# pork carnitas



## somethingburnin (Jan 22, 2007)

Hi,
I am looking for a pork carnitas recipe. I would love to hear some of yours.

Thanks


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## rob p. (Jan 1, 2007)

Carnitas is orange roasted pork. Most recipes skip the oranges and use the fry/boil it tender approach. My recipe for Carnitas is simpler and tastes better.

Cut pork butt or picnic into cubes about 1 1/2" to 2" square (you can use pork loin if you want to - I do although it shrinks a lot and is much more expensive than picnic to use but it's what's in the freezer...)

Place cubes in plastic bag with fresh orange juice, coriander, chopped cilantro, oregano, garlic, bay leaves, onion powder, and salt/pepper to taste. You can add crushed peppers or chili powder if you want to but carnitas is not a heat spicy dish.

Allow to mariniate in fridge for 1-2 hours.
Remove cubes from bag and save juice (you'll use it again in a bit). Pat cubes dry with paper towel.
Heat pan with a couple/three tblsp oil and fry cubes until crispy on outside. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and place on rack over paper towels to drain.

Preheat oven to 225. Place rack in roaster and fill roaster with leftover marinade juice. Add water if needed so that there's plenty of liquid in the pan but not so much that it rises above the rack. Put fried cubes on rack and slow braise, covered, for about 2 hours. You can baste occasionally if you feel like it but it's not required.

When done, the meat should almost fall apart like pulled pork (since it's the same braising technique). The difference is the fried crust.

Serve with spanish rice, refried beans or black beans and tortillas. Set out lemons, limes, salsa fresca, guacamole and sour cream as serving condiments. Flan or custard for dessert.

PLEASE don't eat this like a burrito - it's not a to-go meal! Shred the meat and add condiments on top. Roll the tortilla and use it like an extra utensil/spoon.


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## shel (Dec 20, 2006)

I made this only once, and have not perfected it yet for my ingredients and taste, but it's a good recipe and one that you can certainly use to get started with or for ideas.

*Puerco Pibil*

5 tbsp annatto seeds 
2 tsp cumin seeds 
1 tbsp black pepper 
8 allspice 
1/2 tsp cloves 
2 habanero peppers, seeds/veins removed 
1/2 cup orange juice 
1/2 cup white vinegar 
2 tbsp salt 
8 cloves garlic 
5 lemons 
splash of the best tequila you can find 
5 lbs pork butt (shoulder), cut in 2" squares 
2-3 large banana leaves

Achiote Paste: Grind finely in a coffee grinder: annatto, cumin, pepper, allspice and cloves. In blender, combine: habanero peppers, orange juice, vinegar, salt, garlic. Add ground spices. Blend thoroughly. Juice the lemons into the blender. Add splash of tequila.

Place pork in a large zip lock bag. Add achiote mixture to the bag, seal and mix thoroughly. Marinate for a few hours or over night. Line a baking pan with banana leaves. Place pork mixture in the center and wrap tightly in the leaves. Secure leaves with tooth picks. Cover pan with tin foil. Roast slowly at 325 degrees for 4 hours.

From: "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" DVD featurette: Ten Minutes Cooking School - Robert Rodriguez

Shel


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## even stephen (Oct 10, 2005)

Shel,
I use a similar recipe, but, we call it Cochinita Pibil. From what 
I understand it originates from the Yucatan Peninsula. I use a 
little Jalapeno for the marinade and save the habaneros to mix 
with red onion and lime juice as a condiment. Classic versions use
Seville Oranges, but I substitute Naranga Agria(poor spelling)or
Ponzu. We do this dish in the oven as you described but also
in a small in-ground pit or hole with hot rocks or just the coals.
We buy or use old all cotton sheets and wrap it in 4 or 5 layers after 
marinating then dip the whole thing in water, drop it in the whole,
bury it put plastic sheet over the dirt and a little more dirt. 
7 or 8 hours later your in heaven. Pork butt is my preference. Carnitas
is something totally different to me. A slightly different marinade and
the meat is usually cut into strips and marinated. Recipes vary from 
place to place, but, the signature redness from the achiote is found
in most. The farther south you go especially on the pacific side you
find Carne al Pastor. Thats a whole different ball game. Wonderful though.
They use an almost kiln like oven with three sides. The impale large cutlets
of marinated pork and fresh pinapple onto a small pole that rotates and slow
cooks. The pineapple juice flows down and sweetens the meat. Then you
slice off small slices and quickly fry on a flat griddle. Soft good corn tortillas
and fresh salsa verde. Nothing better. Sorry, went on for a while


