{"id":5050,"date":"2025-05-21T21:08:56","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T05:08:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/?p=5050"},"modified":"2025-06-14T12:32:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T20:32:25","slug":"carnitas-taco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/2025\/05\/21\/carnitas-taco\/","title":{"rendered":"Tacos de Carnitas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Up until now, <strong>beef tongue tacos<\/strong> were the only taco I&#8217;d made\u2014but with a taco party on the horizon, I knew I had to expand my repertoire. Hence,&nbsp;unlocking the classic,&nbsp;<strong>carnitas.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The secret weapon to carnitas is the f<strong>reshly squeezed orange juice<\/strong>, IMO. It not only balances out the pork fat but also adds a refreshing flavor. What&#8217;s more surprising is that I did not add one drop of water, yet the pork shoulder released so much natural juice that it practically braised and bathed itself in a flavorful stew over 6 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background has-background\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-normal-font-size\" style=\"color:#fadbe9\">INGREDIENTS<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>2 lb pork shoulder (boneless, skinless)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>6\u20137 garlic cloves, smashed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2 tsp chili powder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd tbsp dried oregano<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd tbsp ground cumin<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1\u00bd yellow onions, finely minced (divided)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 jalape\u00f1o or serrano, finely minced (deseeded if you prefer mild)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 tsp salt (plus more to taste)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 tsp black pepper<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2 bay leaves<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1-2 cinnamon sticks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Juice of 1 orange<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background has-background is-style-default\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-normal-font-size\" style=\"color:#bea9df\">INSTRUCTIONS<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>1.&nbsp;In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients and rub the mix all over the pork shoulder, let it marinate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight for deeper flavor).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>2 tsp chili powder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd tbsp oregano<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u00bd tbsp cumin<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 tsp salt<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 tsp black pepper<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" data-id=\"5052\"  src=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_174923216-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5052\" srcset=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_174923216-1024x771.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_174923216-300x226.jpg 300w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_174923216-768x578.jpg 768w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_174923216-1536x1157.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_174923216-2048x1542.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" data-id=\"5053\"  src=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_175443317-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5053\" srcset=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_175443317-1024x771.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_175443317-300x226.jpg 300w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_175443317-768x578.jpg 768w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_175443317-1536x1157.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_175443317-2048x1542.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>2.&nbsp;While the pork marinates, mince 1\u00bd onions and 1 jalape\u00f1o or serrano. Juice the orange<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3.&nbsp;Place the pork, garlic, onion, jalape\u00f1o, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks, and orange juice into a Dutch oven. No need to add water\u2014the pork will release plenty of its own juices. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to medium-low heat. Cover and let it cook&nbsp; for 6\u20137 hours, checking occasionally to prevent burning or drying out. Add more salt to taste, if needed<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" data-id=\"5054\"  src=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_181221364-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5054\" srcset=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_181221364-1024x771.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_181221364-300x226.jpg 300w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_181221364-768x578.jpg 768w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_181221364-1536x1157.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_181221364-2048x1542.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" data-id=\"5055\"  src=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_185048478-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5055\" srcset=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_185048478-1024x771.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_185048478-300x226.jpg 300w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_185048478-768x578.jpg 768w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_185048478-1536x1157.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_185048478-2048x1542.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">30mins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" data-id=\"5056\"  src=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_212708339-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5056\" srcset=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_212708339-1024x771.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_212708339-300x226.jpg 300w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_212708339-768x578.jpg 768w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_212708339-1536x1157.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_212708339-2048x1542.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">3hrs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" data-id=\"5057\"  src=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_235950938-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5057\" srcset=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_235950938-1024x771.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_235950938-300x226.jpg 300w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_235950938-768x578.jpg 768w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_235950938-1536x1157.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250517_235950938-2048x1542.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">6hrs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>4. Shred the pork into bite-sized pieces<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>5.&nbsp;In a non-stick pan, heat a spoonful of the rendered pork fat from the Dutch over&nbsp;over medium heat and stir fry the remaining \u00bd onion and saut\u00e9 until golden and caramelized<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>6. Stir in the shredded pork and cook until the edges get beautifully crispy<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" data-id=\"5058\"  src=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250518_000559645-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5058\" srcset=\"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250518_000559645-1024x771.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250518_000559645-300x226.jpg 300w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250518_000559645-768x578.jpg 768w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250518_000559645-1536x1157.jpg 1536w, http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PXL_20250518_000559645-2048x1542.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>7.&nbsp;Warm up some tortillas and assemble your tacos:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>A <strong>generous <\/strong>spoonful of crispy carnitas<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fresh cilantro, diced onions, salsa verde, guacamole, or lime juice\u2014your toppings, your rules.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity has-blush-light-purple-gradient-background has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RESOURCES<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/downshiftology.com\/recipes\/carnitas-tacos\/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKbhCNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFwTE5TRWdIdzhTNE9mSm81AR4CsqVkxNyTNz_tRTeFMOhkAUcsAiByZnIPQHSUtEPdNd5aAzbkgfAHM5bTiQ_aem_FSBC6spyyNdk4BMJKQoaBw\">here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Up until now, beef tongue tacos were the only taco I&#8217;d made\u2014but with a taco party on the horizon, I knew I had to expand my repertoire. Hence, unlocking the classic, carnitas. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[50,1,51,62],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5050"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5050"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5198,"href":"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5050\/revisions\/5198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/emmacado.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}