Among the many mistakes of the ’80s was the low-fat revolution, and I swear this is what spawned individually frozen skinless, boneless chicken breasts.

OK, so I use those occasionally, but for some reason we went too far in the wrong direction. Fat, I promise you, if used responsibly, will give you a dinner that will have you singing while high-knee kicking in time to the tunes of big-haired pop stars.

While my taste preference has not been evaluated by the surgeon general, I prefer fat to lean — I like tasty food. Plus, the pendulum is swinging back to accepting fats as an important part of a daily diet, so get ’em while you can. This loophole includes dairy, avocados and a resurgence of pork belly in every possible form. It is a good time to be alive.

Carnitas make for my favorite kind of taco but can be used in many ways: sandwich filling, with rice, in a nontraditional chili, or as a side to a bright and citrusy tomato salad. You can’t go wrong with a big batch to ensure there are leftovers. I’ve been known to eat tacos for every meal for days in a row. Taco Wednesday is just as delicious as Taco Tuesday.

This pork preparation, which calls for lard, will reduce more than you’d think, so don’t worry that you’ll have a hard time finishing 4 pounds of pork shoulder. Traditionally, you’d braise the pork in a vat of lard for hours. Since few of us today will attempt such a thing, here is an oven-safe cooking method that is — ta-da! — less fat-centric than the traditional version. This is not to be confused with low-fat or tasteless.

As for the lilikoi part of the recipe, I came up with it as a substitute for the traditional orange. While my lilikoi are a bit sweeter than most, they are still plenty tangy, and the dish came out perfectly.

Lilikoi Carnitas

• 4 pounds pork butt, cut into 2- to 3-inch pieces
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 onion, cut into thick slices
• 1/2 cup lilikoi puree
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken into 3 pieces
• 3/4 cup lard, divided (substitute with vegetable or avocado oil)

Heat oven to 275 degrees or set out your slow cooker, if that’s your thing. In large bowl, sprinkle pork with salt and toss with onion and lilikoi.

Place everything in large rectangular casserole pan (I used a 10-by-15-inch pan, but you can probably fit it in a 9-by-13-inch pan.) Add garlic, bay leaves and cinnamon. Press everything down into an even layer.

If using slow cooker, simply add meat to the pot and set on high.

In small pot, melt lard over medium, then drizzle about half over meat. Cover pan with foil or place lid on slow cooker. Bake 4 hours or slow cook 5 to 6 hours, until meat falls apart easily when touched.

Remove and discard leaves and cinnamon. Set aside onions if you want to eat them later. Remove pork from pan and let liquid sit until fat rises to the surface.

Skim as much fat as possible and place in a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet, and heat over medium-high. In batches, brown and crisp pork. If needed, use some of leftover lard. Serve immediately with tortillas or store in covered container. Serves 10.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including tortillas): 450 calories, 33 g total fat, 12 g saturated fat, 125 mg cholesterol, 850 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g sugar, 33 g protein

Mariko Jackson blogs about family and food at thelittlefoodie.com. Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.