Carnitas Nachos
For the Carnitas
4-5-pounds boneless pork should, cut into 5-inch chunks, trimmed of excess fat
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons canola or neutral vegetable oil
1 carton beef stock
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
2 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly-sliced
For the Chips
30 Mission Corn Tortillas
4-6 cups canola oil
For the Toppings
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 can black beans
1 tsp cumin
Salt to taste
3-4 cups shredded jack cheese
1 cup fresh Queso
Any other toppings you desire – bell peppers, more/different kinds of beans, other kinds of cheeses, jalapenos, more onion, etc.
For the Garnish
2 Tbsp Mexican Crema (regular sour cream is fine)
1/8 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/8 cup scallions, finely chopped
For the Carnitas
Rub the pieces of pork shoulder all over with salt. Refrigerate for 1- to 3-days. (You can skip this step if you want. Just be sure to salt the pork before searing the meat in the next step.)
Heat the oil in a roasting pan set on the stovetop. Cook the pieces of pork shoulder in a single layer until very well-browned, turning them as little as possible so they get nice and dark before flipping them around. If your cooking vessel is too small to cook them in a single-layer, cook them in two batches.
Once all the pork is browned, remove from the pot and blot away any excess fat with a paper towel, then pour in about a cup of stock, scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged utensil to release all the tasty brown bits.
Heat the oven to 350F degrees.
Add the pork back to the pan and add enough stock so the pork pieces are 2/3rd's submerged in liquid. Add the cinnamon stick and stir in the chile powders, bay leaves, cumin and garlic.
Braise in the oven with the lid on for 3½ hours, turning the pork a few times during cooking, until much of the liquid is evaporated and the pork is falling apart. Remove the pan from the oven and lift the pork pieces out of the liquid and set them on a platter.
Once the pork pieces are cool enough to handle, shred them into bite-sized pieces, about 2-inches , discarding any obvious big chunks of fat if you wish. I used a fork to do this since they stayed hot for a while.
Return the pork pieces back to the roasting pan and cook in the oven, turning occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the pork is crispy and caramelized. It will depend on how much liquid the pork gave off, and how golden and crackly you want them.
For the Chips
Prepare a large metal baking sheet near the stove with a layer of paper towels. Pour oil into a large pot until it comes about 1/3 of the way up the sides and is at least 3” deep. Heat over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, slice the tortillas into triangles. When you can drop a piece of tortilla into the oil and it immediately bubbles and sizzles, the oil is ready. Working in batches, carefully drop handfuls of tortillas into the oil. It’s ok if they crowd, just use metal tongs or a metal mesh scooper to move them around occasionally. They are done with they are rigid and just beginning to turn golden (the will continue to cook a little after coming out of the oil, so don’t let them get too dark). Transfer to the paper towel-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.
For the Nachos
Heat a Tbsp of vegetable oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the white onion and stir regularly until translucent and soft. Add beans (with liquid from can) and cumin and stir to combine. Stew for 15-20 minutes until beans are soft and liquid is thick. Salt to taste, then they’re ready to go on the nachos.
Heat the oven to 400. Arrange 1 layer of chips on a large baking sheet and top with 1 layer of toppings. Add one more layer of chips and the rest of the toppings. Bake for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melting and chips are beginning to brown. Finish off under the broiler for a minute or two to nicely brown things if desired. Garnish with cilantro, scallions, sour cream and serve hot.
