She said, "Call it Carnitas."

It could be our proximity to Mexico, or maybe it's just because this dish tastes so well. Maybe it's both. Does it matter when you know how to cook something so delicious and fun to eat? Touche. What follows is my attempt to recreate a Mexican tradition - braised and shredded pork served as tacos.

3 lbs pork shoulder, cut into large chunks*
1/4 cup chile powder*
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp allspice*
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp freshly cracked pepper
2 bay leaves
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1-2 cups chicken stock
1 large onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
5 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cup olive oil
20-30 tortillas*
Large head of cabbage, shredded
4 avocados, cut into slices*
1 lb cojita cheese
6 limes, cut into 8 pieces each


Put the pork, half the seasoning mixture, and chicken stock in a large dutch oven*. Add water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 3 hours. Turn off the heat and let rest for an hour or so, until the pork and liquid are cool. Remove the pork to a bowl and shred, removing and bones and large pieces of fat. If you'd like, you can bring the cooking liquid to a boil and reduce until it measures about two cups. Remove the bay leaves and pour into a glass vessel. Allow the liquid to cool, then place in the refrigerator overnight. The fat will come to the top, allowing you to skim it off. This sauce can be used on the tacos, a sort of homemade hot sauce. Doctor it up if you'd like - add tomatoes and puree, maybe some more cayenne pepper. You'll figure it out after a couple of tries.

The shredded pork is now about half done - it can be refregerated overnight and used the next day, or continue with the recipe and use it the same day. This process takes time, so I usually start it on a Friday and finish the pork on Saturday for an afternoon party.

In a large pan (I use the same Le Creuset dutch oven that I started with) heat the oil over medium high flame until almost smoking, add the onions and celery. Cook the onions and celery with 1 tbsp kosher salt until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the rest of the spice mix, then the shredded pork*. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the pork is heated through. If it looks too dry, add 1/2 cup water or reserved cooking liquid (now taco sauce). Once the pork is hot, reduce the heat to low and cover. The pork can now sit on the stove until ready to eat.

To make tacos, heat an ungreased skillet over medium high flame. Warm the tortillas for 15-20 seconds per side. Arrange three tortillas on a plate, and top each with about two tbsp of pork, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, a slice of avocado, and shredded cabbage. That's it - don't go crazy. People will usually eat at least three of these, so don't overfill them. If desired, you can add a few crumbles of cotija cheese*. Place a piece of lime or two on the plate - the flavor of freshly squeezed lime over pork is intoxicating, and people may like to kick theirs up a little.

If you are having a party, make up a self-serve taco station with shredded cabbage, sliced avocado, limes cut into 8 pieces and crumbled cheese. Heat the tacos to order and dole out the pork. Let your guests help themselves to toppings.


* Pork shoulder comes in many forms, and they are all fine for this recipe. I usually try to get a large piece of pork shoulder, or Boston butt, with some bone. Bones and fat = flavor. What is chile powder, really? I don't know any Mexican cooks that use American chile powder, but for our purposes it will work. If you want to be really authentic, try making your own chile powder - mix ancho chile powder with other dried and ground chiles such as arbol (very hot!), ancho, pasilla, gaujillo, chipotle. I'll make my own chile powder one day and post the recipe. Keep looking for it. We could argue the authenticity of adding allspice to Mexican food, but just believe me when I say that it enhances the flavor of this dish, and the savvy culinary minds at your party might just identify it. For tacos I use the smaller corn tortillas, not those huge flour burrito shells. There are both white and yellow corn - try a mix of both to please your guests. Tacos are small, so you don't need to use a tortilla bigger than 3 inches in diameter. Intimidated by avocados? Don't be. Here's how you do it - cut the avocado in half lengthwise, around the pit. When you seperate it, the pit will be in one of the halves. With your knife, gently whack the blade into the pit and twist. This will remove the pit. Remove the meat from the skin with a spoon, place convexly on a plate (pit side down). Now you can make long slices. Easy peazy. We've talked before about Le Creuset dutch ovens. If you don't have one, you must buy one. Your mother probably used one her entire life - shouldn't that tell you something? Get one. In fact, get a few different sizes. This is the most versatile pot in my collection. Food warmed in a Le Creuset dutch oven will stay at temperature on the table for at least an hour if covered. Can't say that about your Revereware, now can you. When heating the shredded pork with onions, garlic, and celery, you may want to add a diced jalepeno or serrano chile. Some people have said that this dish is not hot enough. I make this for a party, and believe me when I say you can always add heat but you can't remove it. Make it your way and tell the Scoville lovers to add their own hot sauce. Or don't. Just be careful with the heat. It is undisputed that Parmigiano Regianno is the king of cheeses. Have you tried cotija cheese? This is almost a Mexican variation of the famed Parmigiano. For true Mexican flavor, get some cojita and play with it. Wonderful stuff!