Carnitas Tacos with Jicama Slaw

From the garden

• 1 medium jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks · a whole one, about 1¼ pounds; a mandoline or the julienne side of a box grater makes short work of it
• 1 medium red onion, half sliced paper-thin for the slaw, half quartered for the pot
• 1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 medium orange, halved

From the pantry

• 3 lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks, excess fat cap trimmed but not removed
• 3 limes, 2 juiced for the slaw, 1 cut into wedges
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano · Mexican oregano if you have it
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 18 corn tortillas, warmed
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Heat the oven to 300°F. Season the pork chunks all over with about 1 tablespoon of salt, the cumin, oregano, and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high and brown the pork in two batches, 3–4 minutes per side, until deeply colored. Crowding steams it, so give the pieces room.
2. Return all the pork to the pot with the quartered onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Squeeze the orange halves over the meat and drop the spent halves into the pot. Add water to come about a third of the way up the meat (roughly 1 cup). Cover and braise in the oven 2½–3 hours, until a fork twists the meat apart with no resistance; the pork will be well past its 145°F safe temperature, around 195–205°F, which is what you want for shredding.
3. While the pork cooks, make the slaw so it has time to mellow: toss the jicama matchsticks with the sliced red onion, half the cilantro, the jalapeño, the juice of 2 limes, and a generous ½ teaspoon of salt. Refrigerate. It should taste bright and a little too tart on its own; the rich pork balances it.
4. Lift the pork out onto a rimmed sheet pan and pull it into rough shreds with two forks, discarding the orange halves and bay. Set the pot over high heat and boil the braising liquid until it reduces to a few tablespoons of syrupy fat and juices, about 10 minutes.
5. Pour the reduced juices over the shredded pork, toss, and broil 4–6 inches from the heat for 5–8 minutes, until the edges crackle and brown. Stir once halfway so you get crisp bits without drying the whole tray.
6. Serve on warm tortillas: a generous spoon of carnitas, a big pinch of slaw on top, the rest of the cilantro, and a lime wedge. Set the slaw on the table in its bowl; people always want more.