CARNITAS RE-VISITED

Servings: 3

This is my 2nd attempt at carnitas, my first attempt was delicious BUT it was missing the crunch! So I did some research and found an easy way to make street like carnitas without frying them! The result?! SUCCESS trust me when I say that these carnitas are crunch-tastic!  

Ingredients:

-CARNITAS-

3lb pork shoulder  [aka pork butt]

12 corn tortillas

1 white onion chopped

3 garlic cloves, peeled

3 tbsp. tomato paste

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp. salt

1.5 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. oregano

1 liter stock or broth [chicken, beef or vegetable]

 water

Garnish: minced onion and cilantro

-GREEN SALSA-

1/2 lb. peeled green tomatillos milperos

4 serrano peppers

1 tbsp. oil

salt

Garnish: chopped cilantro

Directions:

1.  Place all of  the carnitas dry ingredients in a large dutch oven.

2. Pour liter of stock over dry ingredients then add water to just to cover meat.

3. Bring ingredients to bubbling simmer then cover pot and  lower heat to lowest setting, braise for 3 hours until fork tender.

4.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Take braised pork out of the pot; season [generously with salt] and shred over sheet pan, I covered it with aluminum to make clean up easier

5. Cook pork until the edges are golden brown and crispy about 20-25minutes. Take this time to make the delicious green salsa!  

6. SALSA RECIPE:

• cut tomatillos + peppers in half
• heat large sautee pan over medium heat, add oil
• place tomatillos + peppers in hot pan
• cover with lid or plate
• sautee for 10-15 minutes until tomatillos are soft and turned a dull green
• take ingredients from pan to blender
• pulse until ingredients reach your desireed consistency, I like my salsa smooth 
• pour into serving bowl and season [with salt only!!!] 
• garnish with cilantro
• RETURN to CARNITAS!

7. Your carnitas should be golden brown and crispy! Take carnitas out of the oven and onto a cutting board, chop or shred that beauty!

8. Heat your tortillas over a hot skillet and prepare tacos! Place a heaping serving of carnitas onto warm tortilla and garnish with salsa, onions, and cilantro as desired!  

1. Wendy Says:
   February 15th, 2010 at 10:48 am

   Thanks, that is a very good article. I found it via Yahoo and immediately incorporated into my feedreader. I am pleased to soon be back here to read again! Best greets