Carnitas Tacos

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Sear the pork shoulder on all sides to let it brown. It does not need to be completely cooked through at this point, just brown on the outside. Add the onion, garlic, rosemary and cilantro and let them get fragrant for a minute. Then pour in the hard apple cider and chicken stock.

Season the mixture with the chili powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt and pepper. Add the Worcestershire sauce and the bay leaves last. Let the mixture come to a boil and reduce it to a simmer. Cover the dutch oven and let the pork cook for 2 hours to become fall apart tender and super flavorful. When it’s done, remove the dutch oven from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then transfer it to a cutting board and discard the bones and fat back. Any remaining liquid can also be discarded, as well as the bay leaves. Shred the pork with two forks.

Time to assemble the tacos! Warm up the taco shells in a dry cast iron skillet for just 30 seconds on each side. Fill each taco shell with the desired amount of carnitas. Then top them as desired with avocado, cheese and salsa. Serve them with lime wedges and squeeze the fresh lime juice onto the tacos to really wake them up. Enjoy!