Tacos La Playita Carnitas Recipes

PORK CARNITAS TACOS

Steps:

• Tie the thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine; combine the pork, garlic, bay leaves and thyme bundle in a large Dutch oven. Add the vegetable oil, lime juice, orange juice, 1 cup water and 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low; cover and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.
• Uncover the pot and continue simmering, stirring once or twice, until the pork is tender, about another 1 hour, 15 minutes. Increase the heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 35 more minutes. Discard the thyme bundle and bay leaves, then increase the heat to medium high so the pork starts to fry. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the pork is golden brown and crisp in spots, about 10 more minutes. Serve in tortillas with assorted toppings.
• Combine 1 thinly sliced red onion, 1 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon each coriander seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a small saucepan. Boil 2 minutes; let cool.

CARNITAS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Pat the pork butt dry with a paper towel. Use a large, sharp knife to trim away excess fat. Cut the pork butt into 1" thick slices. Then, cut each slice into 1" cubes.
• Transfer the pork to a 4-5 quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven. Add all of the dry spices, and massage them onto the pork with your hands.
• Add the orange juice, lime juice, and a 1/2 cup water to the Dutch oven and stir to combine. Add the bay leaves, cover, and transfer to the oven.
• Cook for 2 hours. Remove from the oven, and turn on the broiler on high. Have ready a rimmed sheet pan lined with nonstick aluminum foil.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to the prepared sheet pan. Using the tines of a fork, gently press down on the pork to ever-so-slightly break it apart.
• Place the pork under the broiler, and watch closely so that it does not burn. As soon as the pork begins to tinge with dark brown hues and crisps up on the edges, remove it from the oven. Depending on your broiler, this could take anywhere from 1- 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Place the Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-high heat and allow to come to a simmer. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Add the cornstarch slurry to the cooking liquid and allow to simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Either add the pork back to the Dutch oven and stir or brush the sauce lightly over the carnitas. Serve with tortillas and your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!

TACOS LA PLAYITA CARNITAS

Steps:

• Cut the pork butt into 6 or 7 large pieces. Combine salt, pepper, bay leaves and oregano in a small bowl then sprinkle over the pork on all sides, using all the seasoning mixture. This step is best done 1 or even 2 days in advance. Leave uncovered in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• When you are ready to cook, remove pork from the oven 1 hour in advance. Heat lard in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add pork (in batches if necessary, don't crowd the pan) and brown pork on all sides, about 5-8 minutes per side.
• Add remaining ingredients to the pot, then add enough water to cover three-quarters of the way up the side of the pork. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, turning occasionally until pork is pierced easily with a fork, about 3 hours.
• Remove pork from pot, leaving liquid simmering on the stove. When pork is cool enough to touch, shred or cut into bite-sized pieces. Return pork to pot and raise the heat to medium-high. Continue cooking until almost all the liquid has evaporated and all that is left is the rendered fat. Turn the heat to low and fry meat, stirring frequently until edges are crispy and well-browned.

TACOS DE CARNITAS

Steps:

• Trim any thick fat from surface of pork. Cut meat into 1-inch cubes, discarding any that are pure fat. Put pork in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches, orange zest, garlic, chopped onion, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, bay leaves, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the cloves.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Skim off any scum that forms on surface. Simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, until pork is very soft; add water if necessary to keep meat submerged. Season with salt, then continue to cook until water has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Cook a little longer to fry meat slightly; cook even longer if you prefer crisper meat. Stir often and add a bit of water if meat sticks or seems about to burn.
• Remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Spoon a few tablespoons of carnitas onto each tortilla. Top each taco with cilantro, finely chopped onion and salsa. Serve.