Carnitas Tacos & Sweet Corn Elote Salad Substitutions
Tacos
Mexican Coke (.75 Cup) - Regular coke can be used here, the Mexican version is better because it uses sugar instead of corn syrup.
CARNITAS
Pork Shoulder (3lbs) - You could try substituting pork belly. I've never done it, but I'm all for experimenting.
Mexican Coke (.75 Cup) - Regular coke can be used here, the Mexican version is better because it uses sugar instead of corn syrup.
Orange Juice (.75 Cup) - Again, never done it, but you could try grapefruit juice.
Lime Juice (2-3 Limes) - Lemon juice would have the same effect but decidedly different flavor.
Large Yellow Onion (1, Cut in Chunks) - Brown or white onion can be substituted.
Garlic Cloves, Smashed (One Whole Head) - Never gonna be a substitute for garlic.
Jalapeño (1, Seeded, Cut in Chunks) - Serrano or fresno peppers could be stand-ins.
Dried Oregano (2-3 Tablespoons) - Fresh oregano can be used as long as you add it toward the end of cooking.
Ground Cumin (1-2 Tablespoons) - Cumin seed can be substituted as long as you strain out the mixture at the end of the recipe, or you can grin the cumin seed yourself.
Chipotle Chile Powder (1 Teaspoon) - Ancho chile powder works.
Bay Leaf (Dried, 1-2 Whole) - Fresh bay leaves are fine.
Salt - No substitute
Black Peppercorns - Any other color peppercorns.
Crême Fraiche - Sour cream or greek yogurt would work fine.
AVOCADO CREMA
Avocados (2 Large) - No substitute.
Crême Fraiche - Sour cream or greek yogurt would work fine.
Lime Juice (2-3 Limes) - Again, lemon juice is workable. A vinegar would also be fine here.
Roasted Garlic*
Salt
Pepper
White Wine Vinegar - Any vinegar is fine aside from balsamic.
PICKLED SHALLOTS
Shallots (Thinly Sliced) - Red onion is a perfect substitute here.
White Wine Vinegar - Any vinegar is fine aside from balsamic.
Salt - No substitute.
Granulated Sugar - In the case of pickles, I would personally say there's no substitute, however brown sugar would in theory be fine.
Water - Don't make me say it.
Black Peppercorns - Any other color peppercorns.
Corriander Seeds*
Dill Seeds*
Mustard Seeds*
I'm not going to provide substitutes for the optional garnishes because as I said...It's a ?#@&ing taco...add whatever you want.
TORTILLAS & EXTRAS
Corn Tortillas - Flour tortillas, lettuce wraps...a foldable paper plate if you're trying to get more fiber in your diet. Get creative.
I'm not going to provide substitutes for the optional garnishes because as I said...It's a ?#@&ing taco...add whatever you want.
Sweet Corn Elote Salad
Cherry Tomatoes (Quartered) - Any kind of tomato can be swapped here.
SALAD
Sweet Corn Kernels (Fresh if You Can Find Them) - Any corn kernels work. Even the baby corn cobs that come in the can are fine.
Cherry Tomatoes (Quartered) - Any kind of tomato can be swapped here.
Butter Lettuce - Iceberg would be my pick as a stand-in.
Cojita Cheese - Queso fresco, goat cheese, etc.
DRESSING
I think you guys can figure out what would be appropriate substitutes here.
Churros & Dulce de Leche
Butter (155 Grams) - No substitute.
DOUGH
Whole Milk (365 Grams) - Water can be substituted.
Butter (155 Grams) - No substitute.
Salt (2 Grams) - No substitute.
Granulated Sugar (3.5 Grams) - No substitute.
AP Flour (232 Grams) - Cake flour would work.
Eggs (325 Grams) - No substitute.
COATING
Again, this is up to you to decide - what would you like on your churro?
FRYING OIL
Canola or Vegetable Oil - Peanut oil or grapeseed oil if you want to spend a bunch of money that you really don't need to.
DULCE DE LECHE
Collectively I'll encourage you not to substitute for this recipe as the chemical process that goes on here is fairly specific, however if you can find a recipe that uses alternate ingredients, please feel free to follow that one.
*It's ?#@&ing Optional