Pork Carnitas
I've wanted to come up with some new Mexican type recipes for this years Cinco de Mayo. I've seen this done, and thought I'd give it a try.
I'll begin with the size of the piece of meat. It was the first one I grabbed, and only seemed to have a small bone in it. It WAS on sale, and I looked at it's cost, but not the weight. It wasn't until i got home that I realized that it was 11 pounds. I use a 10 x 12 stainless pan for baking, and the meat almost didn't fit in. In fact, I had to remove some of the fat that was rendered during the baking process to keep the level of the liquid down. So, unless you're going to feed an army of hunger people, buy a smaller one. You'll have less leftovers, and it'll take less time to cook.
After Cooking this, I realized that, although it's got a fancy name, it's just a Mexican version of Our Southern, Oven Baked Pulled Pork. Of course, to be more authentic, I should have cooked it in Lard, but that wasn't going to happen here.
Although it may seem like a long and complicated recipe, it's really quite easy to do. Total prep time was only about 40 minutes, but you, pretty much, have to hang around while it's cookin'.
One of the other things that's neat about doing something like this, is that it will freeze well, and is used in a TON of Mexican style recipes. It's used in Pork Nachos, Pork Burritos, Enchiladas, Tacos, Quesadillas. Etc.
- 11 Pounds Pork Shoulder, or Pork Butt
- 1 1/2 Cups Butt Kickin' Blacken, Southwest Blend
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Coarse Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
Basting Sauce
- 1 Large Onion, rough chopped
- 2 Large Jalapeno Chile Peppers, minced
- 2 Large Fresno Peppers, minced
- 2 Large Habanero Chiles, minced
- 1/2 Large Green Bell Pepper, rough chopped
- 1/2 Large Red Bell Pepper, rough chopped
- 1 Can Diced Tomatoes, 28 oz. can
- 6 Ounces Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate
- 1/2 Large Lemon, juiced
- 3 Tablespoons Butt Kickin' Blacken, Southwest Blend
1. Since the meat was big, I had the meat cutter cut it into thirds. that way I wouldn't have to be worried about cutting around the bone, and it would cook a little quicker due to the thinner size of each piece.
2. Trim the large chunks of fat from the meat, and cut the meat into large chunks. Mix up the blacken and the salt, and rub into the meat. Add the oil and mix it well, to coat the meat fully. You want the meat to be quite shiny, so it'll brown nicely in the pan.
2. Trim the large chunks of fat from the meat, and cut the meat into large chunks. Mix up the blacken and the salt, and rub into the meat. Add the oil and mix it well, to coat the meat fully. You want the meat to be quite shiny, so it'll brown nicely in the pan.
3. Line a 9" x 13" pan with a single piece of aluminum foil. This will make cleanup a LOT easier.
Pre-heat a stainless pan to a medium high heat. Place the meat in and brown it on all sides. As it's done, place it into the foil lined baking pan.
Ron's note:
As you can see my frying pan looked almost ready to throw out after I'd finished browning the meat.
Pre-heat a stainless pan to a medium high heat. Place the meat in and brown it on all sides. As it's done, place it into the foil lined baking pan.
Ron's note:
As you can see my frying pan looked almost ready to throw out after I'd finished browning the meat.
4. By immediately pouring some cold water into the pan, I was able to de-glaze it to the point it's in, in this picture. Later it was real easy to finish cleaning it.
5. Place the meat in a pre-heated 300 degree oven.
5. Place the meat in a pre-heated 300 degree oven.
6. While the meat begins cooking, you can start the sauce.
Chop all of the vegetables and place them in a pot with a tablespoon of vegetable oil, and 1 tablespoon of water.
Chop all of the vegetables and place them in a pot with a tablespoon of vegetable oil, and 1 tablespoon of water.
7. Cook, covered, until the vegetables are soft, Then add the Tomatoes, Orange Juice Concentrate, Lemon Juice, and the blacken.
8. Let this cook for about 15 minutes, then use an immersion blender to blend it up, or, place it in a blender.
9. After the meat has cooked about an hour, Coat with the basting sauce, and add some chicken broth, or water to the bottom of the pan. Let this cook, uncovered for another 2 hours, flipping and basting every 45 minutes, or so.
10. After a total of about 3 hours cooking, cover it, with aluminum foil and continue cooking for another 45 minutes to an hour. You want to cook it until the meat has shrunk from any bones, and you can pull it apart with a fork.
10. After a total of about 3 hours cooking, cover it, with aluminum foil and continue cooking for another 45 minutes to an hour. You want to cook it until the meat has shrunk from any bones, and you can pull it apart with a fork.
11. Let the meat cool enough to handle, and pull it apart using 2 forks.
12. Taste the pork, and if you want more flavor, there are a couple of ways to do it. You can add 1/2 cup of the SouthWestern Blend; Add any leftover Basting Sauce, or, add some Enchilada Sauce to it.
12. Taste the pork, and if you want more flavor, there are a couple of ways to do it. You can add 1/2 cup of the SouthWestern Blend; Add any leftover Basting Sauce, or, add some Enchilada Sauce to it.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this recipe, or any other of my recipes you've either looked at or tried.
- Whether or not you like this recipe and why.
- How you'd like to see it different.
- Suggestions for new recipes I could post.
- Recipes you've made using Butt Kickin' Blacken.
Pork Carnitas
Butt Kickin' Blacken products contain No Salt, No Sugar, and contains No Fillers.
ORDER SOME TODAY!
2. New meals can include the Pork, Nacho Bites, pictured above, Enchilads, or Burritos. Have fun with using the leftovers for this Pork Carnitas recipe in a lot of different ways.
Southwest Style, Rice with Beans
Pork Enchiladas
Shrimp Fajitas
Orange Jerked Pork Wraps
