Friday, October 31, 2008

Free Recipe Friday: Carnitas, or "This is what happy tastes like"

I’ll make a cook’s confession. Up until last night, I couldn’t cook a pork loin to save my life. It’s not for a lack of trying.

My husband is my guinea pig, and every time I serve him something, he says, “This is the best (insert food here) that I have ever eaten.” The jury is still out on whether he's lying, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

But that still doesn’t mean that the non-bacon pork that I’ve put in front of him for the past 3-4 years has been worth a damn. I’ve tried roasting and searing and sautéing, grilling, braising, and even frying and they have pretty much sucked, not to put too fine a point on it.


Two years ago, I traveled to Phoenix to visit my sister and she took us to a Mexican market, Pro’s Ranch Market and it was one of the most amazing food adventures I’ve ever been on.

The Gibson adventure, starring Aunt Betty, Dad, & my then-very-pregnant sister Lindsey

From the Pro's Ranch Market website (www.ProsRanch.com)

I had the best meal of my life there -- pork carnitas on warm, soft corn tortillas and fresh watermelon water. I have been trying to recreate them since, to no avail.

Until last night.

On a whim, I tried doing the recipe I have backwards, and it worked beautifully.

So, here goes…

CARNITAS
-- Serves 6-8
-- Prep time: 10 minutes
-- Passive Cooking Time: 16 hours
-- Active Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Essential Equipment
* large Crock Pot
* very sharp knife
* wire mesh strainer or small colander
* coffee filters

Ingredients
* 1 pork butt (3-4 lbs), cut into 3 inch cubes (if using bone-in, just trim around the bone and include bones while cooking)
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1 medium onion, peeled and halved
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 tsp dried oregano
* 1 tsp kosher salt
* 1 ½ tsp granulated sugar
* 2 Tbsp white vinegar
* juice from 1 lemon
* juiced-lemon, washed and trimmed and seeded, then sliced
* 2 cups hot water
* 1 pale beer (I just used a Bud Light because that’s what was in the fridge, but you can use anything of the lighter variety)
* pinch of cayenne pepper (optional, if you like them spicy)

Basic Summary
Combine all ingredients and cook in crock pot. Broil the meat. Boil down the reseved juices for a sauce. Pour sauce over meat and serve.

1. Turn on Crock Pot on LOW. Add beer and bay leaves and cover.
2. Cut up pork loin. If using bone-in, trim the meat from the bone and include the bone in the pot while you cook. Include the fat cap (the big layer of fat), but be sure to cut lines into it so that the fat renders.
3. Wash the lemon well, trim the ends and squeeze juice and seeds out into a separate bowl. Remove the seeds and slice up the squished lemon.
4. By now, the beer should be at least lukewarm. Add vinegar, sugar, salt, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, lemon juice and stir. Lay down a bed of lemon slices in the Crock Pot.
5. Squash the pork pieces and onion into the Crock Pot so it’s relatively even on top, so that it will cook consistently.
6. Add hot water until the liquid barely covers the meat.
7. Cover and cook on low for 12-16 hours.
8. Turn off the crock pot and let everything cool off enough to handle the meat. Be careful not to leave it too long to avoid bacterial growth.
9. Remove bay leaves and remaining lemon slices and throw away. Remove meat and onions and transfer to cookie sheet.
10. Put coffee filter in strainer and pour remaining liquid through it. Boil the strained liquid for 20-30 minutes until reduced to one cup.
11. Put pork under a broiler for 7-10 minutes, flipping once in the middle until the meat crisps and the fat caramelizes.
12. Pour liquid over meat and serve with warm soft corn tortillas.

In my opinion, the meat is so good that you don’t need any toppings, but in Mexico these are usually served with chopped onion and guacamole.

Happy eating! I served these to my husband and he said, "This is what happy tastes like."


No comments: