Crispy Pork Carnitas (Sous Vide)
February 6th, 2022
This Recipe creates 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 09 hours 30 minutes
Carnitas (meaning "little meat") is a traditional Latino pork dish made using a French cooking method called "confit", where the meat is slowly deep fried (over several hours) in seasoned hot oil (usually lard). Alternatively, you can make Carnitas by cutting the meat in to smaller pieces and then slowly stewing (or braising) the meat, then frying in lard. The Sous Vide produces a tender and juicy meat. And then frying the pork will provide the crispy crunch associated with traditional Carnitas. After the Carnitas have been fried, allow them to cool and then shred (pull) the pork. Lard can be refrigerated for a few weeks or frozen for 6 months and reused across multiple batches of Carnitas.
Ingredients:
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3-4 Pounds Pork Shoulder Roast (Boston Butt or Picnic Roast)
1 Onion, peeled and quartered
1 Jalapeno or Poblano Pepper, halved, stem removed
1 lb Lard
Marinade
1/2 Cup Orange Juice or Naranja Agria
6 Garlic Cloves, peeled and cut in half
2 Teaspoons Salt
4 Bay Leaves
1 Teaspoon Cumin, ground
1 Teaspoon Black Peppercorn, lightly crushed
Directions:
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In a medium bowl, mix the Marinade.
Remove any bones from the Pork. Cut the Pork Roast into 8 or 10 pieces.
Divide the Pork, Onion, and Pepper across 2 large Sous Vide bags in equal amounts. Add half the Marinade into each bag and mix well.
Vacuum out all the air and seal the bags. Refrigerate 24 hours, or up to 1 week. Freeze up to 6 months.
Sous Vide both bags at 185° F for 8 hours (8.5 hours if frozen).
Remove the bags from the Sous Vide and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
Note that the bags can be refrigerated unopened up to 1 week or frozen up to 6 months.
Open the bags. Separate and reserve any solid pieces of Fat that may have been rendered during the Sous Vide cook.
Remove the Bay Leaves and discard. Drain off the Au Jus, reserving it for later.
Remove each piece of Pork and dry excess moisture with a paper towel or a clean tea towel.
Heat a large heavy pan over medium-high heat.
Add 1 pound of Lard, as well as any Fat from the Sous Vide bag and wait a few minutes while the Lard heats up.
Maintain an Oil temperature between about 240° F and about 280° F. Do not overheat.
Add the Pork into the pan, ensuring that each piece of Pork is resting on the bottom of the pan. It may be necessary to cook in multiple batches to accomplish this. Do not overcrowd the pan.
Fry the Pork in the Lard for 5 to 7 minutes, until the bottom becomes brown and crispy.
Flip each piece of Pork to brown the other side and fry another 3 to 5 minutes.
Remove the browned Pork from the pan and shred with a pair of forks.
In a saucepan, heat the Au Jus over medium heat. Pour it through a sieve to remove any remaining solids.
Pour half a cup of Au Jus into the Shredded Carnitas, and mix well.
Serve the Shredded Carnitas with tortillas, chopped Cilantro, diced roasted Jalapeno Peppers, diced roasted Red Pimentos, Pico de Gallo, Salsa, and Cotija Cheese.
