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Pork Carnitas Street Tacos are the perfect party food for Cinco de Mayo or any celebration you’re having! Juicy, tender bites of flavor-packed carnitas are served in tortillas with all of your favorite toppings. These tacos are the definition of mouthwatering!
Listen, I love the carnitas at Chipotle as much as the next person. They always manage to hit the spot when I don’t feel like making myself a meal! However, nothing can come close to the homemade real deal. The pork used in this easy recipe is so unbelievably tender, juicy, and flavorful. Fresh citrus juice, herbs, seasonings and more slowly infuse the meat with bold flavor as it cooks.
After a slow and steady cooking time, the pork is then broiled just enough to give it nice crispy edges that really send it over the top! Once it’s tossed into a flour (or corn) tortilla with all of your favorite toppings, real magic happens. As filling as these tacos are, it’s pretty impossible to have just one of them because they’re SO downright delicious. Whether it’s taco Tuesday or Cinco de Mayo, these street tacos are always a huge hit!
Why You’ll Love This
- Easier to make than you might think. Sometimes, it can seem intimidating to cook a larger piece of meat like pork shoulder. Have no fear! The steps here are super simple and I’ve also included little tips and tricks to help you along the way.
- A party favorite. Listen – everyone loves tacos. This is the law of the land. Also, people REALLY love street tacos at parties because they’re small enough to be handheld and finished in about 3 bites. They’re filling and still keep the party going!
- So many toppings to choose from! If you do end up serving these street tacos at a party, I recommend setting up a little toppings bar. That way everyone can garnish their tacos exactly how they want! Some of the best toppings include cilantro, onions, avocado slices, and salsa, but feel free to get creative here.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here is a list of ingredients you will need to make the BEST pork carnitas street tacos. Make sure to scroll down to view the full recipe for exact measurements.
- Pork carnitas – Follow my recipe here and you and your guests will be seriously impressed!
- Tortillas – They sell street taco sized tacos or regular taco sized tacos. It’s up to you what you want to use!
- Toppings – Toppings make tacos go loco. Here are my favorite: fresh diced white onion or red onion, cilantro (if you have the right gene), avocado (or guacamole), salsa, and salsa verde!
How To Make Pork Carnitas Street Tacos
Here’s a quick look at how to make carnitas street tacos. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
Make the carnitas. You’ll want to hop over to my slow cooker carnitas recipe for this part of the recipe or if you prefer oven-baked, here is the recipe for that!
Assemble the tacos. Place some of the carnitas on a tortilla and top to your heart’s desire with all the right stuff. Take a bite, enjoy immensely, and repeat this process as needed.
Recipe Tips, Substitutions, and Variations
These street tacos can’t be changed too much when it comes to the meat itself. With that being said, there are plenty of ways to make your taco your own!
- Use your favorite tortillas. For this recipe, I always use flour street taco tortillas. You can feel free to use corn instead if you’d like. Also, if you’d prefer a bigger taco, use regular sized tortillas instead! If you want a burrito, use the burrito sized tortillas! Just note that you’ll have less tacos, as more meat will be required to fill a bigger tortilla.
- Change up the toppings. I like to compliment the savory carnitas with fresher toppings like cilantro, white onions, and avocado slices. However, there are SO many options here to choose from! Add some shredded cheese or queso or queso fresco, salsa, hot sauce, or anything else that sounds tasty to you.
- Make it spicy. You can do this with your toppings, of course. Hot sauce will easily do the trick, but so will jalapeños! Plus, freshly diced jalapeños will also compliment the tacos with fresh flavor.
- Don’t rush the process. When you’re cooking the pork itself, it’s important to respect the slow and steady cooking time. That’s how you end up with juicy, tender, and easy to shred meat. If you try to rush it, the meat will turn out dry and tough.
- Offer a toppings bar. This is especially fun to do if you’re hosting a party! Presenting the various toppings in different dishes and letting everyone choose their favorite is a definite way to make sure all of your guests bite into their perfect taco.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Once assembled, these pork carnitas street tacos should be enjoyed right away! If you let the juicy carnitas sit in the tortilla for too long, it’ll just end up soggy. Assemble and enjoy immediately for the best results.
What to Serve with Pork Carnitas Street Tacos
Round out your Cinco de Mayo feast with more of my favorite Mexican-inspired recipes to best compliment these street tacos!
- Side dishes. I think one of my all-time favorite side dishes has got to be Mexican street corn off the cob or this Poblano Mexican Street Corn off the Cob version.
- Dessert. Nothing says party like some homemade churros. Polish off these carnitas street tacos with Tres Leches Cake or Chocolate Tres Leches Cake. Whichever you choose, everyone will have full bellies and smiles on their faces!
Pork Carnitas Street Tacos
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pork carnitas
- 8 flour tortillas, either in the street taco size or the regular taco size; if you do street tacos, you will end up with a lot more tacos!
- Toppings: onions, avocado, tomato, salsa, cilantro, etc.
Instructions
- Prepare the slow cooker carnitas or oven-baked carnitas.
- On a tortilla, add a generous amount of shredded carnitas then add your favorite toppings!