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## bill methatswho (May 9, 2013)

Robert Rodigues recipe from the special features of the DVD (Once upon a time in Mexico) seems really good and I have been wanting to try it for some time now--although I need to wimp it down since I like some heat but not too much--but Johnny Depp made it sound so good, and the ingredients look great. So, here it is:

Puerco Pibil is very versatile. You can have it with plain white rice, or shredded in tortillas with some salsa and avocado, or as taco filling.

*Robert Rodriguez's Puerco Pibil*

5 pounds pork butt, cut into 2 inch cubes

banana leaves

½ cup orange juice

½ cup vinegar

2 tablespoons salt

juice of 5 lemons

8 cloves garlic

2 habanero peppers, chopped

1 tablespoon tequila

annatto paste: in a coffee grinder finely grind 5 T annatto seeds, 2 tsp cumin, 1 T black peppercorns, 8 pieces allspice, and ½ tsp cloves

In a blender, blend annatto paste and the rest of the ingredients except banana leaves and pork. In a large bowl mix pork and annatto mixture until pork is evenly coated. Line a deep roasting pan with banana leaves, put the pork mixture and cover with another layer of banana leaves. Cover tightly with tin foil and bake in a 325° F oven for 4 hours.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

Bill Methatswho said:


> Robert Rodigues recipe from the special features of the DVD (Once upon a time in Mexico) seems really good and I have been wanting to try it for some time now--although I need to wimp it down since I like some heat but not too much--but Johnny Depp made it sound so good, and the ingredients look great. So, here it is:
> 
> Puerco Pibil is very versatile. You can have it with plain white rice, or shredded in tortillas with some salsa and avocado, or as taco filling.
> 
> ...


When you state banana leaves, do you mean actual leaves or is it the banana peel that's used.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

The actual leaves, not the peel.  You can find the leaves frozen at Mexican or central american markets, or even easier at Philipino markets.


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## ifortuna (Jun 29, 2013)

!


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## vic cardenas (Nov 11, 2012)

IFortuna said:


> Our Mexican family does not have such elaborate recipes for carnitas. Here are a couple of ways we use.
> 
> Pressure cook a pork roast
> 
> ...


Cochinita Pibil really is cooked this way (or a similar way) by mexicans, down in the south. Carnitas and Cochinita Pibil are two distinctive dishes. It's worth mentioning that Cochinita Pibil is a rather simple-to-make dish if you have the correct bitter oranges, aciote paste and banana leaves available. Otherwise, the mixing of sweet orange juice with vinegar _isn't that complicated_ and also gets really good results. It's also worth mentioning, that this is a very, very old, "authentic" (I don't like that word) recipe. Maybe one of mexicos oldest dishes.

Try Stephen Raichlen's recipe.


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## bill methatswho (May 9, 2013)

Well, there's no doubt that pork shoulder is an ideal meat for slow cooking and will be delicious no matter how it's cooked. I use salt very sparingly since I don't like foods that taste too salty and it drives my blood pressure up when I do. As such, I like recipes that use things like herbs, spices, and yes, even orange juice LOL! Regardless, I do agree that simple is generally the best way to go, but I have seen many variations of pulled pork recipes and have had some excellent ones.

I'm certainly going to experiment with it again as it is so darn good--I like the idea of throwing it into a pan to heat up and get some caramelized crisp  on it--drooling now!  Thanks!


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