Sara Kay’s Carnitas!
Or
Pulled Pork Base!
Prep Time:10 min Cook Time: 3-3 ½ Hrs Difficulty : Easy, but time consuming.
Tools Needed:
- Cheese Cloth
- Cooking Twine
- Large Dutch Oven
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
- Bowl
- Tongs
- Big Spoon
Ingredients:
- 3 Sprigs of Marjoram
- 3 Sprigs of Thyme
- 1 Tbs of Coriander Seed
- 2 Bay Leafs
- 3 Smashed Cloves of Garlic
- 1 Med Yellow Onion
- Cooking Spray
- 2 Tbs of Maldon Sea Salt (This stuff is the best… if you have trouble finding it I will help you)
- 1 Tbs of Cracked Blk Pepper
- 3 Lbs of Boneless Pork Shoulder (Sometimes the package will actually say Pork Roast for Carnitas. Make sure it is not marinated or brined)
Prep:
- Cut Onion into quarters, leave the core on but peal skins of.
- Cut aprox a 1ft square of Cheese Cloth, & a 1 ½ ft of twine.
- Doubled over the cloth so that coriander seeds do not fall out.
- Put coriander seeds, marjoram, thyme, garlic, & Bay leafs in cloth, gather cloth up around them and tie off top with twine so that it looks like an herbal tea bag.
- Spray pot w/ cooking spray then arrange onions around the edge of the pot and your herb pouch in the center (Make sure to leave the excess string draped over the side of the pot so that you can retrieve it later)
- Heat Pot on medium.
- Cut Pork in to 1 ½ to 2 in cubes (Leave the fat on!!!)
- Arrange the pork cubes evenly around the bottom of the pot.
- Cover with water (about a liter should do)
Cook:
- Let simmer for 2 ½ Hrs, flipping meat with tangs ever ½ hr
- Skim the foam that rise to the top with the big spoon (This is what the spoon and bowl are for)
- At the 2 ½ mark the meat should start to separate, when this happens, fish out the herb pouch and onions
- Turn up heat slightly and stir occasionally until all of the liquid is absorbed into the meat and it is completely shredded, tender, and juicy
ALL DONE!
Best served as:
- Taco Filling
- On its own with some lime wedges
- Next day with some BBQ Sauce
Best Wine Pairing:
A full bodied Rose!
I enjoyed mine with Dm du Grand Bouqueteau, Chinon Rose 2005, which surprisingly still had a fair bit of life in it!
I am finding all sorts of hidden gems in back rooms of dusty liquor stores down here in the RGV.
If you try this recipe please let me know how it turned out!
Happy Eating!
