Week Night Carnitas

Carnitas tacos are delicious. 


The only problem is that you really need to cook the meat all day to maximize the juicy, delectable flavor. On a Wednesday night I don't have hours to wait around for a pork roast to simmer long enough that it readily falls apart. Here, I present a way to get all the carnitas goodness into your belly on a weeknight.

Look at all that goodness sautéing away... 

Make no mistake, letting the meat cook all day will result in superior taste.

But this quicker method is nothing to scoff at, especially with this delicious sauce.

Carnitas Tacos

Serves: 4, Total Time: 1 hour or at least 3 hours

For the Pork:

• 3 lbs boneless pork butt or shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 8 oz beer (pick your favorite)
• 1 cup Vegetable Broth
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 Jalapeño, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 lime
• 1 tbsp Chili Powder
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 2 tbsp Canola Oil

For the Sauce:

• ½ cup Plain Yogurt
• 1 tbsp Tabasco
• 1 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 lime, juiced

Extras:

• Corn Tortillas
• Shredded cabbage
• Cilantro

In a large thick-bottomed pot or skillet with a lid, heat oil over medium. When oil is hot, add onion, garlic and jalapeño and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant and onions are started to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Add spices and cook for about a minute more. Remove to a plate. 

Chop the pork into one-inch cubes and brown the cubes. Generously salt and pepper the cubes. Add pork to the same pan just used and brown on all sides. This should take about 5 minutes per side. Once the meat is browned, remove it and set aside.


Add beer to the pot and scrape down all the delicious pieces from the bottom of the pan. Add pork and onion mixture back to the pan. Use enough of the broth to cover the meat. Bring to a simmer and put the top on the pot.


In the meantime, combine the sauce ingredients and place in the fridge so all the flavors can meld together.


Let the meat simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove the top and turn the heat to high. Allow the liquid to boil off and become thick. In about 15 minutes, remove the pork. Allow to sit for a few minutes and then cut into as small of pieces as you'd like.


Serve on corn tortillas with cabbage, sauce and garnish with cilantro.

In an ideal world you would keep the roast whole and let it simmer on low in a crock pot for 2-4 hours. But alas, this is a weeknight!