Slow-Braised Tacos Two Ways: Mexican-Spiced Lamb Shoulder & Cinnamon-Orange Pork Carnitas
Two fall-apart tender taco fillings, a cumin-and-citrus braised lamb shoulder with beet-cabbage slaw and crispy cinnamon-orange pork carnitas with lime slaw, both piled onto warm cassava tortillas with guacamole and quick-pickled onions.
Yield: each serves 6–8 · Active: 30–40 min each · Total: about 3½–4½ hr each (mostly hands-off braising) · Season: year-round, especially fall through spring, when cabbage and beets are sweetest and citrus peaks (oranges December–April from California and Florida). Avocados come from California March–September and from Mexico year-round. · Cuisine: Mexican, with a Mexican-Mediterranean lamb · Best eaten: midday or early evening, as a build-your-own taco night
Taco night is one of the easiest and most festive ways to feed a crowd. Set out a big pot of slow-braised meat, warm tortillas, slaw, guacamole, pickled onions, herbs and lime, and let everyone build their own. Here are two fillings that each turn a tough, well-marbled shoulder cut into something you can pull apart with a fork:
Mexican-Spiced Lamb Shoulder: rubbed with cumin, smoked paprika, coriander and Mexican oregano, braised in orange, lime and bone broth, and topped with a bright beet-cabbage slaw.
Cinnamon-Orange Pork Carnitas: pork shoulder braised in lard with orange, lime, cinnamon and cumin, Michoacán-style, then crisped at the edges so every bite is both silky and crunchy.
Make one or both. They share the same tortillas, guacamole and pickled onions, and both freeze beautifully. More tacos: Beef Brisket Tacos and Duck Tacos with Purple Cabbage Slaw & Green Chimichurri.
Shared Building Blocks
Quick-pickled red onions (make at least 1 hour ahead)
1 large red onion, very thinly sliced
½ cup raw apple cider vinegar
½ cup filtered water
2 tsp raw honey
1 tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Stir the vinegar, water, honey and salt until dissolved. Pack the onions into a jar, pour the brine over and refrigerate at least 1 hour. They turn bright pink and keep 2 weeks in the fridge.
Guacamole (make just before serving)
3 ripe avocados
¼ cup red onion, finely diced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
1 small jalapeño, minced (optional)
Mash the avocados with the lime juice and salt, then fold in the onion, cilantro and jalapeño. Make it last, since guacamole browns quickly.
Tortillas and toppings
16–20 cassava tortillas (Siete, or homemade; see below)
Fresh cilantro, lime wedges and your favorite hot sauce
Homemade cassava tortillas (makes about 12): mix 1½ cups cassava flour, ½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt, 3 tbsp lard or olive oil and about ¾ cup warm water into a soft dough. Roll into 12 balls, press thin between parchment and cook in a dry, hot skillet 45–60 seconds per side, until speckled.
To warm tortillas: heat them on a dry skillet or directly over a gas flame for about 20 seconds per side, then wrap them in a towel to keep warm.
Way 1 · Mexican-Spiced Lamb Shoulder Tacos with Beet-Cabbage Slaw
Ingredients
Lamb
3 lb boneless pasture-raised lamb shoulder
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano
1 tbsp Baja Gold sea salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or lard
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken bone broth
Juice of 2 organic oranges and 1 lime
Beet-cabbage slaw
2 cups thinly shredded purple cabbage
1 medium beet, peeled and shredded
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Optional: green chimichurri, like the one in my Argentine Skirt Steak post
Method
Pickle the onions at least 1 hour ahead (above).
Rub the lamb. Heat the oven to 325°F. Mix the cumin, paprika, coriander, oregano, salt and pepper, and rub it all over the lamb.
Sear. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the lamb on all sides until browned, 8–10 minutes total. Keep the heat from going too high, since the paprika in the rub can scorch.
Braise. Add the garlic, broth, orange juice and lime juice around the lamb, not over it. Cover tightly and braise in the oven 3½–4 hours, until fork-tender and falling apart (about 195–205°F).
Shred. Lift out the lamb, shred it with two forks and return it to the pot, stirring it into the juices. Skim off excess fat if you like.
Make the slaw. Toss the cabbage, beet, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and salt. Let it sit 15 minutes to soften slightly.
Make the guacamole and warm the tortillas.
