This is a print preview of "La Taqueria Carnitas" recipe.

La Taqueria Carnitas Recipe
by Global Cookbook

La Taqueria Carnitas
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  Servings: 9

Ingredients

  • 1 x boned, tied pork shoulder or possibly butt (4 to 5 lb.)
  • 2 x onions (1 pound total), peeled and quartered
  • 4 stalk celery (including leaves), rinsed and cut into chunks
  • 4 clv garlic, peeled
  • 2 x dry bay leaves
  • 2 tsp dry thyme About 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 c. lowfat milk

Directions

  1. Rinse pork and put in a 6- to 8-qt pan. Add in onions, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, 1 tsp. salt, and sufficient water to cover meat-2 1/2 to 3 1/2 qts.
  2. Bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce heat, and simmer till meat is very tender when pierced, 2 to 2 1/2 hrs. With slotted spoons, transfer pork to a 9- by 13-inch pan; reserve cooking juices. Throw away string, and use 2 forks to pull meat into large chunks. Pour lowfat milk over meat.
  3. Bake pork in a 325 oven till drippings are browned, about 1 hour, stirring and scraping pan occasionally.
  4. Meanwhile, pour reserved juices through a strainer into a bowl; throw away residue. Skim and throw away fat. Return juices to pan. Boil over high heat till reduced to 2 c., about 45 min.
  5. When pork drippings are browned, add in 1 c. of the reduced juices; scrape drippings free and stir meat, breaking into smaller pcs. Bake till juices have evaporated and drippings are browned, about 15 min, stirring occasionally. Repeat step, using remaining juices, and cook till meat edges are crisp and browned, 15 to 20 min longer. Season to taste with salt.
  6. Prep and Cook Time: About 41/2 hrs
  7. Notes: At La Taqueria in San Francisco, owner Miguel Jara cooks pork in cauldrons of bubbling lard till tender, then roasts it to make crowd-pleasing carnitas. At home, braise the pork, then roast till tender-crisp. For best results, select meat with the most fat marbling; fat is rendered during roasting, making the carnitas moist and crisp. Garnish tacos with cotija cheese, Cafi Azul tomatillo-avocado salsa), and diced tomatoes. If cooking meat up to 3 days ahead, refrigerateairtight; freeze to store longer.