guacamole, corn salsa, pico de gallo, cheese and Chipotle rice.

Notes

Cans of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are common in the Mexican food aisle. Chipotle peppers are very spicy, so I usually only use 1-2 peppers for this recipe. I do add about 1 Tbsp of the adobo sauce from the can into the pot as well. The leftover peppers and adobo sauce freeze quite well.

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