Carnitas Tacos

I’ve been on such a Mexican kick lately, I ended up making my own tacos. If this keeps up, I’ll be speaking Spanish soon. These carnitas are amazing and full of flavor, they don’t need many toppings, the pickled red onions are more than enough. But of course add whatever you love with your tacos!

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What you’ll need:

  • 3. pounds boneless pork butt, cut into 2 inch cubes
  • 5 sprigs thyme
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • juice of 2 limes
  • juice of 1 orange
  • salt
  • corn tortillas

pickled red onions

  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 bayleaves
  • 3 tsp pickling spices
  • 1/4 tsp salt


Heat the canola oil and brown the pork cubes on all sides until slightly brown in a dutch oven.

In the meantime squeeze the orange and limes to extract the juices.

Tie the thyme with kitchen twine and add to the pork. Then add garlic, bay leaves, lime and orange juices, 1 cup of water, and 2 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and continue simmering for another hour. Increase the heat to medium and cook for another 30 minutes, until the liquid is mostly evaporated, stirring frequently.

Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Increase the heat to high and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and scraping up crispy parts on the bottom of the pot. Tear the meat apart with a wooden spoon to achieve shredded consistency.

Picked Red Onions:

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes, then let it cool.

Warm the tortillas and construct the tacos using the pork carnitas and pickled red onions. Add toppings of your choice, if so desired!

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Bon Appétit!

Author: Gotham Foodie

Hello there, fellow foodies! My name is Erica, I was born and raised in Germany, and moved to the US, New York City to be exact, in July of 1987. I have worked most of my time here in the Big Apple as a bartender, but my true love is food. I cook just about every day, I search for good food everywhere, and pretty much always find it. I don't consider myself a food critic, I don't have the culinary background for that kind of expertise. I do however know good food, good chefs and good restaurants. I report back about my culinary adventures, and I choose to leave out my unsatisfactory experiences. We have enough negativity in our daily lives, I don't want to add to that. All the recipes in my FROM MY KITCHEN and DOTW blogs are cooked and prepared by me. All pictures are taken by me. I don't always eat everything you see in my pictures, but you bet your buns, I do try everything. Last but not least, you should know that I am a huge Top Chef fan. I have never missed an episode of the Bravo TV show. I have at this point visited almost 20 restaurants run by Top Chef contestants, and I'm continuously impressed by their skill, drive and passion. So I will continue to seek them out, and I hope you join me in my journey!

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