At home however, things are generally a little different. Who has a family large enough to cook 6 different cuts of pork in ten gallons of lard? What follows is a recipe proportioned for four people. Although pork butt is specified, feel free to add any other cuts you want, especially cuts with varying textures.
Carnitas is a great example of how common flavorings for stocks in Mexico – allspice, peppercorns, bay, and thyme – combine to create some lip-smacking good food.
- For the carnitas
- 1 lb pork butt
- 1 lb pork lard
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 6 peppercorns
- 4 allspice seeds
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- Garnish options
- 12-16 small corn or flour tortillas
- White onion, peeled and finely diced
- Fresh cilantro, rough chopped
- Fresh limes
- Salsa verde
- Salsa picante
- White beans
Ingredients for carnitas. Today I am adding a pig ear for a bit of gelatinous goodness. I also don't have any fresh thyme, so I'm using dried - don't tell anyone.
Place all ingredients into a pot, making sure that the meat is covered completely by the lard. If not, try cutting the meat in half so that it sits lower in the pot. Failing that, add more lard or top up with a little vegetable oil.
Place over medium heat until it starts bubbling. Reduce heat until it is barely simmering, cover with a lid and cook for three hours until the meat is very tender. If the meat starts to brown too much, you are probably cooking it a bit fast. Turn down the heat a touch and add a half cup of water to replace the liquid that has simmered away.
The oil has started to simmer. It now cooks for three more hours.
Once cooked, remove the carnitas from the pot and transfer to a chopping board. Roughly chop into small pieces varying in size between 1/8 and 1/4 inch.
The cooked pork, chopped up and ready for tacos
To serve
Serve the meat atop fresh corn or flour tortillas, with a little diced white onion and some cilantro. Accompany with your favorite salsa and a little lime to cut through the fat.
Tip
If the heat during cooking was low enough, you will have some pork juice left in the pot sitting under the layer of lard. Strain the contents of the pot into a clean bowl and refrigerate it until the lard hardens and the juice separates out. Discard the lard and moisten the meat with the separated juice.
[...] just posted a video of Brent scouring Mérida’s central market for ingredients to make carnitas. Brent is preparing to lead a series of three-day culinary workshops on Mexican cuisine for [...]
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