Recipe: Driftwood Chef Omar Flores’ Carnitas and Chicharrón Tacos

In honor of tomorrow’s big announcement, we give a recipe originally published by our friends at Entree Dallas. It’s a winner of a taco, being the creation that earned Driftwood executive chef Omar Flores first place in the inaugural North Texas Taco Festival Taco Throwdown.

Speaking of which who thinks they can beat Omar in 2014?

Ingredients

• 4 Pounds (1.8 kg) Pork Butt
• 1 teaspoon Coriander toasted and ground
• 1 teaspoon Cumin toasted and ground
• 1 Tablespoon Lard
• 4 Cups Chicken Stock
• 10 Tomatillos
• 1 Cup Water (If needed)
• 2 Serrano Chilies
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Cilantro
• 1 White Onion Chopped
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic Minced
• 6 Poblanos Roasted and Peeled
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
• 1 Red Onion Julienned (For the pickled onions)
• 1 Cup Seville Orange Juice (for the pickled onions)
• 1/2 Cup Lime Juice (for the pickled onions)
• 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar (for the pickled onions)
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar (for the pickled onions)
• 2 Cups Masa Harina (for the tortillas)
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (for the tortillas)
• 2 Tablespoons Lard (for the tortillas)
• 1.5 Cups Warm Water (for the tortillas)
• 1 Pound (455 g) Pork Skin (for the chicharrónes)
• 1/4 Cup Kosher Salt (for the chicharrónes)
• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder (for the chicharrónes)
•  Mexican Sour Cream
•  Queso Fresco crumbled
•  Cilantro
•  Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Pork Butt: Break Pork butt down into 4 pieces. Season liberally with cumin, coriander, salt and pepper.
2. Pork Butt: In a hot rondeau or Dutch oven add lard and pork and brown on all sides.
3. Pork Butt: Remove pork and add quartered tomatillos, onions, garlic and serranos. Sweat ingredients.
4. Pork Butt: Add pork back in; add chicken stock until meat is covered half way. Cover and cook in a 275 degree oven for 6-8 hours.
5. Pork Butt: Meanwhile, place poblanos under a broiler and char them, cover with plastic wrap until cool and peel and de-seed.
6. Pork Butt: Once pork is cooked, remove and skim fat.
7. Pork Butt: Transfer sauce and vegetables into a food processor, add poblanos, cilantro and lime juice. Process until smooth, and add the sauce back to pork. Keep warm.
8. Pickled Onions: In a non-reactive sauce pan add lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, and sugar. Cook until warm and sugar is dissolved. Pour over onions and allow to cool in the refrigerator.
9. Tortillas: In a mixing bowl combine masa and lard, cut lard. Roll into small balls, press in a tortilla press lined with plastic wrap.
10. Tortillas: Add salt and warm water, combine thoroughly and allow to set covered for 30 minutes.
11. Tortillas: Roll into small balls, press in a tortilla press lined with plastic wrap.
12. Tortillas: Stack with parchment paper and cook in a hot greased skillet. Keep Warm wrapped in a towel.
13. Chicharrónes: Boil pork skins in salted water for one hour. Scrape excess fat from underneath the skin and place on a wire rack.
14. Chicharrónes: Place the pork skins in an oven set to the lowest temp and allow to dehydrate for 16-18 hours. Alternatively, you can place them in a food dehydrator set at 150 degrees for 16-18 hours.
15. Chicharrónes: Once dehydrated, deep fry at 400 degrees until crispy, season immediately.
16. Assembly: Take a warm tortilla and spoon some of the pork in the center. Top with crema, queso, onions, cilantro and crispy pork skins.