CARNITAS WALKING TACOS

Carnitas Walking Tacos image

Provided by Molly Yeh

Time 5h20m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 21

One 4- to 5-pound lean boneless pork shoulder
5 cloves garlic, smashed
2 bay leaves
1 medium white onion, cut into large chunks (about 6.6 ounces or 187 grams), plus 1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder (substitute regular chili powder if you prefer)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Pinch ground cloves
Juice of 3 oranges (or 3/4 cup)
Juice of 2 limes (or 1/4 cup), plus a few lime wedges, for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Six 1-ounce bags tortilla chips
Chili Lime Sour Cream, recipe follows, or plain sour cream
2 radishes, thinly julienned
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Green hot sauce, for garnish
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon chili powder, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for garnish
Zest of 1 lime

Steps:

Place the pork shoulder, garlic, bay leaves, large chunks of onion, ancho chile powder, cumin, cloves, orange juice, lime juice, 1 tablespoon salt, a generous amount of black pepper and 1/2 cup water in the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook until the meat is tender and can easily be shredded with a fork, 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
Remove the pork to a large bowl and use two forks to shred. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the pork and 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the pork is crispy and dark brown, about 15 minutes. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining oil, pork and 1/2 cup cooking liquid (discard the remaining liquid), another 15 minutes.
Open the tortilla chip bags and crush a few of the chips. Gently roll down the tops of the bags about a third of the way. Fill the bags with some dollops of sour cream, then pork, then garnish with the finely chopped onions, radishes, cilantro and a few dashes of hot sauce. Serve with the lime wedges.
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, chili powder, salt and lime zest. Set aside.