Tacos with carnitas
Recipe
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20 minutes
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190 minutes
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210 minutes
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12 pieces
Have you ever been to Mexico? If so, chances are you’ve tasted the Mexican street food carnitas there. This dish consists of slow-cooked pulled pork, traditionally made with pork neck or Boston butt. In the American BBQ scene, the Boston butt is considered one of the best cuts for making pulled pork. In this recipe, however, you’ll make the carnitas from slow-cooked pork belly on your Big Green Egg and serve it as a taco with a simple guacamole and pico de gallo on a small tortilla. Delicious homemade street food from your own kamado that is perfect to serve as finger food.
INGREDIENTS
Carnitas
- 1 kg lean pork belly
- 2 organic oranges
- 2 tbsp veal stock
Rub
- 3 tbsp fine sea salt
- 3 tbsp dark caster sugar
- ½ tbsp onion powder
- ½ tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika powder (pimentón)
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cumin seed
- 1 tbsp ground vadouvan
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Pico de gallo
- 1 red onion
- ½ cucumber
- 1 pomodori tomato
- 1 red Spanish chilli pepper
- 1 green jalapeño pepper
- 4 green olives, pitted
- 125 g feta cheese
- 10 coriander leaves
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp sushi vinegar
Guacamole
- 1 avocado
- 1 organic lime
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Serve with
- 12 corn tortillas (Ø 10 cm)
- Coriander leaves, to taste
IN ADVANCE
- Light the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat to a temperature of 160°C. Meanwhile, for the carnitas, cut the pork belly into 5-centimetre cubes. Divide the meat between 2 Half Perforated Grids.
- Mix all the ingredients for the rub and sprinkle the pork belly all around with 4 tablespoons of the rub; save the rest of the rub for next time.
METHOD
- Place an Apple Wood Chunk on the glowing charcoal and place the convEGGtor with the Disposable Drip Pan on top. Place the Stainless Steel Grid in the EGG and place the Half Perforated Grids with the pork belly on top. Close the lid of the EGG and let the pork belly smoke and cook for about 1 hour; the temperature of the EGG will drop to about 110°C by placing the convEGGtor; maintain this temperature.
- After 1 hour, raise the temperature of the EGG to 150°C and cook the pork belly for 1 hour longer.
- Remove the Half Perforated Grids from the EGG and spread the pork belly over the lid of the oval Green Dutch Oven. Cut the oranges into quarters and squeeze the juice over the meat. Add the squeezed peels for extra flavour and add the veal stock. Place the lid on the grill, close the lid of the EGG and bring the temperature to 160°C. Cook for about another 1 hour until the pork belly is very soft.
- Meanwhile, for the pico de gallo, peel and chop the red onion. Peel half the cucumber, halve it and the tomato lengthwise and scrape out the seeds of the cucumber and tomato. Cut the flesh into small cubes. Cut the stalks off the chilli and jalapeño peppers, remove the seeds and finely chop the flesh. Cut the olives into rings. Cut the feta into cubes of about 1 centimetre. Cut the coriander leaves into thin strips. Mix all ingredients for the pico de gallo and add salt and pepper to taste.
- For the guacamole, halve the avocado and remove the stone and peel. Cut the flesh into cubes. Zest the lime. Cut the lime in half and squeeze out the juice. Mix all the ingredients for the guacamole.
- Remove the lid with the pork belly from the EGG. Remove the orange peels and pick the pork belly using two forks; Mexican pulled pork is slightly crispy. Fill the tortillas with the carnitas, guacamole and pico de gallo and garnish with coriander to taste. Serve these tacos as finger food.
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