Tender, succulent, crispy, flavourful Sous Vide Carnitas slow cooked to perfection for 24 hours at 74 degrees to fulfill your taco dreams.
Favourite Cuisines
If I had to list my favourite cuisines, it would be longwinded and span most of the continents. Then it would change, depending on my mood, age, day, hour... In short, it is difficult for me to pick just one. Always on my list, however, Japanese, Thai, Caribbean (Afro, Indo, Latin, Creole) and Mexican cuisines.
I think I have a soft spot for Mexican food, because a lot of it reminds me of food from my childhood - the ingredients and preparation, in particular. Carnitas, by that name, was not a part of my childhood, but whole pigs roasted over a spit or in a pit were. There is nothing quite like food cooked over open flame, or enjoyed in the place of their origin!
Sous Vide, Your Way...
There is open flame involved in the preparation of this Succulent Sous Vide Carnitas, but most of the cooking is done low and slow, under vacuum in water. Not as dramatic as a spit or pit, but it yields flavourful, fall-apart pork, with very little effort, all while you sleep or work.
Depending on your preference, you can adjust the temperature and timing to produce a texture just right for you. Want your carnitas sooner, crank the temperature up to 85ºC and you and your crew will be digging into tender, tear-apart carnitas in 8, instead of 12-24 hours.
I've played with a number of times and temperatures from a number of reputable sources. This batch was cooked for 24 hours at 74ºC, as recommended by Kenji over at Serious Eats, is one of my faves to date.
No Sous Vide, No Problem
I remember the amazing aroma this dish produced in my friend mom's kitchen back in Florida. Luck would have it that I showed up just in time to dig in. That was my first and one of my most memorable carnitas experience, outside of Mexico.
Carnitas, which I have been told, translates to 'little meats', is a Mexican dish prepared by braising pork in lard for about 3-4 hours over medium-low heat, until tender. You would then discard the juices, shred the pork and crisp in a smoking hot skillet. If you do not cook sous vide and have a few hours to spare, put this on your list for taco Tuesday!
Cut Above The Shoulder
Pork butt, such an off-putting name, is actually closer to the pig's head than its ass. It's also known as Boston butt or pork shoulder. Unappetizing as it sounds, the ridiculous 12-year old boy in me likes to ask for the butt at the butcher. The picnic cut, just below the butt/shoulder, would also work well.
I like to get a cut with ample marbling. The extra fat keeps the meat tender, moist and flavourful. The extra fat also keeps the citrus from drying out the meat, which I have experienced with less fatty poultry and pork cuts.
Now that I think about it, after growing up watching my grandfather cook pig snouts, tails and trotters, butt , from either end of the pig, ain't so bad. 😉
Let's Taco Bout It
Carnitas cooked this way (at this time and temp), are perfect for tacos. Toppings are all up to you, but some of our faves are guacamole, salsa and pickled red onions, all homemade. We sometimes make our own tortillas too. Sometimes we skip tortillas and brown the meat after the sous vide cook, add the juices back in for a quick simmer and serve over cilantro rice and black beans.
Seasoning meat is a very personal thing, it is why I generally will indicate ballpark amounts for salt, pepper etc. I usually add a bit up front, that way additional can be added at the end depending on each person's preference. However you choose to season the pork, DO NOT omit the Mexican oregano.
If your household is anything like mine, taco Tuesdays are commonplace, especially when there is a crowd. It's usually just the Dude and me, so we generally sous vide a big batch in a number of bags and refrigerate or freeze until needed. The meat freezes well in the vacuum sealed bags it's cooked in, so you can cook enough for every Tuesday of the year, and make Taco Tuesdays a standing calendar event!
Ingredients
Special Equipment:
For the carnitas:
- 2.3 kilograms pork butt with ample marbling
- coarse salt to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 3-4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 medium yellow onions quartered
- 3-5 cloves garlic crushed
- 2-3 tablespoons Mexican oregano dried
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 3-5 whole fresh curry leaves optional
- 2 small oranges quartered
- 2 small cinnamon sticks
- olive oil or lard optional
For the tacos:
- organic corn tortillas homemade or store-bought
- salsa homemade rules
- guacamole homemade rules
- black beans
- pickled red onions homemade
- tomatoes
- lettuce
- cilantro
Instructions
Make the carnitas:
- Fill a large heavy duty pot or heatproof container with warm tap water. Set your sous vide to 74ºC/165ºF and allow the water to heat.
- Wash and clean the pork and pat dry. Cut into 3-inch cubes and add to a large bowl. Add all the ingredients listed under carnitas, except the cinnamon sticks, orange and oil/lard, if using. Squeeze the juice from one orange wedge over the mixture. Mix all the ingredients well to coat the pork.
- Prepare two vacuum bags or zip bags and place half the seasoned pork into each. Distribute the cinnamon sticks and remaining orange wedges evenly among each bag.
- Seal the bags - vacuum seal or water displacement - and add to the heated water. Cook for 12 to 24 hours.
- When ready, carefully remove the bags from the water bath and cut open. Use tongs to remove the meat from the bags and place on a rimmed baking sheet and shred it. Crisp using a torch or broil in the oven. You can also fry in a very hot heavy-duty skillet in the lard or oil listed above. If frying, do so before shredding the meat.
- Drain and keep the juices left in the bag. I like to use it for sauce or to flavour rice etc.
Build your tacos:
- Use the carnitas to make tacos your way, with any of the toppings listed above, or your faves!
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