Carnitas

[Abra]

I too want to report on my recent foray into carnitas heaven. I used Jaymes' marinade (chicken broth, tequila, lime and orange juice, onions, jalapenos, and spices) but did them entirely in the oven, using the method that someone upthread posted. I had to do this because I used 5 lbs of pork shoulder and didn't have the right pan(s) to do all that meat on the stovetop.

After about 3 hours in the oven covered with foil I removed the foil and cranked up the heat a little. It took about another 2 hours for all the liquid to evaporate and the meat to really brown well, but it never got truly crisp. I think the oven method might need an additional step of spreading the meat on a sheet under the broiler, to really achieve crispness. However, and this is the key, the stuff was fabulous, crisp or not! The flavor was so mellow and complex that no one could stop eating it. The one thing I'd change next time is that I did add a little brown sugar and sorghum, a la Jaymes, to help with the caramelization, and I thought it was just a touch too sweet, necessitating an extra dose of lime juice at the very end. Next time I'll cut out the sugar and just go with the sorghum.

And there will be a next time, many next times. Double yum!

[ExtraMSG]

Thanks, again, to all who have posted their thoughts, experiences, and images. And remember: El Cerdo es Bueno. http://www.elcerdoesbueno.com/

la otra carne blanca

[JennyUptown]

Made carnitas tonight...yum! Thanks for the inspiration. I forgot to get tortillas so I'll be having mine with black beans and rice.

[purplewiz]

Made carnitas tonight...yum! Thanks for the inspiration. I forgot to get tortillas so I'll be having mine with black beans and rice.

Hey, I did, too!

Ok, so ti was really my second run through the recipe, since the first time I did not use a fatty enough cut of pork. This time I used the boneless country style ribs currently on a good sale at Safeway, and oh yes, they gave off enough fat to fry properly.

I served them over quesadillas with a little salsa and a salad on the side.

I HAD leftovers for about 3 hours....then my husband polished them off.

If he hadn't, I would've.

Marcia.

[Bob Winkler]

The best carnitas I ever had was in the old town square in Santa Fe NM last week.

Went back for seconds, I did.

[Jake]

The best carnitas I ever had was in the old town square in Santa Fe NM last week.

Went back for seconds, I did.

Try Jaymes' recipe! Then you can enjoy them at home.

[msphoebe]

I have collected several recipes for carnitas but have yet to try them. I have an excellent home-style Mexican restaurant just around the corner and eat carnitas there often. I think I'm inspired to try them at home now, thanks to Jaymes' kind instruction.

My question -- go ahead and laugh -- is there a difference between a pork butt and a pork shoulder? I have a butt in the freezer...and would like to use that, if it's appropriate. Otherwise, I'll go look for a shoulder!

tks

[nessa]

Its my understanding that its the same cut, or close enough.

US pork Manual

[ExtraMSG]

Isn't the butt the top of the shoulder, or something like that? It should be fine as long as it has enough fat on it. I've found that for the boiling/water method, the country style ribs do a better job, but the shoulder will be good enough.

Edit: I should go to the links before I post. It confirmed, yes, it's the top of the shoulder.

Edited August 3, 2004 by ExtraMSG (log)

[fifi]

*bump*

I just had to share a carnitas story.

As readers of this thread may know, I have had trouble getting the carnitas to come out right no matter what I do.

Yesterday, I was working on a recipe. Jason had mentioned the Goya brand Mojo Criollo marinade stuff the other day on another thread. I had used it before and loved it but I had always used it in combination with other things. I decided that I wanted to see what it was like more or less on its own. I didn't want to do a big old hunk of meat so I bought a small package of the country style ribs. I marinaded overnight. Then I put the pork in my little Le Creuset with a little of the Mojo, put the lid on and shoved it into a 250F oven for a nice slow braise. I did add more orange in the form of about 3 tablespoons of orange juice concentrate. I checked it after 2 or 3 hours (I don't know for sure) and it was getting really tender when I thought that if I took the lid off for a bit, the liquid would cook down a bit and maybe glaze the pork a bit.

Uuuuh... I forgot about it.

