C – It’s Mexican Cuisine week!
Luke really wanted to show us how chefs prepare traditional Mexican dishes. I am so glad he did. I am never taking for granted again how long any Mexican dish takes to make. The good stuff is a long process. But, it’s really doable. No more buying salsa, enchilada sauce or beans in a jar or can again. After this week, it will all be made from scratch. I am really excited.
All my favorites in one week. We are making all the things that I usually order at a Mexican restaurant. A few sauces, chips, tamales, enchiladas and burritos. I can’t wait to share what I learned from Luke.
Pork canitas are usually something I don’t order, but will order from now on. Slow roasted or braised pieces of meat drenched in a mix of spice and cooked low and slow. So much effort goes into making something like this. I guess restaurants can be judged by how good they season and cook their carnitas.
It’s a simple dish, but goes well with anything. I loved it in the enchiladas. The tamales were the best I have ever had. And, those burritos! I should have only eaten half, but the carnitas were so good that I had to eat all of it. I am so stuffed.
| Mexican Cuisine Week: Pork Carnitas |
- 2 pounds pork butt,
- 2 Tbsp canola oil
- ½ tsp granulated garlic
- 2 Tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ancho chili powder
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ onion, cut in half
- 1 dried California chili, top and seeds removed
- Trimmed the fat off the side of the pork butt (discard fat or keep it to add into pinto beans). Cut into manageable pieces. We cut ours into six palm-sized pieces.
- In a small bowl, add garlic, salt, paprika, cumin, chili powder and mix well.
- Place pork butt in a large bowl and sprinkle seasoning liberally. We used about ¾ of the seasoning mix, just enough to coat all pieces of pork.
- Place canola oil in a large dutch oven heat it on high. Add pork and brown on each side. About 5 minutes
- Once all pieces are browned, add enough water to cover the pork.
- Add bay leaf, onion and California chili.
- Cook uncovered on high for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Pork will be done when you can pull strips with your hands, but not so tender that you can pull it and chunks fall apart).
- After an hour check, the liquid in the pot. If liquid is reduced to ½ add more water, enough water to cover the pork.
- Once done, remove pork from pot and let cool.
- Pull pork into small bite size pieces.
- Liquid can be reused as a great tasting jus. Strain the stock and reduce it by half. Let cool and remove any fat that has accumulated. Freeze in convenient containers.
- Use the pork in any traditional Mexican dish.
- Enjoy!
Carnitas are so easy to make, too. Pork braised for almost two hours comes out nice and tender and easy to work with. It will test your patience just a little, because it does take a while to get it tender. But, I think it might even be easier than grilling a piece of meat. Grilling you can mess up easily. With this method, you are almost guaranteed to have great tasting meat in your dish.
We made a lot. I can’t wait to share all the recipes we used it in.