Oh man, I used to work in Fontana, Ca, as a car hauler, and next door was this shack, literally a shack. They served one thing, carnitas tacos on a small corn tortilla with onions, and cilantro, that's it. They had a few sauces as well, but I just ate them straight. I'd order 8 tacos at $.50 cents each, those were the days. This recipe looks to be the same authentic pork they served in that unassuming shack. 👍✌
Ex Riverside resident here, I worked near a 'shack" with no finished walls. It was always packed with Mexicans. Perfect carnitas tacos on a double corn tortilla with just onions and cilantro, wrapped in foil. Absolute heaven.
Yippee! I was hoping you guys would bring back lard recipes. I never bought into no eggs, no butter, no bacon, no salt, no lard, no fat on meat, etc. Now maybe we can get back to real foods--Just a good variety of meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, bread, herbs, etc. without going crazy on one food area. Everyone can experiment on what is best for themselves; and then leave everyone else alone. Eating food should be a pleasure, along with having a thankful heart for the variety of foods God provided us. My husband, age 86, was told by his grandfather, who lived to be 104, that if he wants to live long to eat lot of fat. He listened, and still buys packages of pork fat practically every week. Who am I to tell him not to do that. Not me. He is happy as can be.
My southern grandmother made her own lard and EVERYTHING was fried in it. The leftover crispies (cracklins) were thrown in cornbread and that was cracklin cornbread.
We raised our own hogs to butcher. Mom rendered her own lard - in the oven - in large roasters. Then did fall/pre-Christmas house cleaning. To remove as much as possible of the cooked pork fat odor from the house. I got to clean all the wall paper with dough type wallpaper cleaner. She also baked all our Bread. Rolls. Cinnamon Rolls, cookies. Cakes. Etc. Dad smoked bacon and hams. All meat was canned and had a beautiful white fat cap at the tops of jars. No freezer yet. Made our own sausage. We had a hand crank meat grinder which would hold sausage casing. Be we mixed ground and packaged Ours in bulk. Fun times, lots of work.
Made the shrimp tacos and the flavors were incredible and complex. Definitely will be a main stay in our house. From prep to finish was under an hour involved.
Truly incredible....I combined the first recipe for salsa and used smoked pork shoulder for the second (instead of the shrimp)...the crispy edges to the corn tacos and the multi-layered flavor of ingredients made this dish rate a serious WOW!! Will add this to one of my staples of incredible dishes to serve to others...
Looks like a pretty darn good recipe for carnitas! Being Cuban-American, I tend to like my pork with some extra flavor on there on top of the fat, namely garlic, oregano, cumin, onion, and citrus juice. But I gotta say this looks pretty tasty!
I live in Mexico and Carnitas is my husbands favorite. The man that does our carnitas does it your way except in the large cooker. Except they do not change the grease so get the true Mexican flavor. I make it your way and it is great. Glad to see you do a show on it. Thanks
Both recipes are TOO DIE FOR, but I have to have shredded cabbage and some creama on my Shrimp Tacos, I love how you prep the corn tortillas!!! Awesome job ladies A+ !
Just made the pork and salsa recipe tonight, it was outrageously good. I had 6 pounds of shoulder meat, so mine didn’t brown up quite as much since my lard pot was crowded. That issue was quickly remedied with a sear on a stainless pan over medium-high heat and some of the lard from the pot. 30 seconds or so on each side and each pork chunk browned up beautifully without drying out or falling apart. Also if you don’t like spicy food, half a green bell pepper substitutes the jalapeño well. Those that like spicy can simply add some green Cholula hot sauce to their tacos.
Everything that Jack said about lard was exactly what I was told by older people, we didn't have high rates of heart disease until using vegetable oils to fry and cook with
DrKenDBerry MD youtube says bacon & pork lard r good & white flour white sugar can hurt us & try doing keto best u can afford even if it's cheapest eggs & hamburger etc in beginning
For the carnitas salsa, Please try Serrano Chile instead, and add about two medium avocados into the food processor . That is a great recipe for homemade carnitas.