I am in here working away and I start to smell this smell. Not a bad smell... wonder what the neighbor is cooking... OH CRAP!

I go to check on my "braised pork". Heh... It ain't braised any more. It is all browned and the fat is in a fairly deep puddle in the bottom. I took a couple of pieces off the bone and tasted.

Houston! We have carnitas!

I have finally made the carnitas I have been seeking through thorough analysis and exceptional culinary skill. (That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. )

[tejon]

Somehow I'm guessing this is more or less how carnitas came to be in the first place. Through......analysis and exceptional culinary skill.

[snowangel]

Thanks, fifi. Think I need to get a shoulder or some country ribs and do what you did (including forgetting them; not hard these days). I think the problem with mine in the past is that I have "worried" them to shreds.

[fifi]

I think the problem with mine in the past is that I have "worried" them to shreds.

←

I think that is exactly what I have done. My next try with chunks of shoulder is to make the chunks a bit bigger then leave them the hell alone.

[NVNVGirl]

I've been thinking about making carnitas for a month now and haven't gotten around to it, but after reading every single word that's been written here, I am salivating and anxious to try my hand at them!

Jaymes, thank you for such a clear and concise description of your method; it's almost like having you on the other end of the phone My mom will be here to visit for a week this next Monday and I'm going to make them for her. Wish me luck! And thank you everyone for posting your thoughts and experiences making them also!

[snowangel]

fifi, shoulder was on sale for $.79 at my market. Needless to say, after doing some "big" cutting sometime in the next few days, I'm going to do some ignoring.

Yes, I do think, the more that I ponder it, that one really needs to ignore them in order to get those crisp cubes.

[lovebenton0]

Carnitas with Squash

2 lbs cubed pork

2 cups chopped tomatoes (3 medium tomatoes)

1 cup diced onion (I like sweet yellows in this)

1/2 cup diced chiles (I usually roast Anas for this)

2-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp Mexican oregano to taste (optional here)

2 ears fresh cut sweet corn

1 1/2 lbs Mexican squash (calabacita, or tatuma squash, or zucchini), cubed

1 tsp salt (or salt to taste)

8 to 12 oz beer

Toss cubed pork, those big meaty pork ribs are great for this, with salt and red pepper or paprika. In a dutch oven or large skillet add 8 to 12 oz beer and the pork. Simmer down. Brown pork until you get that crispy outside. Saute onion, chiles, and garlic. Add tomatoes, Mex oregano, and cumin. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in cut corn, squash, and salt; cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes.

[fifi]

OMG that sounds good. I am thinking about doing this when I visit my son over the Christmas holidays. He absolutely loves squash. His housemate will be away and we can cook all sorts of pork. (His housemate is Jewish... not kosher but just doesn't do pork.)

[msphoebe]

Oh my gosh...did my first batch of carnitas this afternoon and they are cooling in a bowl on the counter. I can't stay out of them. Keep picking a "taster"...and then another...and then the cats were curious and had to have a taste...

These are delicious and simple to fix. They do take quite a bit of time, so I can see where the "worrying them to shreds" comes from.

I will say this. I was concerned towards the end, when the liquid was like a thick gravy...I thought I'd done something wrong. A short while after, however, the water evaporated from the "gravy" and I could see the clear yellow fat rendering in the bottom of the pan. Then the sound of meat frying in oil...and I knew I was on the right track.

I have a nice burnt spot in the bottom of my Le Creuset Dutch oven, which I believe is a result of the onions caramelizing. I added some hot water to the hot pan (once the carnitas were removed) and am more or less de-glazing and it's working just fine.

Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your cooking method, snowangel. My favorite meal is now much more affordable and easy to share with others. The waiters at my favorite Mexican restaurant are going to miss me....

editing to add...

I used 6 lb. country style ribs ($1.79/lb at Costco), added a large onion cut into wedges, a tablespoon of salt, several small bay leaves, and pepper. 3 cans of chicken broth, juice of 1 orange and 1 lime. Fabulous. Not only will I enjoy the carnitas rolled in a tortilla, but also in a quesadilla -- flour tortilla, monterey jack cheese, and shredded pork, fried in a teensie bit of oil till the tortilla is crisp. HEAVEN on a plate!

