No-Waste Tacos De Carnitas with Salsa Verde

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 3 pounds boneless pork butt, rind removed, cut into 2-inch cubes
• Kosher salt
• 1 medium orange
• 6 cloves garlic, split in half
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken into three or four pieces
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 medium tomatillos, peeled and split in half
• 2 jalapeño peppers, split in half lengthwise, stem removed
• 3 limes, cut into wedges
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta
• 24 corn tortillas

Directions

1. Set an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 275 degrees. Finely dice 1 onion, toss it with the cilantro, and put it in the refrigerator for later. Cut the other onion into quarters and set it aside. Sprinkle the pork pieces with 1 tablespoon salt and arrange them in a 9 by 13 glass casserole dish; they should fit snugly without gaps. Cut the orange into quarters, squeeze the juice over the pork, and tuck the squeezed pieces into the dish. Add 2 onion quarters, 4 cloves garlic, the bay leaves, and the cinnamon stick, working everything into a fairly even layer. Drizzle the vegetable oil over the top, cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil, and put it in the oven. Cook until the pork is tender enough to pull apart with a fork, about 3 1/2 hours.
2. Place a large fine-meshed strainer over a 1 quart liquid measure or bowl. With tongs, lift out and discard the orange peel, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves. Pour the pork and its juices into the strainer and let everything drain for 10 minutes. Return the pork to the casserole dish. You should have about 1/2 cup liquid and 1/2 cup fat. Skim the fat from the top with a flat spoon or de-fatter and add that fat back to the pork. Pull the meat into big, rough pieces with your fingers or two forks, then salt it to taste. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Pour the remaining liquid into a medium saucepot.
3. Add the tomatillos, the remaining 2 onion quarters, the remaining 2 garlic cloves, and the jalapeños to the saucepot with the strained pork liquid. Pour in enough water to come about 1-inch below the tops of the vegetables. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the vegetables are fully soft, about 10 minutes. Puree the salsa until smooth with a hand blender or in a stand blender. Add salt to taste, then let it cool and refrigerate until needed.
4. To serve, set the casserole dish of pork 4-inches beneath a high broiler. Broil until the top is browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Take the pork out, stir it with a spoon so fresh pieces are exposed, and broil again for 6 more minutes, until crisp. Cover loosely with foil to hold it warm.
5. Meanwhile, warm the tortillas. Heat an 8-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until it is hot. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, dip it into a bowl of water, then lay it in the hot skillet. Cook until the water has cooked off from the first side and the tortilla has browned in spots, about 30 seconds. Turn it over and cook until dry, about 15 seconds longer. Move the tortilla to a tortilla warmer, or bundle it in a clean dish towel. Continue the same way with the remaining tortillas.
6. To eat, layer 2 tortillas together. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the carnitas into the middle. Add salsa verde, the chopped onion and cilantro mixture, and queso fresco on top. Serve with lime wedges.