Carnitas Tacos or Rice Bowls with Corn Salad
Carnitas Tacos or Rice Bowls with Corn Salad
This is really just a recipe for carnitas: a wonderful way to enjoy a pork shoulder roast or picnic roast. You can eat carnitas very simply (seriously, try it with some diced onion and cilantro on a tortilla), but we find ourselves eating it most frequently as a taco with a simple corn salad and some pickled red onion. We make this dish year-round with sweet corn we freeze in summer, and it brings the most wonderful brightness into our homes in the colder season months.
If you are looking for a heavier meal (or one that packs up easily for lunches), swap out the tortillas for 3 cups of cooked rice and build a rice bowl with your carnitas, corn salad, and pickled red onion. We also like to go this route as a way to add more veggies than would fit on a tortilla: halved cherry tomatoes, shredded cabbage, and sliced radishes could all be added to your burrito bowl.
Serves 8
Takes 4 hours (most of it inactive)
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 - 1/3 cup bacon fat, pork lard, or vegetable oil
3-4 pound picnic roast (or pork shoulder), cut into 2-inch chunks
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, halved
1 lime, halved
1 jalapeno, halved
1 medium onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups chicken stock
4 cups water
Tortillas (or 3 cups cooked rice)
Other crunchy veggies (quartered cherry tomatoes, shredded cabbage, sliced radish), optional
Pickled Red Onions:
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Sweet Corn Salad:
4 cups cooked sweet corn (from 6-8 ears of corn; thawed frozen corn kernels are also fine)
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup diced cilantro
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a Dutch Oven, heat bacon fat (or lard or oil) over medium high heat. Add pork pieces, being sure not to crowd them in the skillet. You may have to do this in two batches. Season well with salt and pepper (about 1 tablespoon total salt and 1/2 teaspoon total pepper for both batches). Cook pork until well-browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.
Return all pork to the Dutch oven and squeeze the orange and lime halves to add juice to the pan. Drop in the remains of the oranges and limes. Add jalapeno, onion, garlic, cumin, and oregano. Cover with chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 2 1/2 hours over low heat just to maintain a gentle simmer.
While the pork cooks, prepare your pickled onions. Place onion in a large mason jar or small bowl. Combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over high heat, stirring until sugar and salt are dissolved. Pour mixture over onions and allow to sit (on counter or in fridge) until ready to use.
Prepare the corn salad by combining all ingredients in a medium bowl. Chill until ready to use.
When the pork is finished cooking, preheat your broiler to high. Remove the pork from the Dutch oven, reserving 1 cup of the strained cooking liquid. Shred the pork and place it on an aluminum-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with cooking liquid and broil for 3-5 minutes until well-browned and a little crispy.
Serve carnitas with corn salad and pickled onions on tortillas or over rice. Feel free to add more crunchy veggies if you like.
Recipe by Lauren Rudersdorf of The Leek & The Carrot
Lauren is a grant writer and recipe developer for Edible Madison where her Cook at Home column brings together voices and inspiration from across the region. She is a fierce advocate for local farms, local food, and cooking with the seasons. After ten years of owning and operating an organic CSA vegetable farm with her husband Kyle, Lauren draws her inspiration from the land and bounty available here in Wisconsin.