Carnitas Torta Recipes

CARNITAS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Pat the pork butt dry with a paper towel. Use a large, sharp knife to trim away excess fat. Cut the pork butt into 1" thick slices. Then, cut each slice into 1" cubes.
• Transfer the pork to a 4-5 quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven. Add all of the dry spices, and massage them onto the pork with your hands.
• Add the orange juice, lime juice, and a 1/2 cup water to the Dutch oven and stir to combine. Add the bay leaves, cover, and transfer to the oven.
• Cook for 2 hours. Remove from the oven, and turn on the broiler on high. Have ready a rimmed sheet pan lined with nonstick aluminum foil.
• Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to the prepared sheet pan. Using the tines of a fork, gently press down on the pork to ever-so-slightly break it apart.
• Place the pork under the broiler, and watch closely so that it does not burn. As soon as the pork begins to tinge with dark brown hues and crisps up on the edges, remove it from the oven. Depending on your broiler, this could take anywhere from 1- 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Place the Dutch oven on the stovetop over medium-high heat and allow to come to a simmer. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Add the cornstarch slurry to the cooking liquid and allow to simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Either add the pork back to the Dutch oven and stir or brush the sauce lightly over the carnitas. Serve with tortillas and your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!

MAMA'S CARNITAS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients. Cut roast in half; rub all sides with spice mixture. Place in a 5-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce, stock, lime juice and peppers; pour around meat., Cover and cook on low for 9-11 hours or until meat is tender. , Remove meat; skim fat. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones; discard bones. Shred meat and return to slow cooker; heat through. , With a slotted spoon, spoon 1/2 cup filling off center on each tortilla. Top with 1 tablespoon creme fraiche and 2 tablespoons cheese. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up.Freeze option: Place shredded pork in freezer containers; top with juices. Cool and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a covered saucepan, stirring gently. Add a little broth if necessary.,

CARNITAS (AUTHENTIC)

Steps:

• Cut pork meat into chunks and discard the big pieces of fat. (I leave some fat as it adds flavor).
• Add pork chunks, broth, garlic*, comino*, onion* and cilantro* to a dutch oven. If necessary, add water so that the meat is covered.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 -4 hours or until meat is very soft and pulls apart easily. (Be careful not to shred meat, needs to stay in chunks).
• Remove the meat carefully from pot and place in a roasting pan. Discard onion and broth. Break the meat apart into smaller chunks (don't shred, it needs to stay in chunks).
• Bake in the oven at 450°F for about 20 minutes or until the meat is brown and crispy.
• Heat (or make homemade) corn tortillas, serve with desired toppings.
• (You may have to adjust garlic, comino, onion and cilantro to your liking, everyone's taste is different. You can add salt and pepper if you like too, I use Nature's seasonings, personal preference).

SAUCY CARNITAS SANDWICH (TORTA AHOGADA)

Steps:

• Carnitas: Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork cubes in an even layer, fat-side down, followed by onion, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, and ½ tablespoon salt. Add lard. Squeeze juice from orange wedges into the pot, then add the squeezed orange wedges. Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally to make sure the pork cooks evenly.
• Remove and discard the orange peels, big pieces of onion, and bay leaves. Increase heat to medium-high and continue cooking for 1 more hour, stirring more regularly as the fat renders out and the pork begins to look shredded and browned. When pork is fully cooked, taste for seasoning and add more salt as needed. Meanwhile, make the Salsa Ahogada.
• Salsa Ahogada: In a large pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add onion, garlic clove, and chiles; cook until onions are translucent, 8-10 minutes. Then add tomatoes, tomato paste, and water (omit if using canned tomatoes). Stir, then simmer until the tomatoes are cooked, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat a comal or skillet over medium heat. When comal is hot, add peppercorns, cloves, allspice, and chile flakes to the hot comal. Toast for 30 seconds, stirring constantly to distribute the heat and prevent burning. After 30 seconds, remove from heat and add cumin, oregano, and bay leaves to the hot pan; keep stirring. (The residual heat will toast the additional spices.) Set aside to cool for 8-10 minutes. Then finely grind the spices and set aside.
• Ladle the cooked onion-tomato mixture into a blender, along with the ground spices, vinegar, and salt. Blend on medium speed to purée, 10-15 seconds. Place Salsa Ahogada back into the Dutch oven and simmer over low-medium heat for 10 minutes, or until salsa has thickened and reduced by about one-third. Remove and discard any tomato peels that have floated to the top. Taste for seasoning and add more salt as needed. Keep the Salsa Ahogada warm until ready to assemble and serve tortas. Makes about 4 cups. (Note: Salsa Ahogada can be made 1-2 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator in a lidded container.)
• Assemble Torta Ahogada: Preheat broiler. Slice baguette/rolls lengthwise and broil, cut-side up, until toasted, 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, chop or shred Carnitas into small pieces. Spread about ¼ cup of the refried beans on one half of the toasted baguette, then top with about ⅓ of the Carnitas. Add sliced avocado in an even layer. Spread a lighter coat of beans on the other baguette half and place on top to make a sandwich. Slice into thirds and arrange on a rimmed serving plate or flat-bottomed bowl, cut-sides down. "Drown" the sandwich in Salsa Ahogada by ladling it all around and on top; garnish with pickled red onions. Assemble the other sandwiches and serve immediately (with lots of napkins!).

PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the pork shoulder with salt, then arrange the pork in the Dutch oven. Cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, oregano, and cumin. Pour in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and continue to simmer until pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Transfer the pork shoulder to a large baking sheet, reserving the cooking liquid. Drizzle with a small amount of the reserved cooking liquid and lightly season with salt.
• Bake the pork in the preheated oven until browned, about 30 minutes. Drizzle more of the cooking liquid on the meat every 10 minutes, and use two forks to shred the meat as it browns.

MEXICAN CARNITAS

Steps:

• Place meat in a medium-size roasting pan. Sprinkle with garlic and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the juice from one orange and the lemon over the meat. Slice the remaining oranges and place over the meat. , Cover and bake at 350° for about 2 hours or until meat is tender. With a slotted spoon, remove meat and drain well on paper towels. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet and fry meat in batches until browned and crispy. , Serve warm in tortillas with toppings of your choice. Freeze option: Freeze cooled pork mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Fry meat in batches as directed until crispy and brown. Serve as directed.