carnitas.
Braised, crispy, fatty, shredded Mexican pork, literally translating to ‘little meats’. Serve on tortillas for tacos, in a burrito, on top of nachos, with rice or whatever you would like.
Ingredients:
3lbs pork butt, shoulder, leg or any pork with lots of fat and connective tissue, cut into big chunks.
1lb lard.
1 tbsp Mexican oregano.
1 tsp cumin seeds.
1 tsp black peppercorns.
1 tsp coriander seeds.
3 bay leaves.
6 cloves.
1 canela cinnamon stick.
1 onion, quartered.
4 chillies de arbol.
6 garlic cloves.
1 orange, quartered.
50g tequila.
150g Mexican Coca-Cola.
120g evaporated milk.
pork brine:
3L beer, dark lager is preferred, Modelo negra or Monpolio negra are best if you can find them.
300g kosher salt.
150g brown sugar.
Equipment:
6-quart pot/dutch oven.
wooden spoon.
Execution:
brine.
Add the brine ingredients to a large container, and whisk together until everything is dissolved.
Place the cut meat into the brine, and let sit in the fridge, covered, for 1 hour.
Remove the pork from the brine, discard the brine, dry off the meat with a paper towel.
Optionally; place the pork onto a baking tray lined with a wired rack and put it in the fridge for 4 hours. All this step does it dry out the exterior to allow for better browning.
2. colour.
Melt the lard in a large pot over medium-high heat or until it reaches 250-275°F.
Add the pork, and let sit undisturbed for 15-20 minutes or until the bottom has become brown, maintaining the same temperature throughout.
Flip the meat and brown again.
Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add the cumin, black pepper, bay leaf, orange, onion, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, oregano and evaporated milk.
3. slow cook.
Reduce heat to low and let cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until tender, keep the temperature at a constant, it should be at a light simmer.
Add Coca-Cola and tequila, cook for another 30 minutes. The meat should be a deep golden dark brown. The meat should be crisp on the outside, soft and tender on the inside.
4. serve.
Break the meat apart into small chunks using your hands or a fork.
Warm a corn tortilla, top with carnitas, sliced red onions, cilantro, cotija cheese, or anything else.
5. storage.
Remove the meat from the fat and place it into an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
The fat can be reused to make carnitas or other things such as Mexican rice or beans.