Pork Carnitas

Whew.  After a well needed rest from the blog, I'm back and have some tasty recipes that I'm excited to try and share.  After reading a few recipes for pork carnitas, I couldn't resist the urge any longer and made a trip to the market for some pork shoulder. 

Our old neighborhood used to have a taco bus that served some seriously great (and seriously spicy) carnitas.  Carnitas means small meats and the carnitas I've had in the past are always so full of flavor and the meat is extra tender.  And after thoroughly questioning my cleaning lady, I discovered that the best tasting pork carnitas only require three ingredients to get the meat fork tender and seasoned.  Water, salt and white vinegar.  Seriously?  Why yes, I am.

In addition to the salt, water, vinegar and cubed pork, I added some fresh lime juice based on an idea I saw in another recipe.

3.5lbs of boneless pork shoulder cut in to 1-2" cubes.  In a pan with about 1/2 c. fresh lime juice, a few teaspoons salt, about a 1/2c. white vinegar and a few cups of water (not quite enough to cover all the meat), I let the meat simmer for a few hours until fork tender and then let it sear itself a bit when the liquid evaporated.  I tested a few cubes of meat and added a dash of ground cumin, a little more salt and a dash more of vinegar.

After about three hours of simmering, the meat fell apart.  I do recommend keeping a close eye on the meat when the liquid gets very low.  Some of the meat pieces became a little to crisp.  I shredded my pork a bit in the pan as it neared the end of cooking time.

I made a very basic slaw... only because I didn't have any other quick options.  Shredded cabbage with some poppyseed dressing and a few squeezes of lime.

Topping for the carnitas... lime wedges, chopped white onion, avocado, cilantro and crumbled queso fresco.

We used small corn torillas warmed in the oven for a few minutes at 200 degrees.  Top the tortilla with some pork and toppings of choice.  I liked an extra squeeze of lime a splash of vinegar (don't knock it 'til you try it) on mine. My husband preferred his with coleslaw.  Iris, our cleaning queen says she eats carnitas with a carrot slaw and lime/vinegar mix.

As sides I warmed some black beans, refried beans (our kids are obsessed with them), and made a batch of mexican rice (yes, out of a box...).

I ate the leftovers for lunch and we even had enough to make a couple small pork sandwiches slathered in BBQ sauce.  (We prefer Pete's Zesty Pulled Pork Sauce).

If you want more specific recipes than what I note above, you can check out Smitten Kitchen's post about pork carnitas here.  Very similar recipe, but a little different sauce mix to cook the pork in.

Cook'n!

Today we lost our minds a little and decided to start smoking a pork shoulder in the early afternoon.  We plan to pull it and make pulled pork sandwiches for dinner tomorrow.  Unfortunately, due to our lack of planning, the pork was done at 1am.  Next time?  Remember to put the damn pork on the grill before the day gets underway!

Meanwhile, Blake and I made a batch of oatmeal, chocolate chip, coconut cookies.  The recipe is from my aunt's mother, Vi.  She was such a fun lady and I'll never forget her!  These bad boys are pretty darn good. The coconut has a subtle flavor so don't be scared... or you can leave out completely. 

And while the cookies were baking, I started a batch of tortilla soup.  My friend Libby posted this recipe on her blog and it looked delicious.  I'm sure glad I made it because Tony couldn't stop raving about it and the kids went crazy for it!  Plus, why would you not try a recipe that involves a slow cooker?  They're the best...save on time and fills your house with great smells all day. 

The finished product garnished with fresh cilantro, sour cream, a squeeze of lime and a sprinkling of shredded cheese.

Grandma Vi's Oatmeal Cookies, courtesy of grandma Vi
1 c. brown sugar

1 c. sugar
1 c. shortening

Mix above ingredients together and add 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla.

Sift together:
2 c. sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Add dry mixture to wet. Then add:
1 c. coconut
2 c. oatmeal
1 c. cornflakes (I forgot to add, but they still tasted good!)
1 c. chocolate chips
Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. (I checked these cookies at 8 minutes and they were done)


Tortilla Soup, courtesy of Libby
2 frozen chicken breasts

1 - 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 - 10oz can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 - 4oz can chopped green chile peppers (use mild if kids are eating)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 32oz container chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 - 10oz package frozen corn
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Place everything into a slow-cooker. Stir. Cover, and cook on High setting for 5 hours. One half hour before serving remove chicken from soup and using two forks shred. Put chicken back into soup and stir. Let cook for remaining time.

Top soup with sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, avocado slices, chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

Pork Fajitas with Homemade Guac and Chips

Nothing beats a fresh made bowl of guacamole.  I usually take a couple avocados and mash with some fresh lime juice, some cilantro, some chopped red onion, and a good healthy dose of kosher salt and pepper.  It tastes even better when you eat with fresh homemade chips!