Edited October 17, 2004 by msphoebe (log)

[NVNVGirl]

Well, I FINALLY did the carnitas....or ALMOST did them! Dh decided to stay over in LA till this morning I had put the pork into the crockpot (I'm not exactly sure WHY I did this since I was going to be home all day anyhow, but I guess I thought it would be fun to use the crockpot and pretend like I was going to work or something )..anyhow, dh called me right around the time I was going to take it out and crisp it in the oven, so I turned it off and let it cool and then put the whole thing into the fridge. It's still in the liquid (tequila, lime, orange juices, etc) that it cooked in. I'm hoping I can finish cooking it tomorrow nite....does anyone have any suggestions as how I should proceed? The meat is perfectly cooked and pulls apart now....I was thinking maybe of putting it into a pan on the stove and cooking the liquid away and then putting it into the oven to crisp. But I'm not sure if that will dry the meat out too much. Or if it's even safe to do that. Any thoughts?

BTW, Jaymes~ now I see why you don't make the corn pudding for yourself....I used your recipe and I've eaten my "half" of it, LOL....it's DELICIOUS! Also made the pico de gallo con aguacate, however, I suppose I'll have to do it over again tomorrow evening...maybe I'd better go make a taco or something now tho

[fifi]

Actually, that is a pretty good idea. I think you have found a natural "stopping point" in the process. I would suggest that you take the pork/liquid mixture out of the fridge and put it in a roasting pan in the oven and let it do its thing there. I would just allow a lot of time since I have no idea how long it will take to evaporate the liquid off, and then fry, especially coming from a cold state. That kind of timing shouldn't be a problem since they hold nicely after cooking.

Just remember not to "mess with it". That was the hardest lesson I had to learn. I kept wanting to "turn it" or something. I ended up with pork mush... delicious pork mush... but mush just the same.

[NVNVGirl]

Actually, that is a pretty good idea. I think you have found a natural "stopping point" in the process. I would suggest that you take the pork/liquid mixture out of the fridge and put it in a roasting pan in the oven and let it do its thing there. I would just allow a lot of time since I have no idea how long it will take to evaporate the liquid off, and then fry, especially coming from a cold state. That kind of timing shouldn't be a problem since they hold nicely after cooking.

Just remember not to "mess with it". That was the hardest lesson I had to learn. I kept wanting to "turn it" or something. I ended up with pork mush... delicious pork mush... but mush just the same.

←

OK...that sounds good to me! How much time do you think? I mean like what oven temp and how many hours....I can tell you I probably have like maybe 2, possibly 3 cups of liquid ....I'm not actually asking for a time, but maybe more of a "look" to the product that I have in the oven once its cooking. So I don't have to be concerned with turning it over??? I hate to belabor this, but my husband is home only on the weekend and we usually go out, so I try to make as small catastrophes as possible when I do cook! I do appreciate your help! Seana

"

"

[fifi]

I am totally guessing here. You could start at maybe 300F and see how it goes. I would probably start a little lower. You are just going to have to watch and see. My "accidental" carnitas (oops, I mean carefully planned culinary adventure ) were not turned at all and were done at 250F. Like someone else said up-thread, first the liquid will cook down to a thick gravy, then all of the water will evaporated away and the fat will have rendered, leaving a pool of fat in the bottom of the pan. I do suggest that you choose a pan that "just fits" the pork in a single layer. That way, all of the pieces get equal and maximum exposure to the cooked down liquid and fat in succession.

I guess you could turn them once, maybe. I just found that being obsessive about turning and getting the chunks "evenly coated" ended up with shreds.

[nessa]

Damn you all for ressurecting this thread. Now I am *forced* to make carnitas once again. Whatever shall I do?

[msphoebe]

I plan to do my best to keep this one at the top of the page with the 'Larb' thread. No one should miss it! A daily bump should do it...

[NVNVGirl]

Thanks fifi! I'll try them tonite and report back on how they turned out and details of what I did., but I'm thinking I'll pretty much stick to your ideas and see how it goes!

OH no....Now I'm going to have to check out the Larb thread too, LOL....and I've been trying to avoid it