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Monday, February 04, 2013

Adobo Carnitas

I have a chicken-wing hangover today, so these photographs are not actually as unbearably tempting as they typically would be.

Meat that has been cooked into submission and is collapsing into succulent shreds might really be my favorite thing to eat in the world. So, if you want me to say something I like about February, besides the spring light of morning, it’s that. Long-cooked meat. It might not sound like much, but it’s good.

Although they are still pretty tempting, actually.
Although, and now this is February speaking through me more sighingly, I am having a little trouble feeding my kids lately, my kids who are bifurcating into a blood-smeared teenaged carnivore—like something out of a vampire movie—and a doe-eyed, leaf-chewing herbivore. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? That Ben’s actually going to end up eating Birdy? I know. Thank goodness everybody likes beans is all I can say.


This recipe is so easy and so good. You can cook it in a crock pot and stop at the point where the meat is falling apart, and it’s delicious. I cook chicken legs this way, and also pork chops. Yum. Or, and here’s where things get crazy, you can cook it in a Dutch oven, and then finish it on the stove top, watching closely as the liquid evaporates and the pork starts to brown in its own fat. We call this adobo carnitas, and it is pretty much as good as you can imagine: the vinegar boils away into a profound and tangy sweetness, and the meat goes all crisp-edged, and all that fat you would have skimmed off if you were serving it at the stew stage—well, it all mysteriously “evaporates”! Just like that. It’s gone, so don’t give it another thought.

We eat this in tacos or burritos mostly or, as shown above, in a pile of shreds on a plate.

Edited to add: This is similar, but not identical, to the "Pork So Good It Could Make You Cry," thank you for wondering! The flavor is different (bay/pepper/onion/garlic/vinegar here versus scallion/ginger/sugar/sherry there) even though the sweet/salty succulence is the same.
This is the meat in the crock pot, stopped at the stew point. It is juicy and delicious like this.
Pork Adobo
If you stop at the stew stage, serve this over rice. If you take it all the way to carnitas, eat it in tacos or by itself, since it won’t be saucy any more. As noted above, feel free to swap in chicken legs or thighs (cook these for 2 hours or so) or bone-in pork chops (ditto) and stop at the stew stage.

1 onion, halved and sliced
4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2 bay leaves
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
4 pounds pork (country ribs, a Boston butt, or a boneless picnic shoulder)
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup white vinegar
1 cup water

Put the onions, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns in the bottom of a crock pot or Dutch oven. Add the pork, then pour the liquids over it, cover it, and cook it: in the crock pot, this means high heat for 6 hours or some lower heat for more hours; in the Dutch oven, this means tightly covered in a 325 oven for 4 or so hours, but you’ll need to check it every hour or so make sure there’s still liquid in there. Add water if there’s not.

The pork should be inclined to fall all to pieces—to shred up if you even so much as press it with a wooden spoon. At this point, remove any bones and any obvious solid clumps of fat, skim the surface, and serve over rice.

Or: cook it in on the stove top, in the Dutch oven, over low heat, until all the liquid boils off and the meat starts to fry in its own fat. Watch closely at the end so that it doesn’t burn. Die happy.

You probably already have everything but the pork. 
If your pork comes with those weird stretchy undies that keep the maxipad in place after you have a baby in the hospital--just remove them! 
Shouldn't you brown the pork and onions? No! Easy, right? 
Everybody gets really well acquainted in here. There won't be enough liquid to cover, but it doesn't matter.
A different meal, cooking it to the carnitas phase in the Dutch oven.

36 comments:

  1. We made carnitas this weekend too. My husband turned our old gas grill into a smoker. Apple wood cold smoked pork butt then popped into the oven for 18+ hours of low and slow cooking... it was heaven.

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  2. What toppings do you use for the tacos? I'm looking for something beyond shredded cheese from a bag and some hastily sliced tomatoes.

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    1. dale in denver4:38 PM

      Pickled red onions are terrific on tacos! As is shredded cabbage dressed with Catherine's Cilantro Lime Buttermilk dressing. Heaven!

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  3. I sure hope Ben doesn't eat Birdy. I'm the leaf munching herbivore in our house, it's only because I'm the meal preparer that I haven't been chomped by the carnivores.

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  4. I was just thinking about you as I made dinner beans for lunch. This looks fantastic.

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  5. Isn't this your "pork so good you may cry" recipe? I've made it many times. I may have gotten very emotional the first time :). Love it!

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  6. yummmmmmmmm. that is my belly humming to the delicious smells and aromas it is imagining. yummmmmmmm.

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  7. So, um, yeah. Stretchy underpants. Bad, bad memories. I had 2 c-sections, and I was so super aware that those little net unders were just *this* close to snagging on my staples. I shudder, remembering the sensation.

    Pork looks good, though. ;oP

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  8. One of our faves and now I will have to try it "Catherine's Way." Two words: pressure cooker. Works great for carnitas. Oh, and SeeTryFly, we love fresh chopped avocados and either caramelized or picked onions to top these. Yummy yum yum!

