I live in Canada. I have a taco addiction. That’s a bit of a problem. There are no taco trucks here. No mom and pop taquerias. There are a couple of places doing great tacos in town but there are lineups. For tacos. That’s why I make my own. Loaded carnitas tacos are how I get my taco fix at home. And you can too.
Carnitas are the star of this particular taco. Lousy carnitas – lousy tacos. Well, that’s not the only place to fall down with tacos. Lousy tortillas – lousy tacos. But let’s not get distracted. I make carnitas a couple different ways. Sous-vide carnitas are really good. Make them ahead of time and just fry them up to order. Or you can go old-school and make more traditional pork carnitas . They are really, really good too.
loaded carnitas tacos with avocado tomatillo salsa
Ingredients
Avocado tomatillo salsa
- 3 fresh tomatillos husked
- 1/2 jalapeño seeded. You can go up to one whole jalapeño
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 ripe avocado peeled and seeded
- 6 sprigs of cilantro minced
- salt to taste
Loaded carnitas tacos
- Pork carnitas sous vide or old-school (see above for links)
- 12 corn tortillas
- Pickled onions
- Queso fresco
- Pico de gallo
- Avocado tomatillo salsa
Instructions
Avocado tomatillo salsa
- Cover the tomatillos, jalapeño and garlic with water in a small saucepan.
- Bring to a simmer and cook until the tomatillos darken, about 15 minutes.
- Drain and let cool.
- Combine the tomatillos, jalapeño, garlic, avocado and cilantro in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Salt to taste.
Build the tacos
- Wrap the corn tortillas in a clean dish cloth, dampen the cloth slightly and microwave until hot.
- Top tortillas with carnitas and top with the garnishes of your choice.
Notes
Sausage with peppers. A classic American-Italian dish. Fry some sausage. Add peppers and onions. A bit of garlic. Some dried oregano and basil. Pile it on a hoagie. Melt some cheese. That’s downtown.
Roast sausage for colour. Sweat peppers and onion slowly until melting. Add white wine. Reduce. Now the tomato. Simmer. Add the browned sausage. Simmer a bit more to bring the flavours together. Serve on polenta enriched with butter, cream and fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano. Simple, clean tastes. That’s uptown.
Internal temperature of the sausage is key. 150-160F is where the magic happens. Lower and the sausage is underdone. Higher and it starts to dry out. Nail it and it’s juicy and delicious. This is true no matter how you cook your sausage. Something to keep in mind next time you grill.
The polenta makes a nice foil for this dish. The tang and richness of the cheese balances nicely against the acid of the tomato. It’s not essential but it’s a nice touch. You could also pile this on a hoagie with melted cheese. That’s midtown.
