Dear Carnita.. where have you been all my life?

Ok, hands down , these are the best tacos around.. I was skeptical, I like my beef tacos.. Unfortunately, these are WAY better, and I will never look at tacos in the same way.. Just sayin', they are THAT good! And the raja's recipe at the bottom was perfect compliment! Nothing else was even needed for the tacos..
Carnita's ( Tacos )

Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch pieces (or buy pre-cut pork stew meat)
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2 jalapeños, minced (optional)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup chicken stock

16 corn tortillas, warmed

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Toss pork with garlic, jalapeños, cumin, salt and pepper. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.

Transfer to roasting pan and add orange juice, lime juice and chicken stock. Cover tightly (you don't want to lose the steam from a loose fitting lid) and place in oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until meat is very tender. If juices cook out, add more chicken stock.

Allow pork to cool and absorb remaining juices. Shred meat with a fork.

To serve, pass warmed tortillas and allow each person to make their own tacos.

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Basic Chile Poblano Rajas

You can use different peppers or seasonings but this is a good basic recipe, by Rick Bayless.

I N G R E D I E N T S
4 medium, fresh chiles poblanos, roasted and peeled ( I used canned whole green chiles, cut into strips )
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2/3 cup crema, whipping cream, or broth
1/2 teaspoon mixed dried herbs (thyme, Mexican oregano, marjoram)
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon (to taste, adjust as needed if using broth with salt)

I N S T R U C T I O N S
Chiles: Stem and seed the roasted chiles. You can remove the veins if you want a more mild rajas. Slice the chiles crosswise into 1/4" strips.

Heat the oil in a heavy sauté pan over medium heat and fry the onions until they brown, about 7 -8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and chile strips, cook 2 minutes.

Add the cream or broth, herbs, and bay leaves and simmer until the liquid reduces enough to just coat the vegetables. Remove the bay leaves, taste and adjust salt as needed.