I mentioned in my recent Susis Taco Grill post that their amazing carnitas inspired me to make my own. In fact, it incited a whole Mexican feast with my brother and his wife and a few friends. We’ve spent quite a few Sunday evenings cooking at each other’s homes recently, a fun topic BG just covered well.
Our multi-course feasts are generally lengthy affairs, with too much food, and just the right amount of booze. Thomas kicked off this recent bacchanal with some chorizo and cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped (claro), grilled jalapenos.
We then moved on to grilled corn, which we dipped in crema and rolled in queso fresco. Cotija would have been preferable for this application, but queso was all that was available, or so my brother claimed.
I made a few salsas for the dinner. The pico de gallo is a simple uncooked mix of chopped tomatoes (seeds/flesh removed), jalapeno, serrano, onion, cilantro, and a splash or two of red wine vinegar.
The darker sauce is a cooked sauce of boiled whole tomato, onion, and serrano peppers, all simmered in the same pot for ten minutes or so. Then I added a handful of cilantro, some salt, then hit it with my immersion blender.
Finally the salsa verde is a tomatillo salsa, as specified in Kenji’s Serious Eats carnitas recipe. After the carnitas cook for hours and hours at a low heat, the fat is drained off and the pork liquid that remains becomes the base for the salsa. I’ve never had a “meaty” salsa, and if you didn’t know it was coming, the reticent pork flavor and creamy texture could be a little surprising, but it was really awesome.
Finally, there are the carnitas. Submerged in canola oil with orange, garlic, onion, and cinnamon, the pork was cooked at 275F for about four hours, when the pork was falling apart tender. I stored it in the fridge until that evening, when the carnitas were finished in the broiler to crisp up slightly before serving.
Served simply with corn tortillas, queso fresco, and quick pickled red onion (thin sliced with vinegar, Mexican oregano, cumin). A great meal.
