Best Carnitas Ever 🇲🇽
Wow Your Friends & Taste Buds... as a True Flavor Wizard 🧙♂️
Weekend Greetings Friends, 🥂
First off, thrilled to see how well the Octopod Artisan Kitchenware launch was. These handcrafted gems were snatched up quickly and only a few remain. All orders have been shipped and I can’t wait for you to start using them on the daily!
As stated this was a one-time run due to logistics, etc but there’s still a few gems left that you can take a look at here
If you missed it, the launch was revealed after the last free Substack Drop all about Kitchenware that lasts a lifetime… we took a detailed look at wooden kitchenware and why it’s my main go-to for many tools.
You can catch up here if you missed it ⬇️
Today’s recipe drop is probably one of my favorite since it checks all the boxes:
✅ Mind blowing flavor
✅ Texturally Luxe
✅ Simple to Do
✅ Easy to Scale
✅ Crowd-Pleasing
✅ Budget-Friendly
Not only that, I’m going to bust some myths and open your eyes to show you how good cooking techniques separate “Mediocre vs Amazing”
Carnitas 🇲🇽 Demystified
What are Carnitas?
Place of origin is hotly debated in Mexico, but most people believe that Carnitas originated in the Michoacán region of Mexico. Now the preparation is made virtually anywhere in Mexico.
Traditionally, Carnitas are made by dropping large chunks of Pork into cauldrons of hot lard. As the temperature drops, the pork cooks for hours into meltingly tender morsels that have a crispy, browned and crunchy exterior. (This is similar to the Confit Method of cooking, but not the same)
Most people eat their carnitas in tacos 🌮 (this can vary depending on the region in Mexico). What is widely accepted is that carnitas are best with sauces and condiments. Common additions include cilantro, onion, cheese, avocado, lime, salsas 🌶 and pico de gallo.
Mexican Food Myths
You’ll notice in the above picture that my carnitas are not drenched in a pool of fat.
Crispy exterior, moist interior… no grease detected
This brings up an important discussion and that’s the notion that a lot of Mexican Cuisine is “greasy”, “heavy” & “unhealthy” (esp Tex-Mex, Cali-Mex which a lot would argue are separate cuisines from Interior Mexican food <a discussion for another day>)
This is completely false and stems from improper cooking techniques. A lot of this happens at the commercial kitchen level. Frying temperatures, oil used, measurements and cooking methods all have an impact on fat absorption as well as the resulting “greasy” and “heavy” disappointments. [Check previous Substack on frying “Fry Hard” for more deets]
The conclusion here is that the optimal quality will come from cooking at home where you can control all the variables… easily!
What can go wrong?
Frankly… a lot.
While preparing this recipe for you it became apparent that lots of “easy carnitas” recipes are basically pulled pork.
Carnitas is not Pulled Pork. They are completely different eating/flavor experiences.
Another monstrosity is seeing people shred the pork (like pulled pork) then stick under a broiler to “crisp it up”.
The problem? You’re blasting dry heat all the way through your cooked pork so you’re now bordering on pork flavored dental floss. Not Carnitas.
The best carnitas are crispy chunks of pork with the most tender interior that splits apart as you load your tortilla.
See the tweet video below. Chunks… crispy exterior… meltingly tender interior… Heavenly! 🙌
Why You Need Carnitas
Simply put… this recipe is so delicious that you should have this in your skillset for occasions to impress friends… or have a weekly carnitas night at home.
Hands-on time is limited. You can prep ahead if you like… so it’s very versatile.
It’s soul-satisfying… Not Greasy… And you can make serve (4) people easily for ~$14.
I’m going to show you the exact process… leave out all the unnecessary ingredients and have you in Carnitas Heaven… shortly!
