Starting 2011 Off Right: Carnitas

Shakedown 1986, cool kids love school lunch tacos before they discover Old El Paso mix...
Not many people stuff taco shells or burritos with ground meat anymore. Usually it's carne asada or slow cooked puerco.  But I remember taco days at Kings Highway Elementary School.  Always a special day for me, the one time in the month when I'd line up with the privileged kids to buy lunch tickets before class started.  Later in the dim basement cafeteria I got to savor the yellow corn shells filled with Grade B ground meat, the juices of which oozed out onto my cheeks as I tilted my head sideways to chow down.

I thoroughly enjoyed the vaguely Mexican-seasoned meat topped with plain canned crushed tomatoes (salsa hadn't been invented yet).  My favorite school lunch by far...except when they used the leftover Sloppy Joe meat from the day before and passed it off as taco filling, which was sorely disappointing.    

Those experiences made me lobby for taco nights at home, and later during my pre-pubescent "baby fat" years led to $.49 tacos by the dozen from Taco Bell in the Trumbull Mall food court...but I've since repented for that.

Now I want a taco or burrito or carnita filled with meat I have to chew a little bit.  Granted, not big pieces of flank steak that require 40 revolutions to swallow and fall out of the burrito on the first bite, but a little resistance is nice.

I had a bad experience recently with a Mexican place in Stratford whose name I won't mention.  The pork I ordered was slow cooked, but after that it was probably left in hotel pan in a warm oven for a day or two to suck virtually all the life out of it.  I liken it to what I imagine the tassels that dangle off suede cowboy jackets taste like.  A disgrace.

It was such a shame because pork shoulder, the cut of choice, can take so much cooking (often in dry heat) and still moisture clings to it.  On a good piece the fat is of a quality that it liquefies in heat and dresses the protein, congealing at room temperature or below to act almost like a confit if there's enough of it.

Heat it up again and back it goes to liquid that sizzles and crackles in the pan, the sound assuring you it's going to be good.

Pork shoulder has gained in popularity in recent years with the renewed interest in slow cooking.  The "Boston Butt" is actually a large piece of shoulder meat, usually with the bone included.  So when you're shopping look for either designation.  If it comes bone-in you can cut around and remove it for this dish or have a butcher do it.  If they've left the skin intact you can choose whether you'd like to keep it on or cut if off to make cracklings.   

When I made this recently I started with a good piece of shoulder from Whole Foods, they tell me sourced from a farm in upstate NY.  Pale pink streaked with white, it also had a nice layer of solid white fat without anything sinewy or any shiny silver skin to trim.  The seasoning was comprised of garlic, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon and a little bit of lime juice.  

After a couple hours in the oven uncovered

Cooking the meat in the oven slowly and then re-cooking after shredding it apart crisped the ends and concentrated the flavor.  It may look stringy but texturally and in terms of flavor it was spot on.

I let it cool and waited for the next day to actually make the carnitas, at which point I threw it in a pan for even more cooking, improving it further.  There was plenty of residual fat to fry it up, crisping it to the nth.  No package of flavor crystals needed.  

From there take your pick of bright, fresh Mexican flavors to complete the dish.  Avocado, fresh cilantro and lime are a good start.  Pico de gallo or plain tomato, onions (raw or cooked), cheese and a cream of some sort, be it sour or a puree are good options as well.  I used soft corn tortillas, which are a little granular but have that full corn flavor that just tastes like lunch in Oaxaca, or something like that.



Shredded, it still keeps its moisture  

This method can really be utilized to suit the style of almost any region's cuisine.  Just add and subtract herbs, spices and other sources of flavor to your liking.

I could eat it with some eggs in the morning, with some piquant sauce on a sandwich for lunch, or mixed in with a stock reduction for a ragu over some pasta for dinner.  Just cook some of it up on the weekend and re-cook it throughout the week to your heart's content.

      

Serves 8

Ingredients:
4 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 8 to 10 chunks
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin (whole if you have it, toasted then ground)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 to 3 tablespoons oil for browning the meat

Juice of 2 limes

Soft corn or flour tortillas

Optional: 1 can or bottle of beer

Ideas for Toppings:
2 Avocados, sliced or medium diced
Fresh cilantro

1 red onion, medium diced
2 tomatoes, medium diced
Sour Cream
Queso Fresco, grated (substitute Monterrey Jack)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Salt and pepper the pieces of pork generously.  Bring the oil to medium heat in a heavy roasting pan or dutch oven.  When it shimmers add the pork pieces, mindful not to overcrowd the pan.  Let the pieces cook until well browned on one side, at least 5 minutes, then flip and repeat on another side or two, then remove them to a platter lined with absorbent paper. 

When all the pork is done drain the excess fat and turn off the heat on the stove.  Making sure there is only a little fat left in the pan and that it's cooled down to only moderately hot, carefully add water (it may splatter) or the beer to the pan and deglaze the bits stuck to the bottom.

Add the pork pieces back to the pan in one layer and cover 2/3 the way up the meat with the water and/or remaining beer.  Add the spices, garlic and lime juice.



After 3 1/2 hours the liquid is reduced to a silky glaze 

Place the pot in the oven, uncovered and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, turning the meat a few times throughout, until it is well browned and there is only a little residual liquid.  Remove the meat from the pan and shred it when it's cool enough to handle.  

Then place it back in the pan and continue to cook, checking periodically, until it's the desired crispiness without being dry (that can take a while, perhaps another hour or more).  

Serve with garnishes rolled up in the tortillas, or in one of many ways I alluded to previously.