I grew up in Chicago and am Mexican on my mom’s side. While I didn’t grow up in Pilsen I did get my carnitas there. Was always fascinated watching the masters make them.
this is one of those channels that is a must sub to use as a reference for so many things from top notch reviews on things from appliances to groceries plus you get other vids with cultural recipes and history...i love it. it's such a welcome relief in a world flooded by BS amazon affiliate channels featuring reviews with little testing, no professional input and offering no unique or good info. this channel is the real deal. food wishes is another such channel, but it's only epic concise recipes delivered by chef john no product or ingredient reviews, but any time i make a dish or research a dish for the first time i always include his recipe in my references, and he has a recipe for just about everything
a simple and more delicious sauce: Roast tomatillos, 2 or 3 garlic, jalapeno/serrano peppers and a half a white onion, Blend everything with salt, pepper, you can also add a little white vinegar. And that's it. For shrimp tacos, Chipotle's peppers, 2 or 3 tablespoons mustard, mayonnaise, mix or blend everything And enjoy :D
I’m so happy they fixed the 1990’s style film style on the taste test portion, plus they put a more varied audience (aka fewer blue hairs) making the show more appealing to people under 50
Actually, this dish is more like chicharrones (cracklings) than carnitas. Which includes more fat on its cuts, for added crispiness. Hence, the name chicharrones. The crispier the better!! But then again, in Mexico every state has its own way and tradition of cooking foods. Pork cuts usually are pure fat, so we just cook it like that. We let it cook in its own natural lard and juices, without being afraid of it losing its natural flavors to store bought lard. Add a half onion, garlic cloves, salt and pepper (depending on how much you're going to cook) and you're good to go! You can actually save its natural lard to make corn tortillas or gorditas. Thanks for the video, as it shows people how simple it is to make these traditional recipes at home.
Regarding the carnitas segment: Please cook your tortillas on a comal (a Mexican griddle) because they look so raw or possibly fresh out of the package.
I want someone to make me tortillas with masa, shaped by clapping it between her/his hands and cooked on a hot flat pan. I want her/him to make them every single day for every meal. I also want a delicious Margarita with rocks and salt … and a shot of of Grand Mariner! Oh, and some guacamole. And Frijoles. I’m too hungry now to continue. XOXOXO
As a Mexican from the state of Michoacán, I have to say that carnitas are not just pork shoulder. The traditional way is to cook the meat in a copper pot, not other metal because copper gives the meat acidity. If you really want to eat amazing carnitas, go to México, to the state of Michoacán and to a town called Quiroga.
If going through the trouble to make this, use fresh tomatillos. Theyre everywhere mexicans are and most people complain we are everywhere.That salsas going to be hella bitter if using fresh tomatillos. Canned must be treated somehow, since julias signature "ick" face wasnt present. Tomatillos are not tomatoes. I would suggest boiling fresh tomatillos in water with a pinch of baking soda and a serrano chile or jalapeno. Blend that with a clove of garlic a slice of white onion salt to taste. Pulse again with a ripe acocado and a few washed leaves of cilantro and a squeeze 1/4 of a lime. Cover and chill.Make this before you make you start cooking your meat....you'll thank me later.
I grew tomatillos when I lived in Pennsylvania. I made salsa very similar to this recipe but I used fresh raw tomatillos. I added fresh chunks of avocado and its was fabulous
I’m not from Michoacán, I’m from the neighboring state, Guanajuato. But for being an american version it’s not bad. At least it’s not a Rachel Ray pozole recipe where she completely ruined it. The salas we make don’t use olive oil. Olive oil isn’t a product we use in traditional mexican recipes. We use mazola vegetable oil for the most part. Other than that the salsa gets a 10. I would have used serranos instead of one jalapeño but understand not everyone can tolerate that level of spicy. The carnitas get an 8 from me and the salsa a 10. My dad adds a lot more ingredients but the michoacán original version is very simple and pure like this one.
Have never made it seen this way. I've only seen it done in copper pots. The older gentleman explained that this is the only way to get the true traditional flavor. I purchased a cazo a number of year ago and still use his recipe. This looks and may taste just fine but it's a tad gringoized. It's an easy place to start though. And for really tasty twist and treat, try cold smoking the pork first.
You're right. Depending on the region in Mexico this dish is more like chicharrones, or cracklins, than carnitas. Hence the added lard to make the cuts more crispy. I don't know why, but the Mexican cooking pottery does make the food taste better! Like when making beans, it's better made in a jarro 😋. With carnitas, you just cook it in its natural lard and juices. No oil or lard needed. Pork cuts usually have a lot of fat on it. Add some onion, garlic cloves (optional), salt and pepper to taste... And enjoy! You can also save the drippings to make refried beans.
