In Spanish, carnitas means “little meats,” and this is probably the most popular taco in Mexican cuisine. The pork pieces are succulent, juicy, and rich with a browned crust from frying—perfect for tacos. The best places in Mexico for this taco are at carnitas restaurants. Every town has one or more, some open only on weekends. You’ll see huge cauldrons—thirty gallons or more—of boiling pork fat holding whole pork loins, shoulders, and other big cuts like ribs. The chef closely monitors the frying temperature, pulling out the meat at just the right moment—when cooked, but still juicy. Customers say which cut they want and how much, always getting a mixture of lean and fatty meats, which make better tacos. The meat is weighed and chopped. Once you’ve paid, you take your carnitas to a table set up with fresh tortillas and bowls of salsa. Order a couple of cold beers and you are in taco heaven. This recipe is much simpler and easier, and the carnitas are great.

　　

Ingredients

makes 8 tacos

　　1 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

　　1 tablespoon chile caribe (or red pepper flakes), page 151

　　1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

　　1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

　　1/2 teaspoon ground canela (or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon), page 151

　　3 tablespoons vegetable oil

　　8 (5 1/2-inch) soft yellow corn tortillas (page 13), for serving

　　

Step 1

In a large bowl, add the pork, chile caribe, salt, chipotle powder, and canela. Toss to coat the pork evenly with the seasoning. Let the meat marinate in the spice mixture for at least 1 hour at room temperature.

　　

Step 2

In a large, heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the seasoned meat and let the pieces sear on all sides. Cook the meat until golden brown and crusty, stirring only occasionally to preserve the crust, about 25 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Remove from the heat and serve immediately or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.

　　

Step 4

To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with salsa. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with salsa, fold, and eat right away.

　　Tacos by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Copyright © 2009 by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.Mark Miller is the acclaimed chef-founder of Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has started and owned thirteen different restaurants on three continents from 1979 to 2008. He is the author of ten books with nearly 1 million copies in print, including Tacos, The Great Chile Book, The Great Salsa Book, and Coyote Cafe. Mark currently works in International Culinary Consulting and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Benjamin Hargett is a travel-loving chef who has cooked in Europe, the Carribean, Mexico, and the United States, where he worked with Mark Miller at the Coyote Café for many years.