Mexican · Dinner
Crispy Pork Shoulder Tacos
Tacos de Carnitas
Michoacan tacos of pork shoulder slow-simmered in lard with orange, milk, and bay until tender, then crisped in its own fat and piled onto warm corn tortillas with onion, cilantro, and salsa verde.
$
10 minsPrep
50 minsCook
60 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
520Calories
38gProtein
28gFat
24gCarbs
3gSugar
3gFiber
680mgSodium
110mgChol
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Instructions
1
Prep
Cut 440g pork shoulder into 4cm cubes. Husk and rinse 6 tomatillos. Smash 4 garlic cloves. Rough-chop 1/2 white onion for salsa. Finely dice remaining 1/2 white onion for topping. Chop 2 tbsp cilantro. Cut lime into wedges. Measure lard, milk, oregano, salt, and bay leaves.
2
Braise
Place pork, lard, milk, orange juice and halves, bay, garlic, oregano, and salt in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. Add 500ml water to barely cover. Simmer over medium-high heat 5 minutes until surface bubbles steadily. Reduce to medium-low, cook uncovered 40 minutes until liquid reduces almost completely and pork is fork-tender.
3
Char
While pork braises, char 6 tomatillos and 2 serrano chiles in a dry skillet over medium-high heat 6-7 minutes, turning often, until blackened in patches and tomatillos collapse. Blend with 1 tbsp cilantro, rough-chopped onion, and pinch of salt until coarsely textured.
4
Crisp
Once braising liquid nearly evaporates, raise heat to medium-high. Fry pork in rendered fat 8-9 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, until cubes are deeply browned and crisp on multiple sides.
5
Toast
Char 4 corn tortillas directly over gas flame or in a dry skillet over medium-high heat 20 seconds per side until dark spots appear and they become pliable. Stack and cover with a clean towel.
6
Plate
Shred pork roughly on a board, leaving some pieces in chunks. Divide between warm tortillas and top with diced onion, cilantro, and salsa verde. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 440g (15.5 oz) pork shoulder
- 4 tbsp lard or vegetable shortening
- 120ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
- 1 whole orange
- 4 bay leaves
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1.5 tsp fine salt
- 6 whole tomatillos
- 2 serrano chiles
- 60g (2 oz) white onion
- 4 corn tortillas
- 20g (small handful) fresh cilantro
- 1 whole lime