Redneck Girl Carnitas Tacos

Submitted by Melanie B.

"Right after I moved to Arizona, I was a manager at a call center agency. An older hispanic gentleman that worked for me used to help me brush up on my spanish and talk to me about his family's traditional dishes. One time he told me how his wife made Shredded Pork with some secret and shocking ingredients....it kind of stuck in my head for years. Can you guess the "secret" ingredients? I tried the recipe and like to make it for Carnitas Tacos. The title only says "Redneck Girl"...well...because people sometimes joke about how I can make Mexican food so well and am from a small redneck town in Pennsylvania :)"

 

• Ready In: 3hrs 20mins
• Ingredients: 18
• Serves: 1

ingredients

• The Meat

• 1 (4 -5 lb) pork shoulder
• 1 (12 ounce) can cola
• 1 (10 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 large cinnamon sticks, the big fresh ones
• 1 tablespoon cumin seed
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon peppercorn
• 1 large head garlic, cut in half through the middle and the top, no need to remove paper

• The Tacos

• 2 corn tortillas, fresh and warm
• 1⁄4 cup pork, shredded, recipe above
• 1 tablespoon tomatoes, diced
• 1 tablespoon red onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon serrano pepper, minced
• 1⁄4 lime, wedged
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 tablespoon cheese
• 2 tablespoons salsa, your favorite salsa or 2 tablespoons hot sauce

directions

1. The Meat - Carnitas:

2. Place all of the ingredients in "The Meat" section into a large pot. Add enough water to cover the meat. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil on high heat. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until meat is falling apart.
3. Drain and discard any remaining garlic, cinnamon, peppercorns, and fat. Shred the pork and set aside.
4. You can use the meat for tacos or anything else that takes shredded pork. This recipe makes a lot of food!

5. The Tacos:

6. Make as many as you like! The ingredients are sized for 2 tacos and not exact by any means, so multiply and mix up as necessary.
7. Place warm carnitas meat into a warmed fresh corn tortilla and add toppings.
8. The key here is a nice fresh warn corn tortilla, warm carnitas, and fresh cold toppings in the tomato, onion, pepper, cilantro, and sour cream.
9. Enjoy!