Carnitas and Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa

Carnitas
1 pork shoulder or butt (4 to 5 lb.)
2 onions (1 lb. total), peeled and quartered
4 stalks celery (including leaves), rinsed and cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 dried bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried thyme
About 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk

1. Rinse pork and put in a 6- to 8-quart pan. Add onions, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and enough water to cover meat--2 1/2 to 3 1/2 quarts.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce heat, and simmer until meat is very tender when pierced, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. With slotted spoons, transfer pork to a 9- by 13-inch pan; reserve cooking juices. Use 2 forks to pull meat into large chunks. Pour milk over meat.
3. Bake pork in a 325° oven until drippings are browned, about 1 hour, stirring and scraping pan occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, pour reserved juices through a strainer into a bowl; discard residue. Skim and discard fat. Return juices to pan. Boil over high heat until reduced to 2 cups, about 45 minutes.
5. When pork drippings are browned, add 1 cup of the reduced juices; scrape drippings free and stir meat, breaking into smaller pieces. Bake until juices have evaporated and drippings are browned, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Repeat step, using remaining juices, and cook until meat edges are crisp and browned, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt.

Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa
1/3 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered
1 fresh jalapeño chilie, rinsed, stemmed, seeded, and halved(check for heat)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro
1 firm-ripe avocado (about 1/2 lb.), peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped onion1
1/2 to 2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt

1. In ½ cup of reduced pork stock/chicken stock boil tomatillos and crushed garlic for 3 minutes.
2.In a blender or food processor, whirl tomatillos, chilies, garlic, onion, and cilantro until coarsely puréed. Add avocado, lime juice and puree again.
3. Add salt to taste.

Tortillas
Heat skillet or griddle to med-high. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat skillet with vegetable oil. Place as many tortillas as your pan or griddle can hold in a single layer(overlapping a little is fine) and heat until soft, turning once during cooking. Place in foil and repeat.