Carnitas de Pato Tacos

Recipe By: Coyo Taco

Ingredients

  1. 12 6-inch corn tortillas

  2. 2 tbsps vegetable oil

  3. 1 cup red onions (diced)

  4. 1 cup cotija cheese (grated)

  5. 1 cup cilantro (chopped)

  6. 4 lbs duck legs and thighs

  7. 2 lbs duck fat or lard

  8. 1 medium onion (peeled and sliced)

  9. 6 cloves garlic (peeled and smashed)

  10. 10 whole peppercorns

  11. 5 bay leaves

  12. 3 dried chipotle chiles

  13. 1 tbsp Mexican oregano

  14. 2 sprigs fresh thyme

  15. 1 stick canela ((Mexican cinnamon))

  16. 1/2 cup orange juice

  17. 1 cup Coca-Cola

  18. 1 cup light Mexican beer (like Tecate)

  19. 6 oz condensed milk

  20. 2 tbsps kosher salt

  21. 2 cups kosher salt

  22. 1 cup granulated sugar

  23. 1 tbsp Mexican oregano

  24. 5 bay leaves (ground)

  25. 1 stick canela (crushed)

  26. 1/4 tsp cloves (ground)

  27. 1/2 tsp allspice (ground)

  28. 1 tbsp black pepper (freshly ground)

  29. 2 tbsps chipotle chiles (chopped and canned in adobo)

  30. 1 cup orange juice

  31. 1 lb tomatillos (peeled and washed)

  32. 1 medium sized onion (peeled and quartered)

  33. 6 cloves garlic

  34. 2 to 6 serrano chiles (depending on your spice preference)

  35. 1/2 cup white vinegar

  36. 1 tsp Mexican oregano

  37. 2 tbsps kosher salt

  38. 2 cups cilantro (washed and roughly chopped)

  39. Grenache

Step By Step

1️⃣ Place
  1. PLACE all salsa ingredients - except the cilantro - into a large sauce pot, add water to cover and bring to a simmer. Cook the ingredients until soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool.

2️⃣ Remove
  1. REMOVE all ingredients, using a slotted spoon, to the pitcher of an electric blender, add cilantro and puree until smooth. Add a small amount of the cooking liquid to adjust the consistency. Reserve.

3️⃣ Mix
  1. MIX all cure ingredients.

4️⃣ Rub
  1. RUB duck liberally with cure mix, place them in a large dish and refrigerate for 2 hours. After 2 hours rinse duck under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.

5️⃣ Preheat
  1. PREHEAT oven to 300ºF.

6️⃣ Melt
  1. MELT lard or duck fat in a large roasting pan on the stove over medium heat. Add the duck and all other aromatics bring to a simmer, cover with aluminum foil and place in oven for approximately 2 hours, until tender and falling from the bone.

7️⃣ Remove
  1. REMOVE from oven, place roasting pan back on the stove and heat on the burner until duck skin becomes brown and crispy on the outside and let cool in the liquid. Remove duck legs from the liquid and let drain on a baking rack. Pull duck meat and skin from the bone and roughly chop.

8️⃣ Heat
  1. HEAT a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, add vegetable oil and pulled duck and cook until crispy and heated through.

9️⃣ Heat
  1. HEAT each tortilla on both sides, place 2 ounces of duck in the center of each, drizzle with Serrano salsa and sprinkle on onions, cilantro and cheese. Enjoy.