As the saying goes: when life gives you a pork shoulder, make carnitas - Berkshire Eagle
After over a week of very frigid temperatures indoors with my family, I have been dreaming of warm weather cooking and eating. I've been yearning for the comfort of grilling outdoors or tinkering with recipes on my smoker but New England winters are not conducive to that style of cooking.
Instead, I have continued my quest to clean out the freezer. It led to a pork shoulder I had stashed away in hopes that it could be used in the smoker. That's not happening, so I decided to make a standby recipe that can feed the family for days. I can always buy a new pork butt when the mercury rises above freezing again.
For years, I have relied on a very easy recipe to make foolproof, easy carnitas. It takes time but, with relatively little energy, the end result is perfect carnitas. The recipe can feed a large gathering by using a whole butt — 8 pounds or more — or a smaller family meal by using a smaller piece. Also, the leftovers freeze well for easy weekday meals of nachos, sandwiches or tacos.
I take no credit for this recipe. It is David Chang's Bo Ssäm recipe developed for his famous Momofuku empire. That recipe serves the pulled pork in lettuce wraps paired with two Asian-style sauces. I usually defer to making my pork into carnitas and serving with tortillas and salsa. If you feel real adventurous, empty a can of chipotle in adobo in the finished pork to make a smokey, spicy version.
A tangy-sweet pineapple salsa cuts through the fat of the pork really well and brightens the dish. This dish tricks me into believing that I could be standing at a street cart on a hot day in Mexico City stuffing my face with al pastor tacos.
EASY CARNITAS WITH PINEAPPLE SALSA
(adapted from Momofuku's Bo Ssäm recipe)
INGREDIENTS
CARNITAS
3 to 5 pounds pork shoulder or butt, fat cap intact preferably
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
PINEAPPLE SALSA
1 cup pineapple, small dice
2/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 lime, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ancho/cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
Cilantro leaves
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
A slow-roasted pork shoulder.
In a small bowl, mix together the rub ingredients. Place the pork in a non-reactive bowl or container and cover the meat with dry brine. Make sure all the meat has been covered and rubbed into the crevices, cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.
In the morning, preheat the oven to 300 F and take the pork from the refrigerator. Place the shoulder on a rack in a roasting pan or baking sheet with a lip so juices can be collected. Put meat in the low oven and cook for 5 to 6 hours, basting with the rendered fat and juices every so often. The fat cap will render down and caramelize with the sugar into a crispy crust on top that I find to be best part. The meat is done when it pulls apart easily when a fork is pressed into the side.
Remove from the oven and place in a deep bowl or container and use two forks to pull the meat apart. Save all the drippings and fat that are left in the roasting pan and incorporate into the pulled pork as you shred the meat to keep it from drying out.
While the pork is slow roasting in the oven, mix together all the salsa ingredients in a bowl. Heat up some tortillas, cut up a lime and you got yourself a taco night.
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