It is no secret that I am obsessed with food. No, not in the 'pry the cookie dough out of my hand' obsession, but the kind of obsession that does not allow me to live a day without reading about, preparing or watching about food in some context. That being said, I can't eat with reckless abandon like I did 20 years ago. And the food that I grew up on would not be considered health conscious by any means. If it wasn't for the lettuce, iceberg no less, that we stuffed into our tacos, fresh produce wasn't in the culinary arsenal of the Mexican food that my mother prepared.
To prepare authentic carnitas....they MUST be fried; fried in lard. What did you actually think? Carnitas are amazing because they are fried in lard. But I had to ask the question; do they really need to be fried to be orgasmic? I decided that they did not. Although the piece of pork that I use is not the leanest piece, the preparation can lay waste to some of that food guilt. So, here is my take on a healthier version....
Carnitas
4-5 pound bone-in pork shoulder. (Yes, you can remove SOME of the fat, but please leave some on, it is necessary)
6-7 garlic cloves cut into slices
5-6 medium onions sliced lengthwise and then sliced into 1/4 inch slices
olive oil
1/2 cup of dark beer
1/4-1/3 cup of fresh squeezed citrus juice with pulp (I used a combo of ruby grapefruit and orange juices)
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
With a pairing knife, make slits all over the roast and stuff the garlic slices in the holes. Pat the roast dry and season all over with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan in moderately hot heat, but not smoking. Brown the roast on all sides. When the roast is browned, remove and place on plate.
Lower the heat to medium and add all of the onions. Saute for 5 minutes until the onions start to soften and brown. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and continue to saute for 10/15 minutes until the onions are caramelized.
Add the liquid to the pan and stir to remove the bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the pork onto the top of the onions and cover the dutch oven with a tight fitting lid. Place in oven.
Roast for 2-1/2 to 3 hours until the meat is tender and falls away from the bone. Shred meat with fingers when cool enough.
You can prepare a day ahead. My secret to reheating without drying the meat out is to place the meat in foil and put into a steamer basket over hot water. This not only retains the moisture but places a small amount back that is lost when refrigerated.
To finish the carnitas tacos, I prefer the following:
Small "taquito" corn tortillas toasted over open gas flame or in a dry non stick pan
Fresh topped cilantro and onion
Fresh sliced radish
Crumbled Queso Fresco (if you are lucky enough to find a Mexican deli that sells it...do so!)
Cubed avocado
Salsa (your preference)
Fresh limes
