Carnitas

I'm guess I'm on a pork craze right now. I'm surprised at how delicate and distinct the flavor of pork can be. Also, the texture of pork cooked right is also very palatable. Thus my fascination with Carnitas should come as no surprise. Although I've spent hours scouring the net for the most authentic recipe, I decided to try out this one I found on Chowhound.com. The flavor was surprisingly good and you get the charred crisp outside. I would definitely make this again. Overall I think it took about 10 min to prep and about 1.5 hr for the meat too cook.  

Ingredients:

2lb pork butt

1-tablespoon of Oregano 

3-teaspoon of Cumin

3-4 cloves of minced garlic

half of a medium onion, small dice

handful of cilantro 

about a cup of pork lard ( the brown stuff you get from Mexican market) or olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Directions: 

Cube the pork evenly about 2 inch blocks and evenly season the meat with oregano, cumin salt and pepper.

On medium-low heat, put all the rest of the ingredients into the pot and once the lard has melted, add the pork in an even layer. Cover and cook for about 1.5 hour. 

Uncover the pot and crank the heat up to medium high until the meat is browned to your preference. This takes roughly 5-6 mins. 

Turn off heat at desired crispness, take meat out of pot and chop it into smaller chunks. 

Service with desired fixings. 

I decided to go the taco route so I had chopped white onions, cilantro, cheese, chorizo beans,and salsa. 

Onions, Garlic, Cilantro and Brown Lard

You can use whatever cooking oil you prefer instead of lard. I decided to use lard to be more authentic.

 single even layer

You wan't to make sure the meat in submerged in the oil.

Cover and cook for 1.5 hours. Take off the lid, increase heat and watch those babies brown! 

Flip meat to get even browning

You want to make sure you turn the meat during the browning process so you get an even crisp, crust.

Fried meat! 

My desired level of crispy....

I probably should have taken them out a bit earlier so they won't be too burnt but it was still delicious. 

Ready to be cut up!

Assembled =)

The chorizo beans where just canned beans my roommate heated up with some milk, garlic, and cheese. Delicious!