Build. Spoon lamb onto each tortilla and top with beet-cabbage slaw, guacamole, pickled onions, chimichurri (if using), cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Way 2 · Cinnamon-Orange Pork Carnitas with Lime Cabbage Slaw
Ingredients
Carnitas
4 lb pasture-raised pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 3-inch chunks
1 large yellow onion, halved
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large organic orange, zested, then juiced (keep both)
Juice of 2 limes
1 Ceylon cinnamon stick (or 1 tsp ground)
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano
1 tbsp Baja Gold sea salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
2 bay leaves
½ cup pasture-raised lard (or duck fat)
1 cup chicken bone broth (or water)
Lime cabbage slaw
4 cups thinly shredded green cabbage
1 cup thinly shredded purple cabbage
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Baja Gold sea salt
Method
Build the braise. Heat the oven to 325°F. Put the pork in a large Dutch oven with the onion, garlic, orange zest and juice, lime juice, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and bay leaves, and toss to coat. Add the lard and broth.
Braise. Cover tightly and braise 3 hours, until the pork is fall-apart tender.
Shred. Discard the onion halves, bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Shred the pork with two forks right in the pot.
Crisp. Heat the broiler. With a slotted spoon, spread the pork in an even layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Drizzle about ½ cup of the strained cooking fat and juices over it, then broil 5–8 minutes, watching closely, until the edges are crispy and golden. Or crisp it in batches in a hot cast-iron skillet with a spoonful of the fat, without stirring, until browned underneath.
Make the slaw. Toss the cabbages, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and salt. Let it sit 15 minutes.
Make the guacamole and warm the tortillas.
Build. Pile the crispy carnitas onto the tortillas and top with lime slaw, guacamole, pickled onions, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Spoon a little more of the warm juices over the top if you like.
Storage (both): The shredded meat keeps 4 days in the fridge, or 3 months frozen in its cooking liquid. Reheat in the liquid, then crisp just before serving. The slaws hold 2 days and the pickled onions 2 weeks. Make the guacamole fresh. For 12+ guests, double or triple either recipe; plan on about 1 lb raw boneless meat for every 2 guests.
Honey note: the honey in the pickled onions isn’t heated, so it stays raw. Honey isn’t safe for babies under 12 months.
Make it a meal: add coconut-lime cauliflower rice or coconut cilantro rice, black beans, or a simple avocado and tomato salad.
Nourishment Notes
Slow braising is one of the oldest ways to cook tough cuts. Across Mexico, meat has long been wrapped in maguey leaves and slow-cooked in earth ovens for barbacoa. The long, low heat melts the shoulder’s collagen into gelatin, bringing glycine and proline, amino acids that support the gut lining, joints and skin.
Pasture-raised lamb brings heme iron, zinc, B12, B6 and creatine in forms the body uses easily, and grass-finished lamb carries more omega-3s and CLA than grain-finished. Pasture-raised pork brings B vitamins (especially thiamine), zinc and selenium, and pigs raised outdoors carry more vitamin D in their fat. Lard from pasture-raised pigs is a stable traditional cooking fat, and cooking pork in its own fat is the heart of carnitas.
The spices each add something: cumin and coriander for earthy warmth, smoked paprika for carotenoids and smoke, and cinnamon for sweet warmth and polyphenols. Mexican oregano is a different plant from Mediterranean oregano (Lippia, not Origanum), with a brighter, more citrusy flavor that’s worth seeking out. Orange and lime bring vitamin C and brightness, and their acid helps balance the rich meat.
The slaws bring the crunch and freshness that make rich braised meat feel light. Cabbage brings vitamin C, vitamin K and glucosinolates from the broccoli family. Purple cabbage adds anthocyanins, and beets bring folate and betalains. Guacamole brings potassium, folate and monounsaturated fats that help you absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Pickled red onions add quercetin, anthocyanins and tang. Cassava (yuca) is a starchy root, and its flour makes a soft, grain-free tortilla.
For your cycle: during menstruation, the heme iron, zinc and B12 in the lamb and pork help replenish what you lose, and the vitamin C in the citrus and slaw helps you absorb that iron. In the luteal phase, the hearty protein and fat, plus the slow carbs of cassava tortillas, keep energy and cravings steady.
Sourcing
Lamb and pork shoulder: pasture-raised, from a local farm, White Oak Pastures or US Wellness Meats
Lard or duck fat: pasture-raised, from Fatworks or Epic, or render your own from pork back fat
Mexican oregano and spices: a Latin American market or spice shop
Cassava tortillas: Siete, or homemade with cassava flour from Otto’s Naturals
Cabbage, beets, onions, cilantro and avocados: a farmers’ market, organic where possible
Oranges and limes: organic, since you’re using the zest
Raw apple cider vinegar: unfiltered, “with the mother”
Honey: local raw honey
Bone broth: homemade or from a local farm
Sea salt: Baja Gold
— Anna aka Food Marshall