Blood Orange Carnitas Tacos
Bring the experience of dining in a Mexican restaurant straight to your kitchen with these Carnitas Tacos. It doesn't get much better than crispy carnitas.
Servings: 10 tacos
Calories: 244kcal
Ingredients
Pork Carnitas
- 3-4 pounds pork shoulder boneless or bone-in
- 1 large white onion, sliced into 1.5 inch rounds
- 1 large orange, juice
- 1 lime, juice
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 3 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Cilantro Avocado Crema
- 1 avocado, cubed
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt, one single serve yogurt container is about 1/4 cup!
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 cup packed cilantro
- a pinch of salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons water
For Serving
- mini flour tortillas, or tortillas of your choice!
- 2 blood oranges,* sliced into 1 inch cubes
- 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- chopped fresh cilantro
- lime wedges
Instructions
Pork carnitas
- In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsps light brown sugar, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 2 tsps paprika, and 2 tsps cumin. Rinse the pork under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub the spice mixture over all sides of the pork.
- Line the bottom of the slow cooker with the sliced white onion, orange juice, and lime juice. Add the pork and cook on low for 7-8 hours (until the meat easily shreds).
- When the pork is finished cooking, preheat the broiler to high and remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred the meat with two forks. Arrange the pulled pork in a single layer on a baking sheet and spoon a little bit of the juices from the slow cooker (like 3-4 tbsps) and sprinkle 1 tbsp of brown sugar and 1 tsp of paprika over the meat. Place the baking sheet on the top rack of the oven and broil for 5-6 minutes until the pork is charred and crispy (not burnt).
Cilantro Avocado Crema
- Combine the cilantro, avocado, greek yogurt, garlic powder, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and 3 tbsps of water in a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, you can add more water if you prefer a thinner sauce.
For Serving
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, once hot, place a tortilla in the pan and heat for 3-5 minutes until charred and slightly crisp. You can also hold it over an open gas burner flame for about a minute or until it begins to char.
- When the carnitas are finished, spoon the Cilantro Avocado Crema into the tortilla, then add the carnitas, and top with sliced blood oranges and crumbled feta cheese. You can also add a squeeze of lime juice and fresh cilantro for good measure.
Notes
- If you can't find blood oranges, cara cara oranges or just about any other orange you love will work just fine!
Nutrition
Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 501mg | Potassium: 474mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 480IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 2mg
