I cannot turn down a good taco. I’m not talking the crunchy shelled, “ground beef” varieties peddled by your corner Taco Bell. It’s the soft corn tortillas (perhaps doubled up), the pile of slow-cooked meat filling and those bright, fresh toppings that suit my fancy. Unfortunately we have not discovered our “taco spot” in town. It seems like everyone who is a fan, seeks out the place that becomes theirs. Taco trucks, taquerias, sometimes disguised in little tiendas- that is where you find the real deal. We are hopeful that we will find “our” place here someday. In the meantime, I can’t get too glum since I am married to someone who shares my love for tacos and has mastered cooking one of my favorite varieties: carnitas. I shadowed his process and documented it to share with fellow taco connoisseurs. This is a dish that you should cook on a Sunday when you are hanging around the house. It’s slow-going, but worth it in the end. 
Carnitas Tacos
Ingredients
- 2lb Pork shoulder
- 5 cloves garlic
- several dried chiles
- 2 tsp. white pepper
- 1 tsp. coriander
- 2 tsp. paprika
- 1 bottle Mexican Coca Cola
- package small corn tortillas
- cilantro
- white onion
- limes
- pickled veggies (optional, link to recipe below)
- Heat oven to 200 degrees. Rub down the pork with the spices. Pour cola over top and add the chilies and garlic. In the picture you can see I used my enameled cast iron stock pot. This is the ideal dish to cook in, as you will be using the stove top after its cooked in the oven. If you don’t have something similar, use a glass baking dish (preferably with a lid) and then you can use a skillet for the end portion.
Cook the pork for 4-5 hours. Once the pork is falling apart, it’s ready for the next step.- If using a glass baking dish in the oven, transfer to a wide, deep skillet or stock pot. Place on the stove top over medium heat without the lid. Simmer until most of the juices and cola have evaporated, approx. 15 minutes.
- Once most of the juices have evaporated and what is left is a little fat, crank the heat up to high and “fry” for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom for those tasty browned bits. The meat should look moist, but not dripping.
- Steam corn tortillas in microwave or crisp in a skillet. Our method is wrapping about 10 tortillas in a wet papertowel and microwaving for about 1.5 minutes.
Top with your favorite toppings. We always have cilantro, diced white onion and limes. This time I made some quick pickled veggies (a la Muchas Gracias, for my Oregon friends). You can find the recipe I used here. http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2014/10/pickled-jalapeno-chile-recipe/
Kyle chopping cilantro with one of his hand forged knives.
Tinker and Taste 