And carnitas is just soooo good. Here are Sandra's and Michael's. Have made many times, sometimes I
blend the two, in terms of seasonings, but the treatment remains the same.
Carnitas a la Casera
Here is a recipe for carnitas that our cook used to make in Mexico:
2 lbs. pork butt
water
1/2 medium onion, cut in half
1 large clove of garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
garlic salt
Place the pork in a 3 quart saucepan. Add water to cover, the onion, garlic, salt, oregano and cumin. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350F
Drain the pork, and reserve the broth for another use, like soup. Place the pork in a baking pan and sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and shred while still warm.
Use the shredded meat for tacos or tostadas...Leftovers make good sandwiches...
Source: Sandra/London
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Carnitas (translated: "little meats")
1 4 to 5 pound pork shoulder or butt, left whole, bone-in, but trimmed of large pieces of exterior fat and rind
1 large yellow onion, peeled, quartered
1 Tbsp coriander seeds (whole seeds, NOT ground)
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (whole, not ground)
2 tsp dry oregano leaves (not ground)
2 bay leaves
water
Place all ingredients into a 6 to 8 quart stock pot. Pour in enough water to just cover the meat.
Heat to a boil, reduce to a slow simmer, cover and allow to cook until meat easily shreds with two forks. This takes somewhere between 3 and 5 hours. Add more boiling water, as necessary, to keep meat covered.
Heat oven to 450 degrees F.
Remove meat from the stock pot and place in a large 13" x 9" roasting pan. (Reserve broth for Albondigas, if desired). Gently pull meat apart, discarding excess fat, bone and any connective tissue. Meat should be in small to medium-size chunks, spread out in the pan.
Bake, uncovered, in the 450 degree oven until the meat is browned and sizzling hot, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, place meat on warmed platter and serve.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Notes: The key to getting the flavor just right is not to be too heavy-handed with the spices. By using the whole seeds when simmering the pork, you are able to impart a flavor that does not overpower the meat. Also, as a minor point, Mexican oregano is best in this dish, not the Mediterranean oregano.
The meat makes an excellent entree by itself, but our habit is to use it as an absolutely fantastic filling for burritos, tacos, tortas, and a topping for tostadas. Excellent with fresh salsa, sour cream, white or yellow cheeses, etc.
Source: Michael in Phoenix
Michael said: This recipe was adapted from the Sunset Mexican Cookbook and has evolved over the years into one of our all-time favorites. I will also post a recipe for Albondigas, which is a Mexican Meatball Soup.
Pat’s notes: Gave this recipe to a friend and she loved it. She said she used a Lime Crème: sour cream, lime juice and a bit of salt to taste, served in a squeeze bottle for people to drizzle on top of the tacos.
We always make the two together because they complement each other at the dinner table (Albondigas is an excellent soup course prior to the Carnitas), and you use the broth created by boiling the pork for carnitas as a delicious base for the soup! Mmmm!
Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)
This recipe has also evolved over the years, but my wife, Lisa, deserves the credit for perfecting it. It's a true favorite in our house, and certain visiting relatives won't leave until we feed them some!
Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano leaves, crushed
1/8 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 cup long grain rice, uncooked
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed (1/2" to 3/4" cube)
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
Broth from one recipe of Carnitas, about 4 quarts of liquid
Skim fat that rises to the surface of the broth with a spoon. Remove as much as you can, but a little bit left in the soup will intensify the flavor. Strain the broth through a collander lined with cheesecloth, to remove whole spices, onion, etc. Return to stock pot and hold, off heat.
In a large bowl, combine egg, cilantro, oregano and pepper. Add ground beef and ground pork, uncooked rice and mix well. Form meat mixture into balls approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
Return stock pot to heat and bring broth to simmer. Add tomato paste and stir to mix well. Add sliced carrots and simmer for 5 minutes. Carefully add meatballs, a few at a time, until they are all in the pot. (Don't splash and burn yourself!) Add potatoes and bring the pot to a boil. Immediately lower heat to simmer. Simmer about 30 minutes, or until meatballs and veggies are done. Ladle
into bowls and serve with warm tortillas.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Notes: I don't salt the soup until it is done, then I correct the salt, if necessary. Sometimes I cheat and add a teaspoon of Knorr granulated chicken bouillon instead of salt. It is typical of commercial bouillons in that it is mostly salt anyway.
You can add water to the broth to make 4 quarts if you are a bit short, but I usually make up for the addition by adding 1/2 teaspoon of bouillon along with the water. It seems to help keep the flavor from getting too diluted. This rarely happens if you've kept enough water in the stock pot to cover
the meat while you're making the carnitas.
Also, for you haters of cilantro, parsley can be substituted. (But don't come cryin' to me if it just doesn't taste right! Just teasin'!). Enjoy!
Dawn said: I agree with Michael! This is the one I use in our house also...love Sunset's Mexican Cookbook!
