Soft Tacos With Chipotle Carnitas

Total Time: 3 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 lbs boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 bay leaves
• plum tomato with juice, drained
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped, to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• corn tortilla, warmed, for serving

Recipe

• 1 carnitas--position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300°.
• 2 heat 2 tablespoons oil in a dutch oven over med-high heat.
• 3 season the lamb with 1/2 teaspoons of salt and pepper.
• 4 in batches, add the lamb to the dutch oven and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• 5 using a slotted spoon, transfer the lamb to a plate, leaving the fat in the dutch oven.
• 6 add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the dutch oven and decrease the heat to medium.
• 7 add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.
• 8 stir in the garlic and cook until it gives off its fragrance, about 1 minute.
• 9 pour in 1 cup water and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits in the dutch oven with a wooden spatula.
• 10 return the lamb to the dutch oven.
• 11 add the oregano, cumin, and bay leaves, and stir well.
• 12 cover and bake until the lamb is very tender, about 2 hours.
• 13 using a slotted spoon, transfer the lamb to a platter.
• 14 boil the cooking liquid in the dutch oven until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes.
• 15 meanwhile, make the chipotle sauce.
• 16 puree the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and chipotles together in a blender.
• 17 heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• 18 add the puree (it will splatter, so be careful) and bring to a boil.
• 19 cook, stirring often, until reduced by about half, about 5 minutes.
• 20 stir in the lamb and vinegar and cook until the lamb is heated through, about 3 minutes.
• 21 season with salt and pepper to taste.
• 22 transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot with warm tortillas on the side.