Pork confit tacos (carnitas)

The crispiness of the pork with my family guacamole, the salsa and of course tortillas... paradise!

Credit: The Latin Kitchen

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  4 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 2 cups lard, melted
• 1 white onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1 cup (250 ml) cola (soft drink)
• 900 grams (2 lbs) boneless pork shoulder, trimmed
• 12  15cm corn tortillas
• 2 limes, cut into 12 wedges
• Coriander (cilantro) leaves, for garnish

Guacamole with Tomatillos

• 1 cup canned tomatillos, finely chopped
• 2 large ripe avocados, peeled and chopped
• 2-3 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
• Juice of 1 lime

Salsa

• 3 large tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

Instructions

1. For the guacamole, in a large bowl, stir together tomatillos, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. For the salsa, in a large bowl, stir together tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, coiander, lime juice, and olive oil.  Season with salt, and reserve for plating.

3. For the pork, preheat oven to 220C / 425F.

4. In a large saucepan, stir together lard, onions, garlic, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, orange slices and cola. Add pork shoulder to the pan, cover, and cook over medium heat for 3.5 hours, or until pork is fork tender. Remove cover and increase heat to medium-high. Continue cooking for 15 minutes. 

5. Remove pork from lard, reserving cooking liquid. Using a sharp knife, chop pork roughly.

6. Transfer ¼ cup (60 ml) of the reserved lard to a large ovenproof pan and heat over medium heat. Transfer the chopped pork into the pan and cook over medium heat for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pork starts to crisp.  Season pork with salt and transfer pan to the preheated oven. Cook for 7-8 minutes, or until pork is crispy.

7. In the last 5 minutes of cooking time, transfer tortillas to a parchment-lined baking sheet and slide sheet into the oven, to toast the tortillas until golden. (You can also cook these briefly in a frying pan, or over a gas flame)

8. Spoon crispy pork confit onto the tortillas. Top with salsa and guacamole. Garnish with coriander and lime wedges.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.