We used to do production for clients in a factory near Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. At the end of a long day we would head to this charming Mexican restaurant that welcomed us with sparkling tiny white lights strung through the trees and a gurgling fountain in the enclosed patio. We would immediately sink into relaxation. The first thing on our menu was a frosty margarita followed by my pick, nachos. Until recently I had never bothered to make those delicious nachos at home, but urged on by Steve (who had a yen for them) I decided to give replicating our favorite the old college try. When all was said and done, I think I made nachos that were even better than we remembered.
Here’s what I did.
I covered the bottom of a large jelly roll pan with chips (I use Xochitl brand, Mexican style stone-ground corn chips). I sprinkled carnitas over the chips followed by black beans and pico de gallo. Then I did another layer of chips followed by the same threesome. Sprinkled cheese over the top and put the whole mess in a very hot oven. In about 10 minutes we had a melted cheesy mess that we garnished with guacamole and more pico de gallo. It was delicious. All that was missing was the twinkling lights and gurgling fountain.
Carnitas

1 tablespoon lard or peanut oil
5 pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into large chunks
Salt to taste
About 2 cups chicken stock or nonfat, low-sodium chicken broth
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon pure chile powder (not commercially packed seasoned chili powder)
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the pork, season generously with salt, and sear, turning occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until very crusty and dark brown.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the browned pork to a double layer of paper towel to drain off excess fat.
Add 1 cup of cold water to the pan and bring to a boil, scraping the brown bits up from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the drained pork to the pan. Add just enough chicken stock (or broth) to almost cover the meat with liquid. Make sure you do not cover it entirely. Stir in the garlic, bay leaves, chile powder, and cumin.
Transfer to the preheated oven and roast, turning the meat occasionally, for about 3 hours or until the pan is almost dry and the meat is falling apart.
Remove from the oven and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate to cool. Let rest until cool enough to handle.
When cool, pull the meat apart into almost bite-sized pieces. The carnitas may be made up to this point and returned to whatever cooking liquid is left in the pan. Then, stored, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Place the pork pieces in a baking pan along with the liquid and roast, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until the pan is dry and the pork pieces are almost charred and crispy. This meat may be used for tacos, nachos, burritos, or enchiladas.