Carnitas-Celebrate Summer
Summer has arrived and it’s time to celebrate everything the season brings, family reunions, Father’s Day, and big celebrations! Carnitas, a Mexican dish of roasted pork shoulder is the perfect crowd pleaser. But rather than serving the meat in small chunks or shredded, as carnitas are, this year present the roast whole and let your guests tear off chunks as they serve themselves. Serve with warm flour tortillas or hamburger buns.
This recipe is very simple to prepare, with two “secrets.” First, cook a heritage-breed pig, which yields meat that is much moister and more flavorful than the meat of conventionally raised pigs and season the pork the night before you cook it. This gives the rub time to penetrate the fat layer of the roast. As the pork cooks, the fat melts and the roast bastes itself in the spicy melted fat. The result is a pork roast that is moister and more flavorful than one that is braised, and with much less effort!
One 12-pound pork butt, preferably Berkshire, Tamworth, Duroc or Iberico
6 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
3 tablespoons black ground pepper
3 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1). Combine 3 tablespoons of salt, the pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper in a large jar or container with a cover and stir to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Close the jar and store at room temperature until you're ready to use it or for up to several months. If you are using a smaller cut of meat, use the leftovers to season a chicken, chicken wings, pork chops, or pork ribs.
2). Put the pork on a cutting board and sprinkle it all over with the rub and the 3 tablespoons of the remaining salt. Massage the seasonings into the meat with your hands. Wrap the pork in plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight.
3). Remove the pork from the refrigerator and remove and discard the plastic wrap. Put the pork roast in a deep vessel, such as a stockpot or a Dutch oven, and set it aside for about 1 hour to come to room temperature.
4). Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position and remove any racks above it. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Put the pork in the oven and forget about it for 4 hours. After 4 hours, check the temperature of the roast in several places. There are pockets of fat in every roast; by checking the roast in several places, you ensure that you're not just checking the temperature of fat, which lags that of the meat. Continue cooking the pork, checking the temperature every hour, until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F., about 5 more hours, or 9 hours total, for a 12-pound roast. Remove the pork from the oven and let it rest in its own fat for at least 30 minutes.
5). To serve the pork, use a ladle to remove and discard most of the excess fat that will have rendered when the pork was cooked. Leave a little in the pan to keep the pork moist. Alternatively, use two metal spatulas to lift the pork roast and transfer it to a large serving platter or a cutting board with a moat for catching the juices. Using your hands, fold back a portion of the fat cap covering the roast to expose the meat beneath it. Don't peel it all back at once as the fat cap acts as a heating blanket for the pork. Using a pair of tongs or a serving fork, rip off chunks of the pork continuing to fold back the fat cap as necessary to expose the pork roast. Serves 12 or more.
Written by Michele McCurdy-Buonacorsi
author of Joseph’s Storehouse Baking
Cookbook: From My Heart to Yours
Email: M.buonacorsi@gmail.com