I'm so jealous. You have the legendary, Rick Bayless. I checked out this recipe and Rick's for carnitas. Both look good. Will probably get around to doing both. Tucson has some great, great Sonoran style, carne seca/machaca. I live in Texas now, and they do brisket and bbq great, but Arizona style has spoiled me forever.
A variant for shrimp tacos is to add at the time of stewing the tomato and onion a branch of celery chopped into small squares. Believe me celery is a game changer
I have no idea what tomatillos taste like, but that salsa looks really good here. Also, slightly different from the Bayless approach to carnitas (lard braised slow cooked pork shredded and fried up crisp in a pan at the end, plus guacamole and fire-roasted tomato salsa), but those big chunks of pork look awesome.
Depending on the region in Mexico, this dish is more like chicharrones, or cracklins, than carnitas. Hence the added lard to make its natural fat super crispy. Pork cuts tend to have natural fat, so we just cook it like that. In its own natural lard and juices. For added flavor toss in onion, garlic cloves (optional), salt and pepper to taste and you're good to go. You can actually save the drippings to make refried beans and other dishes.
I was wondering how you were going to do the lard test: just eat a chunk of pure lard? Must be my Lithuanian farmer side coming out there? They called it Lashinai I think and ate it as a snack with vodka?
@@JimCardoza I’ve been to Chicago many times. The food is great. I wouldn’t eat Mexican food there. It doesn’t get more authentic than actual Mexicans cooking it just this side of the border.
Tasted good. I did exactly like the recipe said, but mine came out very very brown. I did use a 4 pound pork shoulder. Maybe next time I would cook it less or cut the meat in larger pieces.
Julia Bridget oh my God I love watching you guys cook you guys make me so hungry and in the next day I go out and I buy all stuff that I need ingredients to make with you guys showed me how to cook I make it family loves it I Love you guys God bless and see you on the next video Nicholas
@@Czarina888777 I have seen people roast onions with the tomatoes and chiles for salsas in Mexico. It just depends on region maybe? Or maybe just personal preference of the cook?
Just place the cuts in it and slow cook until the meat is very tender. This dish is actually more like chicharrones, or cracklins. Add a quarter onion, some garlic cloves (optional), salt and pepper to taste and that's it. We let it cook in its own natural juices and lard. The lard added here is to make the natural lard in its cuts really crispy, hence the name chicharrones. You can also save the drippings to make refried beans or to slap a little bit on corn tortillas when heating them up for tacos. Hope this helps and enjoy.
Yes, but it has to be filtered, allowed to settle, remelted and then carefully decanted leaving the tiny particles on the bottom of the container. Lard can turn because of the remains of previous food left behind. Clean like this and it can stay for a very long time. Sort of like ghee.
@@xavariusquest4603 Thank you! I made the carnitas today and then wondered what I was going to do with the leftover lard! XOXO PS, The Carnitas we’re delicious! XO
@@KenS1267awesome , i might stop by to buy some carnitas too , they open carnitas uruapan from 7am to 5pm arrive early morning to get from the first batch of carnitas
I make a similar pork, but using smaller chunks of pork and without the lard..I’ve found that the butt pieces have and release enough fat that it self braises and gets nice and crispy at the end
As a Mexican American I approve these Carnitas the only thing I slightly did like was when making those tacos the tortillas do not look like they were warmed.
No matter the oil you use, carnitas are not a low-fat option so if that’s what you are looking for, carnitas are not for you. Lard is healthier than many oils. My suggestion is make it the right way as described in the video but not that often. Save it for a special occasion.
Depending on the region in Mexico, this dish is more like chicharrones, or cracklins, than carnitas. Hence the added lard to make its natural fat super crispy. Pork cuts usually have a lot of natural fat, so just cook it in its own natural fat and juices. Add some onion, garlic cloves (optional), salt and pepper to taste and that's it. Hope this helps.
I wish you guys would make fastback come back again. It has also gotten a bad wrap. Give me piece of fried fat back wrapped in a piece of bread and a glass of iced tea and I happy. I going to start using lard again it has a better flavor
Huzzah!! Finally a cooking show that cooks carnitas authentically. Carnitas is a confit. I've seen too many other cooking shows grilling or roasting & calling it carnitas. & they even didn't try to make it "healthy" by cooking in olive oil or something else. Healthy is eating unhealthy sparingly & infrequently.
My stomach is dying right now with my super high acid reflux + no gallbladder but this carnitas look super delicious. I think I will make them for my family and sneak a small piece hoping my stomach will not revolt!
