How to Make the Best Pork Carnitas
Test cook Christie Morrison and host Julia Collin Davison make mouthwatering Pork Carnitas.
Get the recipe for Pork Carnitas:
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CARNITAS MEETS AL PASTOR Epic Taco Mashup
This crispy pork taco is a best of both worlds situation. You get the shredded crispy pork of carnitas and the intense sweet-savory combination of al pastor. Now that I've combined the two, I'm not sure I can go back.
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14 NONSTICK SAUTE PAN:
BOOS BLOCK CUTTING BOARD:
PLASTIC CUTTING BOARD:
ESCALI DIGITAL SCALE:
HALF SHEET PAN + RACK:
IMMERSION BLENDER:
6.75qt LE CREUSET DUTCH OVEN:
MASAHIRO CHEF'S KNIFE:
FOOD PROCESSOR:
QUARTER SHEET PAN + RACK:
MY FAV STAINLESS BOWL:
RECIPE
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PORK:
▪3.5lb/1.5kg bone in pork butt
▪8ish TBSP/100-150g of salt
Cut 2-4 deep slashes on both sides of pork. Liberally salt all sides of pork, making sure to salt into cuts. Cure uncovered in fridge for 2-24 hours.
Place pork in large roasting vessel and roast in 250F/120C preheated oven for 6-8hrs until fork tender and bone is easily removed. Alternatively, you can pressure cook on high with 2qt/2L of stock/water for 1 hour. Allow meat to rest.
TOMATILLO SALSA:
▪450g or 1lb ripe tomatillos, halved or quartered
▪125g or about 1/2c red onion, diced small
▪50g or about 1/2c poblano pepper, diced small
▪3 garlic cloves (minced or pressed)
▪5g or 3/4-1txp salt
▪50g or 1/4c water
Place ingredients in a sauté pan over medium high. When tomatillos start to become juicy, cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for an additional 10-15min until salsa is saucy, tender, and well broken down. Allow to cool.
TORTILLA:
▪250g or about 2c dried instant masa flour
▪3g or 1/2tsp salt
▪30g or 2Tbsp lard
▪260g or 1c water, room temp
Place all ingredients except water into a food processor. Process on high while streaming in water. When ready, dough should be able to squeeze together well without crumbling apart. Transfer to a bowl, and press tortilla dough into one mass. Cover with damp towel while you measure and press tortillas.
Preheat nonstick pan over medium high. Measure about 40g sized balls and press each out into flat rounds between parchment paper (you can use anything heavy and flat if you don't have a tortilla press). Cook for about 30sec per side, or until set. Place in a tortilla warmer (or any container with a lid to retain heat and steam).
TO FINISH AND ASSEMBLE TACOS:
▪3-4tbsp neutral oil (for cooking pork)
▪200g or 1c diced pineapple
▪Additional garnish: minced and rinsed red onion, chopped cilantro, crumbled queso fresco (or feta if you can't find)
Shred pork into large bitesized chunks. Add oil to large preheated pan (over high heat), followed by pineapple. Once pineapple has taken on color, add in 1/2 of shredded pork. Spread pork out and press it into pan so it takes on color and crisps up. Once crisped on one side, toss and allow to continue to crisp up. Add 175g/1c of my al pastor marinade (recipe below). Toss/stir to combine and allow marinate to reduce and caramalize meat mixture.
Add meat to fresh tortilla, top with tomatillo salsa, fresh onion, cilantro, and queso fresco crumbles.
AL PASTOR MARINADE:
▪200g or 3/4c+1tbsp water
▪30g or about 2Tbsp achiote annatto paste (or ground anatto seed if you can't find)
▪50g or 1/4c pineapple, diced
▪50g or 2Tbsp orange juice
▪8g or 3tsp Chile powder
▪3g or 1.5tsp cumin
▪20g or 1 2/3tbsp sugar
▪3g or 1tsp garlic powder
▪5g or 3/4tsp salt
▪20g 1tbs+1tsp white distilled vinegar
Place ingredients in a high-sided container and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
#porktacos #carnitas #alpastor
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Rick Bayless Essential Salsa: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Tomatillo salsa can be made in so many different ways and with different proportions. I’m going to encourage you to play around a little bit. Instead of roasting the tomatillos, you—like many people in Mexico—may like them boiled just until they turn from lime-green to olive. I don’t care for raw garlic, but you may. Or you may want to leave it out all together. Sometimes I like the flavor of raw chile here, instead of roasted. Though cilantro is classic, you may experiment with other herbs—anything from mint to basil or parsley. Trust your own taste.
The reason I gravitate to a roasted tomatillo version when I’m cooking at home is this: Tomatillos are acidic and roasting adds welcome sweetness (think about the difference between boiled carrots and roasted ones). Plus, the bits of charred skin add a rustic gutsiness. Roasted garlic is sweet, too, and roasted chiles are way more mellow than raw ones. So, you can see that I lean toward a salsa verde that’s mellow-rustic, with a sweet-tart balance. If that sounds good to you, follow my lead below.
RECIPE ????
Carnitas
Carnitas
Ingredients:
5lb pork butt
2lb lard
1 orange
1 white onion
1 bulb garlic
2 tbsp coriander seed
1 tbsp cumin seed
10 black peppercorns
3 cloves
1 cup Mexican coke. Mexican coke is made with cane sugar
Kosher salt
Directions:
First thing when I get the pork butt I cut it up and salt it, 1 tbsp kosher salt per pound. Lay it out and throw it in the fridge overnight. The salt will pull out water then get reabsorbed and season the meat throughout.
Preheat a large pot over medium heat and add enough of lard to coat the bottom and lightly brown off the pork, you’re not going for a hard sear just a little bit of color. This is for flavor but also it will continue browning as it cooks longer. Add the rest of your lard and when it’s just barely melted add the pork back in with your orange+the juice, garlic, white onion, coriander, cumin, peppercorns, cloves, and coke.
Bring the temperature to around 260°f and let it cook for two and a half hours. Remember you’re slow cooking not deep frying!
Pull out the pork and shred it and give a quick run through with your knife. Taste and see if you want to add any salt.
Serve with tortillas, onion, cilantro, and salsa.
Pulled Pork Tacos
Seasoned a little pork picnic with Melinda’s and Blazing Star pork’n and beef rub and set in fridge overnight. Next day smoked at 250° until 190° internal then wrapped and rested for 1 hour and shredded.
Once pork was shredded add cheese to the flat top (I used queso quesadilla) Once the cheese forms a crust add a tortilla and flip over. Add your pork and fold the taco and cook until crispy as you like. Add whatever you like inside and on top (I put Avocado salsa inside and crema on top)
Avocado Salsa:
1/3 cup cilantro
1/3 cup parsley
1/2 cup diced hot green chile
1.5 tbsp corn
1.5 tbsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp white vinegar
5 garlic cloves
1 whole avocado
1 whole jalapeño
1/2 shallot
Salt/Pepper to taste
Chop up cilantro, parsley, garlic, avocado, jalapeño, shallot, and add to blender with corn, crushed red pepper, vinegar and green chile. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. (If too thick add water to desired consistency)
Tacos: Pork Cecina with Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa
Inspired by Oaxaca's taco corridor, Rick Bayless makes Pork Cecina tacos filled with thinly sliced pork marinated in a guajillo-garlic sauce and topped with a classic avocado-tomatillo salsa. Get the recipe: