Carnitas

    pork shoulder ~7-9 lbs cut into big chunks (like steaks 1-1/2" thick)
    3 onions, sliced into rings
    salt
    cumin (1 scant teaspoon)
    1 bay leaf
    1 sprig sage
    1 can chicken broth
    3-4 cubes of frozen garlic (or a whole head of garlic, peeled, whole)

    Preheat oven to 300°F.

    Add onion, garlic and herbs to Dutch oven. Lay in pork chunks. Add salt and
    cumin. Add chicken broth, then add water to within 1-1/2" of the top.

    Bring to simmer on stovetop, then put into oven for 2-1/2 hours.

    When the pot comes out, separate the meat from the liquid and save both.
    If you are going to eat right away then the meat will stay warm and soft. If
    you are going to eat it later, warm it up before browning it by heating it
    with some of the liquid.

    Heat griddle. Can be outdoors, indoors or even a frying pan. Add a little
    oil and salt.

    Put strained chunks of meat onto the griddle, breaking them up as you go.
    Use a pastry knife or big paring knife to chop the meat. Heat meat mixture,
    turning as necessary until nicely browned.

    Warm up tortillas and build tacos with meat mixture, pico de gallo (recipe
    below) and sour cream or crema if desired.


    Pico De Gallo

    1 white onion
    4 plum tomatoes
    1 serrano pepper
    2 jalapeno peppers
    1/2 cup cilantro leaves (roughly half a bunch, stems removed)
    juice from 1 lime
    1/4 teaspoon salt, more as required

    Buy these vegetables very fresh, top quality. This is no place to buy tired,
    cheap produce. Chop tomatoes and cilantro. Peel and chop one white onion
    finely and mix it. Look at the mixture - does it look like it needs more
    onion? If so, add more, again finely chopping it. Add the lime juice and 1/4
    teaspoon salt.

    The key to adding the peppers is to add them incrementally, and keep
    tasting. If you make the salsa too hot it kind of spoils the effect. I
    prefer the flavor of the (much hotter) serrano peppers, so I start those.
    Then I taste it and adjust heat and salt upwards from there.

    Chop in the jalapenos one at a time, tasting as you go to get the heat
    right. Add salt at the end if needed. Cover and refrigerate for an hour
    before serving.

    Makes 2.5 cups or about 8-10 servings.