Carnitas

Last weekend I experimented with short ribs and corn tortillas.  There were plenty of corn tortillas leftover and I decided to try another recipe.

One of my favorite Taquerias in Detroit is Hot Taco (2233 Park Ave. behind the Fox).  Taqueria translated means, "place that makes tacos".  I would drive downtown at 1:00 a.m. just to get a one.

I'm not anti-pork but it's not my first, second or third choice for a protein.  Today, I'm making an exception.  The primary reason I'm venturing into the swine is the technique I will will be using.  Braising involves using both moisture and heat to cook food.  This technique works really well for tough meats.

1592 is in my playlist and I'm ready to roll out.  Let's go.

Hot Taco is funny to me.  The meat looks pre-cooked but wait times can be long.  I like the food therefore I gladly wait.  The pork taco is basically a carnita.  Carnita means, "little meat" braised then fried.  My local butcher selected a three pound boston butt which cost about $7.50.  I've already prepared 2 meals and have 95% left.  This is a great way to stretch your money.

The fun part is prepping the meat.  I don't know why but this part makes me feel like a chef.  The artistry of the food prepping process can be deterring to the uninitiated.  Cut the pork butt into cubes and remove the fat. Season with salt and pepper.  Heat a caste iron skillet over medium high.  Add three tablespoons of Grapeseed oil and sear meat on all sides.  

Searing the meat prior to braising enhances the flavor through the Maillard reaction.  Basically, it's a chemical reaction between and amino acid and reducing sugar when heat is applied.  This is the backbone of the food industry's flavoring strategy.  Don't skip the searing step to save time.  Take the time.

Dice one cup of red, yellow, orange, and green peppers.  I bought a package of mixed peppers and a bell pepper.  I like spicy so I threw a jalapeño in the mix.  Dice one cup of onion.  Braising the vegetables will break them down and blend into the meat.  It will be so good.

Sweet potatoes are a superfood but did you know they are good for Jenga pieces?  When I say cooking is fun, I mean it.  In addition to the nutritional value of the Sweet potato there are flavor and texture benefits as well.  This was my attempt at doing something unique and make the recipe mine, so you can do whatever you like.

Add all the ingredients back into the cast iron skillet and add the liquid.  One of the elements of a braising liquid is an acid.  I used Goya white wine ($2.49) and chicken stock.  The liquid should cover 2/3rds of the meat.  I seasoned with Mexican oregano, garlic powder, onion powder and a smidgen of ghost pepper chili.  In retrospect I should have added smoked paprika.  By the time the cookbook comes out this recipe will be on point.

I brought the mixture to boil then reduced to a medium low heat.  After giving the mixture a good stir, I put the lid on and let the magic happen.  I regularly stirred the meat to make sure it didn't burn on the bottom.  The total cook time was two hours.  I knew it was done when the meat begin to easily break down.  

Based on the amount of liquid still in the skillet, I turned the heat up and sautéed the mixture until it begin to look dry (not too dry).  Remove from heat and set aside.  

Here's where those corn tortillas from last week will come in handy.  I fried two tortillas in Grapeseed oil. They're done when they bubble. I wanted them soft enough to wrap.  Now I'm ready to eat.  I topped my Carnitas with cheese, diced tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream and lime.

There will be a lot of Carnitas leftover that you can freeze in portions.  One of my favorite next day meals is the Huevos Rancheros.  It uses all the same basic ingredients.  This is another great way to save money.   By clustering your recipes ingredients you can create diversity and keep cost down.