When we talk about great tacos, we generally talk about their flavor, texture, spice, and the warm hug of a fresh corn tortilla. Rarely do we talk about the strength it takes to cook 1,000 pounds of carnitas, rendering the meat in its own sizzling fat in a makeshift kitchen on a sidewalk while pressing handmade tortillas. That's exactly what Guadalupe Baez does every Sunday morning at Carnitas Los Gabrieles in Downtown LA. In a story for L.A. Taco, Memo Torres describes her as the Queen of Carnitas.
With parents from Michoacán and Puebla, Baez decided to start making carnitas during her divorce so she could earn extra income. She reached out to her brothers and cousins, who taught her the basics, which had been passed down in their family for at least four generations. Although the pandemic threw a wrench into her plans, she eventually found a spot in a parking lot in DTLA's Piñata District.
The lines grew and her small batches got bigger. With three locations, 18 employees, and a second-weekend pop-up in Pacoima, Baez is set to open her first brick-and-mortar Carnitas Los Gabrieles on Olympic Blvd.
Making carnitas has traditionally been a male-dominated endeavor, Torres points out. Heavy pots and cooking that starts at 3 a.m. aren't for the faint of heart. The process also involves stewing lard, turning pounds of pork for hours in the coldest part of the night. Torres says it's like being "the blacksmith of taqueros."