Chef Tom Fraker

“Aguascaliente Style” Tacos

Name: “Aguascaliente Style” Tacos
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 2 h 12 min
Total time: 2 h 22 min
Yield: Makes
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 pound Lard; 1 1/2 pounds Pork - cut into chunks; 1 tablespoon Kosher Salt; 1 cup Orange Juice; 6 cloves Melissa’s Peeled Garlic - smashed; 3 Bay Leaves; 2 tablespoons oregano; 1 Melissa’s Canela (Cinnamon Stick); 2 ounces Melissa’s Piloncillo (Brown Sugar Cone) - about 1/4 of the cone; crushed; 1 Melissa’s Perfect Sweet Onion - chopped; 1 Orange - halved &amp; sliced into half circles; 2 Limes - halved &amp; sliced into half circles; 1 (12 oz.) bottle Coke (Mexican Coke if you can find it); 1 (12 oz.) can Evaporated Milk; 1/2-pound Bacon; 1/2-pound Melissa’s Dutch Yellow® Potatoes - diced small; Canola Oil for Frying; Toothpicks; 12 Corn Tortillas; Melissa’s Hatch Salsa; Melissa’s Orange Habanero Salsa

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Cuisine

Mexican

Servings

Makes about 12 tacos

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound Lard
1 1/2 pounds Pork - cut into chunks
1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
1 cup Orange Juice
6 cloves Melissa’s Peeled Garlic - smashed
3 Bay Leaves
2 tablespoons oregano
1 Melissa’s Canela (Cinnamon Stick)
2 ounces Melissa’s Piloncillo (Brown Sugar Cone) - about 1/4 of the cone; crushed
1 Melissa’s Perfect Sweet Onion - chopped
1 Orange - halved & sliced into half circles
2 Limes - halved & sliced into half circles
1 (12 oz.) bottle Coke (Mexican Coke if you can find it)
1 (12 oz.) can Evaporated Milk
1/2-pound Bacon
1/2-pound Melissa’s Dutch Yellow® Potatoes - diced small
Canola Oil for Frying
Toothpicks
12 Corn Tortillas
Melissa’s Hatch Salsa
Melissa’s Orange Habanero Salsa

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Directions

Add the lard to a high-sided pot over medium-low heat. Melt the lard. Season the pork with 1 tablespoon of the salt. Rub the salt all over the pork and add it to the melted lard. Let it fry, untouched, for 30 minutes.
In a bowl, mix together the orange juice, smashed garlic, bay leaves, oregano, canela and piloncillo.
After 30 minutes, stir the pork and fry, undisturbed, 30 minutes longer. Next, add the orange juice mixture, onion, orange slices, lime slices, coke and milk to the pork and mix to combine everything. Cook on medium-low for 1 hour.
Drain the pork on paper towels and transfer to a cutting board. Shred the pork.
Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Fry the bacon until crispy. Drain on paper towels. When cool enough to handle, crumble the bacon.
In the same pan, add the potatoes and cook until fork tender and crispy.
In a high-sided frying pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Fry a tortilla for 1 minute, remove it from the pan and fill it with the pork, bacon and potato. Fold the tortilla in half, secure it with a toothpick and set aside. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.
Place the tacos back into the frying pan and cook until golden brown.

“Aguascaliente Style” Tacos