This is a recipe that I’ve been working on for a little bit now and I think I’m at a place with it where I’m ready to share it. I’ve tweaked a few things here and there each time and I think this princess is finally ready for the ball. The first time I made this it was actually in burrito form for my husband’s birthday. He said (and he is extremely honest with me so this is real… hahah) that it was the best burrito he has ever had, hands down…. And we live in burrito-land Southern California! SO if you want to make it a burrito I suggest putting all the ingredients inside and then covering the burrito with the salsa verde, a little cheese, and serving it “mojado” which means wet.
For the salsa- you can buy salsa verde if you are short on time but let me tell you, this salsa kind of makes the whole dish. Also, I would strongly suggest using this recipe next time it’s your turn to do the chips and salsa for a party!
You will need:
For the carnitas:
Dry rub (1 Tbs each of salt, onion powder, garlic salt, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika. 2 Tbs brown sugar, 1 tsp cayenne pepper)
3 lb pork shoulder (bone-in, or pork loin… really any cut of meat will turn out pretty good)
2 Cups orange juice
½ Cup white wine
2-3 Cups chicken stock (enough to cover the pork once in crock-pot)
1 Medium onion
3-4 Garlic cloves
For the salsa:
About 10-12 tomatillos (husked and rinsed)
1 Poblano pepper (stem and seeds removed)
1 Jalapeno (stem and half of the seeds removed)
About 3-4 cloves of garlic (peeled)
1 Medium onion (chopped)
1 Cup fresh cilantro leaves
¾ Tbs salt (plus sprinkle for roasting)
1 tsp sugar or honey
Black pepper
Olive Oil
Splash of water or stock
For the fixings:
Avocado and corn salsa (combine cubed avocado with cooked corn niblets, chopped tomatoes, green onions, a little lime, salt, and cilantro)
Sliced radishes
Cotija cheese (or queso fresco)
Sliced green cabbage
Lime wedges
Chopped fresh cilantro
Small corn tortillas
First get your dry rub on to your pork. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl and evenly spread over your entire piece of pork. Use ALL of the rub and really RUB it in! Place in the fridge for at least one hour or overnight.
Don’t wash that skillet just yet! We want all the goodness left in it from the dry rub and pork! Reduce the heat to medium and pour in your white wine, being sure to scrape up any bits that may be at the bottom of your pan. Let the wine cook out for about 5 minutes and pour into your crock-pot.
Now, toss in your onion, garlic, orange juice, and stock to cover the meat. Cook on low for 6 hours. (high for 4 hours)
Once your pork has slow-cooked pull it out of its cooking liquid and transfer to a plate. Using two forks, gently shred the meat. It should basically fall apart, place shredded meat and any juices that have developed back into the slow cooker and let sit on warm until you are ready to assemble your tacos. You will have a lot of liquid that you won’t actually end up eating but that will just keep your meat nice and tender while it sits and awaits it’s turn to be crisped, so don’t dump it.
- I ALWAYS “crisp” up the meat before serving. I do this by heating a little oil in a skillet and cooking a thin layer of meat over high heat until slightly browned. Repeat when you use up each batch.
- Make sure you warm your tortillas in the oven on low. Just wrap in foil and place straight on your rack.
- Less is actually more in this instance, overstuffed tacos are the worst.
Enjoy now, OR the next morning for breakfast tacos! Just add eggs! We like em scrambled for this one.
