There’s no food that’s haunted me more than tacos. I can’t recall when the obsession began, but I do know where: Taco Temple in Morro Bay, CA. I discovered this place while at college in San Luis Obispo. Sometime in the late 1990’s, Taco Temple opened up and I gave it a try. Their tacos were next-level divine. Fresh caught fish from the harbor, topped with insane piles of shredded veggies, citrus-flavored sauces, and salsas. I’ve asked for their recipes several times, but I’ve gotten a flat, automatic “nope” without exception.I’ve narrowed down my favorite at-home taco recipe that’s based on the Cook’s Illustrated recipe for carnitas. My version is probably 80% based on their foundation, with some added heat and toppings.
Ingredients: Carnitas
- 4 lb bone-in pork shoulder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 yellow or white onion, quartered with peel left on
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (can substitute beer or Coke)
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 Tbsp lime juice, preferably freshly squeezed
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 orange, halved with peel left on (can substitute with grapefruit)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, diced
- Radishes, thinly sliced
- Queso fresco, crumbled
Other Accessories for Tacos:
- High-quality corn tortillas
- Green and red cabbage, preferably shredded thinly with a kitchen mandoline
- Onions, sliced into disks and pickled for one hour in cider vinegar, salt and sugar
- Fresh cilantro, minced
- Diced avocado (or even better, homemade guacamole)
- Sour cream, thinned with some lime juice or buttermilk
- Sliced lime wedges
- Store-bought pickled vegetables
Directions: Remove pork from refrigerator and let come up to room temperature (about one hour). Heat over to 300 degrees with rack on the lower-middle level. Combine stock, lime juice, cider vinegar, cumin, cloves, bay leaves, oregano, chilies, salt, and pepper in a dutch oven. Stir until combined into the liquid. Add onion, orange, and pork with fat-side up. Heat over stove top on medium-high heat until liquid begins to slowly boil. Cover with lid and move to oven. Cook at least 5 hours, flipping pork at least once during the process. When the meat is ready, it should easily pull apart with tongs or a fork. Remove Dutch oven from the heat. Remove meat and place into a large glass or metal bowl. Strain liquid into a large saucepan using a colander to catch the vegetables. The saucepan should be filled with a few cups worth of only the remaining cooking liquid. Discard the vegetables. Simmer the liquid over medium high heat until it reduces down to about one cup and thickens somewhat. Meanwhile, pull apart the pork with two forks and discard the bone. Move the oven rack to the top and set to broil. Pour the reduced liquid into the bowl with the pork and incorporate together. Then, spread the pulled pork onto a thick hotel or broiler pan lined with aluminum foil. Place the pork under the broiler for 4 – 5 five minutes, watching carefully so that it does not burn and blacken. It should crisp up nicely on the top while remaining soft underneath. Remove the pork from the oven and let rest for five minutes before serving. Serve all the ingredients together. I like to place the cabbage on my tortillas first so that the meat does not cause the tortillas to fall apart. If you have leftover carnitas, they are wonderful to use in Pozole stew.
Alex Taghavian 