I typically heat a saucepan filled with vegetable oil, about 1/4" deep. Cut up some tortillas in to chip sized wedges and place a few in the hot oil at a time. I suggest testing with just one chip first to see if your oil is too hot, or not hot enough.  It only takes a few seconds for the chips to brown before you need to flip them.  Then remove and place on a plate covered with paper towels. I typically sprinkle the finished product with seasoning salt.  Warning, these chips will have more oil on them than what you find out of the bag.  But, they're kind of fun to make, especially when you forget to buy chips at the store!

To go along with the chips and guac, I made pork fajitas, adapted from (you guessed it) the America's Test Kitchen magazine. 

2 Tbsp lime juice, plus wedges for squirting on finished fajitas 

3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnishing finished fajitas

1/2 tsp ground cumin

4 Tbsp oil

2 red bell peppers, sliced thin

1 red onion, sliced thin

1 tsp chili powder

salt/pepper

1 pork tenderloin, about 1lb, sliced in to 1/4" thick, bite sized pieces.

12 - 6" flour tortillas, warmed

Mix lime juice, cilantro, cumin and 1 Tbsp oil in bowl.

Heat additional 1 Tbsp oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add bell peppers, onion, chili powder, and 1/2 tsp salt to skillet and cook until onion is soft.  Move veggies to a place and cover with foil.

Season pork with salt and pepper and add remaining oil to skillet and heat until just smoking.  Add pork and cook until cooked through, about 4 min. Off heat, stir lime juice mix in to pork and season with salt and pepper.  Transfer mix to platter with the vegetables.  Serve in tortillas.

We like to add more cilantro as well as a few squeezes of lime to our finished fajitas!

Pulled Pork Dinner

Today we had Tony's mom, Rick, grandma and my mom over for dinner.  We smoked a pork shoulder for 7+ hours and made some amazing pulled pork sandwiches.  For sauce, I didn't want to risk making my own.  I've got a killer BBQ sauce, but pulled pork needs a tangy vinegar based sauce and Tony had the answer.

BBQ Pete's makes great sauces.  Their regular Puyallp Fair sauce is a great traditional BBQ flavor, and their 'zesty pulled pork sauce' is exactly as it says.  Tangy, zesty and a perfect combo with smoked pork. You can find Pete's at most local grocery stores.  They're also the BBQ restaurant at the Puyallup Fair!

For dessert I made a peach and blueberry cobbler.

All sugared up and ready for the dough.

Baked and ready for eating!

Peach and Blueberry Cobbler
Filling:
1 lb peaches, pitted and cut in to 1" chunks
3 c. fresh blueberries
3/4 c. sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:
1 1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1/4 c. unsalted butter, cut in to chunks

3/4 c. buttermilk

Sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9x13" pan with butter.

Mix all of the Filling ingredients together and pour in to baking dish.  Bake until filling is hot and bubbly, usually 20-30 minutes.

In the meantime, make the topping by stirring together the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt in bowl.  Add butter and mash with hands or cut in to dry ingredients until mixture looks like coarse sand.  Slowly add buttermilk while stirring.  Mix together just until dough forms.

Take fruit out of oven and reduce temperature to 375.  Drop the topping by sproonfulls on to fruit and sprinkle with some sugar for added sweetness.  Bake for 15-25 minutes or until topping is golden.  Test topping with toothpick to make sure dough is baked through before pulling out of oven.  Let cool slightly and serve with homemade whipped cream or vanilla bean ice cream. YUM!

Margs and Ribs

Today I surprised Tony with homemade margaritas and slow cooked ribs.  It turned out he was having a rough day, so this was the perfect pick-me-up.

What I like to call margarita eggs...

Ribs.  Oh heaven.  Just rub your favorite bbq spices (I'd have to kill you if I shared my secret recipe) on the ribs the night prior.  Start up the bbq (and yes, you can use gas, charcoal, or smoker) on low so the meat will have indirect heat. No direct heat please!  Slowly cook until the ribs are tender - depending on your cooking method it can take anywhere from 4-8 hours.  I mop the ribs every 30-45min with a apple cider/apple vinegar/water mix to help keep them moist and add a slight 'crust' to the spices. When meat starts shrinking back from end of the bone you know they're getting close to done.

Serve with your favorite bbq sauce and sides.  I prefer my ribs 'dry' with only the rub.  But, if using sauce I prefer using B-Man's BBQ or Pete's BBQ (both are local and available at QFC). Oh, and a fresh margarita of course!

Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin

We loaded up on pork tenderloins at Costco, so I've been searching for yummy recipes.  Tonight we tried Paula Deen's Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin.  Very fast and easy rub and then let roast in the oven.

Highly recommend if you're short on prep time!

Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin, Paula Deen
1 (4-pound) boneless pork loin, with fat left on
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp dried basil or 2 tsp fresh basil leaves
1 tsp dried rosemary or 2 tsp minced fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  Place the pork loin on a rack in a roasting pan. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. With your fingers, massage the mixture onto the pork loin, covering all of the meat and fat.

Roast the pork for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 425 degrees F and roast for an additional hour. Test for doneness using an instant-read thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F, remove the roast from the oven. Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes before carving. It will continue to cook while it rests.