Slow-Braised Pork Carnitas, Pickled Red Onions and Pico de Gallo
Photography Aaron McLean.
‘Carnitas’ are pieces of slow-braised pork that are then sautéed over a high heat to caramelise the outsides, leaving the insides meltingly tender.
INGREDIENTS
1½ kilograms pork shoulder, skin removed, fat left on (we use Freedom Farms)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons water
To finish
2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
juice 1 lime
To serve
6-8 soft flour tacos, warm
shredded lettuce
pico de gallo
pickled red onions
coriander
guindilla chillies, optional
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 160˚C.
Pork: Cut the pork into 3 cm pieces, leaving the fat on. Place in a single layer in a roasting dish and toss with the garlic, cumin and salt then add the water. Cover the dish tightly with foil and braise for 1-1½ hours or until the pork is very tender. Discard any obvious big chunks of fat. The meat can be cooled and refrigerated for 2 days at this point.
To finish: Place the pork in a large sauté pan, drain off excess liquid but leave 2 tablespoons in the pan. Sprinkle over the brown sugar and cook over a high heat, turning the pork frequently until golden brown and caramelised. Add the lime juice and let it bubble up for a few seconds. Season.
To assemble: Top the tacos with lettuce, pork, pico de gallo, pickled red onions, and coriander.
Fold to enclose and serve with a guindilla chilli. These tacos are also delicious with a spoonful of guacamole. Makes 6-8
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.