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Pork Carnitas soft tacos
Posted on 6/17/13 at 7:50 pm
Posted on 6/17/13 at 7:50 pm
After a recent vacation in CA, I tasted these delicious soft tacos in southern and central CA. I attempted to replicate the tacos using the advice from the owner of one restaurant and the food truck chef at the other location. Basically, the traditional recipe calls for braising the pork shoulder, pulling or chopping and browning off the pork prior to loading up the taco, or so I was told. I decided to cook the shoulder like I would pulled pork, only wrapping in foil and a liquid mixture after a majority of cooking process had completed. I will spare the board pics of the raw pulled pork, rubbed and placed on the grill. They were served on warmed corn tortillas, with raw red cabbage, red onions soaked in vinegar and a cilantro, fire roasted cubanelle peppers, avocado and lime sauce. The cooked pork was pulled, lightly dusted with rub and braising liquid was mixed in as well.
Posted on 6/17/13 at 8:08 pm to jmon
Yum! Gorgeous end product.
Avocado and lime sauce sounds right up my alley. Is there a recipe? Or is it lime sauce with avocados on the tacos?
Avocado and lime sauce sounds right up my alley. Is there a recipe? Or is it lime sauce with avocados on the tacos?
Posted on 6/17/13 at 8:17 pm to jmon
Looks great. How'd they taste? Were you happy with the outcome?
Posted on 6/17/13 at 8:20 pm to Darla Hood
Pulled the recipe from the food truck guy and had to improvise for lack of regional ingredients. I am not shy about sharing the recipe as someone may have some advice to offer on improving the recipe.
This is what I came up with:
Cilantro-lime-avocado sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/8 cup Ceasar dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 4 limes or 1/2 cup lime juice
Zest of 1/2 lime
2/3 bunch cilantro, tops only, no hard stalk
1 avocado, peeled of course
3 Cubanelle peppers, grilled and peeled of charred skin and seeded
Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. I used an immersion blender because I own one!
This is what I came up with:
Cilantro-lime-avocado sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/8 cup Ceasar dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 4 limes or 1/2 cup lime juice
Zest of 1/2 lime
2/3 bunch cilantro, tops only, no hard stalk
1 avocado, peeled of course
3 Cubanelle peppers, grilled and peeled of charred skin and seeded
Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth. I used an immersion blender because I own one!
Posted on 6/17/13 at 8:24 pm to Mo Jeaux
We were very pleased with the outcome. The carnitas spice is not what you would expect from Mexican food. It is more comparable to roasting a pork at home and is milder in flavoring, not like taco seasoning you might think. When you put it together with red cabbage, vinegar red onions and cilantro, lime and pepper sauce, well, that's where it hits the desired flavor profile!
Posted on 6/17/13 at 9:43 pm to jmon
I see a One-Touch Gold, a WSM, and what's that in under the cover to the right?
ETA: Oh yeah, I would definitely let you cook for me...
This post was edited on 6/17/13 at 9:44 pm
Posted on 6/17/13 at 9:56 pm to jmon
Looks awesome. We made some last week and I put a chipotle mayo over the slaw. It was very nice.
Posted on 6/17/13 at 9:58 pm to Jax-Tiger
quote:
what's that in under the cover to the right?
A very clean, very rarely used 7 year old natural gas grill. Soon to be removed to make way for a new grill center incorporating my One Touch Gold Weber grill and WSM, Oklahoma Joe Verticle smoker and a 1970's classic Char Broil Aluminum charcoal grill!
Posted on 6/17/13 at 10:03 pm to jmon
You prep those corn tortillas? They look straight out of the packaging.
Posted on 6/17/13 at 10:12 pm to Gaston
I steamed and toasted the tortillas after taking them out of the pack. I thought about hitting them on the grill real quick, but my wife prefers them just steamed, and a flour tortilla at that. I did not show a pic of the flour tortilla!
Posted on 6/17/13 at 10:35 pm to jmon
Usually carnitas are fried first and then slow cooked but those look awesome
Would tear it up
Would tear it up
Posted on 6/18/13 at 1:28 am to Powerman
guess what i'm doing
SUNDAY,SUNDAY,SUNDAY
SUNDAY,SUNDAY,SUNDAY
Posted on 6/18/13 at 7:34 am to Powerman
quote:
Usually carnitas are fried first and then slow cooked but those look awesome Would tear it up
This. Those aren't carnitas but they got regardless.
Posted on 6/18/13 at 8:04 am to Powerman
quote:
Usually carnitas are fried first and then slow cooked but those look awesome
I thought the dish came from boiling them at low temp in the lard, then upping the fire at the end to crisp them. I order carnitas at every mexican joint I go to, that's my thing - I love them. I was sure they used some sort of short cut, but the hot plate with onions made me think they just toss some precooked pork with some raw onions to finish it in the oven.
Posted on 6/18/13 at 8:49 am to Gaston
quote:The ones here are great, but I am not sure I am eating them right. It's just pork chunks and tortillas. I get the Chili Verde version since those at least have some sauce.
I order carnitas at every mexican joint I go to, that's my thing - I love them
Posted on 6/18/13 at 9:32 am to AlxTgr
I eat them I would fajitas, it just doesn't have the peppers. I usually just put some pico de gallo and a bit of rice on each 'taco'.
Posted on 6/18/13 at 9:39 am to Gaston
quote:
quote: Usually carnitas are fried first and then slow cooked but those look awesome
Thanks.
The chef that owned the restaurant we were at in Southern California came to our table and was explaining the specials; it was a Wednesday night and about 45 minutes till closing. He asked where we were from. We said NOLA and he proceeded to say he had done some classical training there as a young man, and suggested he'd like to cook some off the menu items for us. He is originally from southern Mexico, and cooked me a dish his mom called "Birthday Tacos". He said the carnitas are pork shoulder marinated overnight, browned off, and then braised in the same sauce in a cast iron dutch oven all day. After the pork is pulled, his mom would sear it slightly, just prior to putting on a corn tortilla.
My method was to dry rub, cook low and slow to develop a bark (sort of like browning or searing). I developed a marinade he described and placed the cooked shoulder in a foil wrap and poured the marinade over it and sealed it tight. Went another hour or so until internal temp hit 190°, and then took it off the grill to rest. Once I pulled the pork, I took the liquid reserve that was left and poured it over the pork.
The chef described to me that, as anywhere, people adapt recipes and make it there own and he had done this as well and felt that using the spices and marinade as a base is what makes these tacos really good. There was also a shredded beef taco he made that was incredible, and I am currently trying to acquire the recipe from him.
Posted on 6/18/13 at 9:40 am to Gaston
quote:I end up doing that and watching the staff to see if they are giving me that he has no idea what he's doing stare. I don't like pico though. Ends up being just tortilla and meat. Still love it. May hit Los Portales for lunch.
I eat them I would fajitas, it just doesn't have the peppers. I usually just put some pico de gallo and a bit of rice on each 'taco'.
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