Sous Vide Carnitas For Tacos Crispy Mexican Style Pulled Pork Recipes

SOUS VIDE CRISPY CARNITAS

Steps:

• Combine 2 tablespoons salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, oregano, and black pepper in a small bowl and mix well.
• Place pork pieces into a large bowl. Rub spice mixture evenly over the pork, pressing until it adheres. Add in onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves.
• Squeeze orange juice into the bowl with the pork and toss in the juiced orange pieces as well; toss to combine.
• Place pork mixture into a sous vide-safe vacuum sealer bag. Seal bag and immerse in a heat-proof container of water with a sous vide cooker. Set temperature to 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) and add the ping pong balls on top. Cook, occasionally re-adding water as it evaporates, 12 to 24 hours.
• Remove pork carefully from the water bath and transfer contents into a large bowl. Pick out the chunks of meat with tongs and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Discard everything else left in the bowl. Let pork cool briefly. Shred using 2 forks or your fingers and spread evenly over the baking sheet. Season with salt.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Place pork under the broiler and cook, flipping halfway through, until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.
• Place tomatoes and green chiles in a food processor and blend until pureed. Pour into a saucepan; add chicken stock, rice, butter, chili powder, cumin, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until Spanish rice is tender, about 25 minutes.

SOUS VIDE CARNITAS FOR TACOS (CRISPY MEXICAN-STYLE PULLED PORK) RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine pork, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves in a large bowl. Split orange into quarters and squeeze juice into bowl before adding rest of orange. Season generously with kosher salt and toss to combine. Transfer contents to a vacuum bag and seal. When ready to cook, set sous vide cooker to desired temperature according to chart above. Add bag to sous vide bath and cook for recommended time according to chart above. Make sure to top water up occasionally as it evaporates, and keep bag completely submerged. If bag floats, weigh it down by placing a wet kitchen towel on top of it. Alternatively, use a heavy-duty binder clip to attach a metal spoon or knife to bottom of bag as a weight. When meat is cooked, remove from water bath and transfer contents of bag to a large bowl. Pick out chunks of meat with a set of tongs and transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet. (Discard aromatics and excess liquid, or reserve liquid and blend it in with your salsa.) When it is cool enough to handle, shred meat roughly using 2 forks or your fingers. Spread evenly over baking sheet. Pork can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 5 days before serving. When ready to serve, adjust an oven rack to 3 inches below the broiler element and preheat broiler to high. Place pork under broiler and cook, using a spoon to flip pieces occasionally, until meat is browned and crisp on most sides, about 10 minutes total. Alternatively, working in batches, heat carnitas in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve carnitas with warm tortillas, lime wedges, chopped onion and cilantro, and salsa.

CARNITAS (MEXICAN SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK) RECIPE

Steps:

• Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub all over with salt and pepper. Combine the Rub ingredients then rub all over the pork. Place the pork in a slow cooker (fat cap up), top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don't worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the oranges. Slow Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. (Note 2 for other cook methods) Pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks. Optional: Skim off the fat from the juices remaining in the slow cooker and discard. If you have a lot more than 2 cups of juice, then reduce it down to about 2 cups. The liquid will be salty, it is the seasoning for the pork. Set liquid aside - don't bother straining onion etc, it's super soft. TO CRISP: Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over high heat. Spread pork in the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side - you don't want to make it brown all over because then it's too crispy, need tender juicy bits. Remove pork from skillet. Repeat in batches (takes me 4 batches) - don't crowd the pan. Just before serving, drizzle over more juices and serve hot, stuffed in tacos (see notes for sides, other serving suggestion and storage/make ahead).