| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Cook: | 2 hr |
| Yield: | 3 cups |
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lard
- 2 1/2 pounds pork butt, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup Chile de Arbol Salsa, recipe follows
- Corn Tortillas, recipe follows
- Salsa Fresca, recipe follows
Instructions
- Melt the lard in a large deep saucepan over moderate heat. Add the pork, salt and pepper, and simmer until tender, being careful not to crisp the meat, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. (Reserve the lard for future use.) When cool enough to handle, shred the meat by hand or with the tines of a fork. Remove and discard any remaining fat. Transfer to a medium saucepan, add the Arbol Salsa and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, 5 to 8 minutes. Carnitas can be kept in the refrigerator up to 5 days and reheated before assembling the tacos.
- For Carnitas tacos, dip 24 small corn tortillas in water, shaking off excess. Toast one at a time in a nonstick pan over moderate heat about 1 minute per side. Wrap in a towel to keep warm. For each taco, stack 2 tortillas and layer with warm carnitas, Salsa Fresca, chopped cilantro and avocado slices or simply chopped onion and cilantro.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 26 servings |
| Calories | 396 |
| Total Fat | 40 g |
| Saturated Fat | 16 g |
| Carbohydrates | 0 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 0 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 60 mg |
| Sodium | 183 mg |
Reviews
it sure smells godd i am cooking this now
This recipe was delicious. Just wish there was a way around all the lard. Using some kind of pork stock maybe?
Mine came out a little on the greasy side, but the flavor was wonderful. Carnitas are great to have around as leftovers, too.