Citrus-Braised Pork Tacos
These tacos contain a rich filling inspired by cochinita pibil, a popular Mexican dish from the Yucatán Peninsula that features incredibly tender slow-roasted pork.To make cochinita pibil, the inspiration for our recipe, a whole suckling pig is swaddled in bitter orange juice and banana leaves before being nestled under a pile of hot coals to roast. To make this recipe on a smaller scale, we substituted pork butt for the whole pig. Instead of using the traditional banana leaves and annatto, we added bay leaves for herbal flavor and Worcestershire for meaty tanginess. Tomato paste gave the meat its vibrant color. A quick habanero sauce and pickled red onions balanced out the rich meat.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Pork
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion chopped fine
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 1 ½ cups water
- ¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate thawed
- 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 5 bay leaves
- salt
- pepper
- 1 2 1/2- to 3-pound boneless pork butt roast trimmed and cut into 1-inch chunks
Pickled Red Onions
- 1 red onion halved and sliced thin
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Habanero Sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 carrot peeled and chopped
- 1 vine-ripened tomato cored and chopped
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- ½ habanero chile
- 1 garlic clove smashed and peeled
- salt
- pepper
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons lime juice plus lime wedges for serving
- 18 6-inch corn tortillas
Instructions
FOR THE PORK:
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.
- Add the onion and cook until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, allspice, and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste begins to darken, about 45 seconds.
- Stir in the water, orange juice concentrate, 2 tablespoons of vinegar, Worcestershire, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 of teaspoon pepper, scraping up any browned bits.
- Add the pork and bring to a boil.
- Transfer to the oven, uncovered, and cook until the pork is tender, about 2 hours, stirring once halfway through cooking.
FOR THE PICKLED RED ONIONS:
- Meanwhile, place the onion in a medium bowl.
- Bring hte vinegar, sugar, and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves.
- Pour over the onions and cover loosely.
- Let the onions cool completely, about 30 minutes. (The onions can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)
FOR THE HABANERO SAUCE:
- Combine the water, carrot, tomato, onion, habanero, garlic, and ½ teaspoon of salt in the now-empty saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until the carrot is tender, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let the carrot mixture cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the carrot mixture to a blender, add the vinegar and lime juice, and process until the sauce is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)
Finish and serve:
- Transfer the pot to the stovetop.
- Discard the bay leaves.
- Using a potato masher, mash the pork until finely shredded.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until most of liquid has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Off heat, stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve on tortillas with pickled red onions, habanero sauce, and lime wedges.
Notes
- Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket.
- For a spicier sauce, add an extra habanero or two; if you are spice-averse, substitute less-spicy jalapeños for the habaneros.