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    1. dale in denver4:41 PM

      Good call on the pickled onions - replied to her post before reading yours down here. Also good call on the pressure cooker. I love cooking meat that is to be shredded in my pressure cooker!

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    2. Yum. Pickled onions! I've become a total taco purist: soft corn tortillas, meat, onions, cilantro, a squeeze of lime. On the side: rice and beans, cheese, avocado, shredded cabbage, salsa, all kinds of yummy stuff.

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  9. annnnnnd...it's in the Crock Pot!
    thanks to you an actual DINNER will be waiting after All Star Ceramics (who knew my son could letter in such a sport?) and ballet tonight!

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  10. The mesh panties caption? Brilliant. I just smiled to myself and thought, "She kills me."

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  11. Anonymous1:13 PM

    Ahh the stretchy underpants. Thanks for the memories & recipe.

    I do a similar version with canned green chiles, quartered onions, some garlic cloves and a dose of homemade (or packaged - I won't tell) taco seasoning. Maybe some water but don't really need it. 8-10 hours on low

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  12. Allyson5:16 PM

    Tragically, the new website changed the name of your "Pork so Good it Will Make You Cry" recipe to "Asian-Style Carnitas" or some such nonsense. Also, they've inexplicably edited all your lovely commentary out of your recipes. WTF?
    Anyway, this looks delicious. I just made a South Carolina version of this, even though I live in NY. Rub a pork shoulder with a mixture of brown sugar, mustard, paprika, salt and pepper, then wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate overnight (i.e., give it a "meaty time out"). In the morning, just unwrap it and dump it in the slow cooker with one cup water and cook on low for 10 or so hours. When it's falling apart, Move the pork to a bowl and do all the necessary bone and gristle wrangling. Dump the liquid out (or de-fat it and use it to make collards or bean soup) and put the pork back in the cooker with 1-2 cups of mustard-based Carolina BBQ sauce. Sometimes I make my own, and sometimes I get it imported from SC. Catherine, if you've never tried mustard bbq sauce, I can't recommend it enough. It is much tangier and less sweet than the traditional tomato-based sauce, and it is amazing with pork. Also with salmon. Now I'm hungry.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, how do we get to the original Dalai Mama Dishes recipes? There's something very fishy going on over at the Family Fun website.

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  13. Erin K.7:37 PM

    This may be a silly question but I've never made anything with a big ol' chunk of meat like that (my spousal unit will not eat anything related to a stew or roast) - we usually have individual steaks - so that looks like a huge piece of meat - is that one meal?? Can you freeze leftovers? - Thanks!

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    1. Allyson8:22 PM

      This is way more than one meal, unless you're the Duggars or competitive eaters. :-) You can definitely freeze the leftovers. Just package it into dinner-size portions in containers or freezer bags. Also, If your spouse is put off by big hunks of meat, sandwiches or tacos/burritos are a great solution. Hope this helps!

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    2. Thanks, Allyson! Erin, we just eat it for a couple of days, or else have friends over! But it would freeze beautifully. . .

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    3. Erin K.3:38 PM

      Thanks guys! I'm totally going to try it!

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  15. Anonymous9:45 AM

    I have to agree with Ms. Fernandez--you're blog is really amazing. I'm sure the pork is as well. Can't wait to try. --Cathy K.

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  17. Confession: I only had three pork tenderloins to work with, and was unsure of how long to cook them in the crock pot. maybe tenderloins aren't shreddable enough? anyway, i followed all the directions above, but meat seemed dry despite swimming in liquid. also, NOT shredding up or falling apart. I made everybody sandwiches for dinner, and dumped the contents of the Crock Pot into a lidded glass container to marinate-and-hopefully-tenderize overnight. Next night: poured off liquid, shredded pork (it was FINALLY shreddable yay), dumped the shreds into a skillet, dumped two bottles of trader joe's barbecue sauce into the pan, and let everything simmer for half an hour. served it on sandwich rolls. phew! FYI: do NOT google "How do i rescue overcooked pork?"

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  18. Is no salt involved in the slow cooking stage? really? Who posted this recipe...

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  19. Jill M.8:18 PM

    You had me snort-laughing about the weird stretchy maternity ward undies!

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  20. I got the porky butt in the maternity ward underpants! To make during the blizzard! Thanks for what I'm sure will be another life-altering recipe.

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    Replies
    1. So right you are about the maternity ward underpants! Have fun in the blizzard!

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  22. Danabee5:12 PM

    OMG the stretchy undies/maxipad thing. That took me back. In an entirely unexpected way.

    Your spin on adobo looks untriguing. I am going to have to try it!

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  23. TracyP10:48 AM

    OMG, OMG, OMG! Made this last night to absolutely rave reviews...served as a taco w/ a red cabbage slaw with a lime honey vinaigrette on it. Sooooo delicious.

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  24. We had this for blizzard food! Everyone loved it. It makes ONE TON OF MEAT. I froze a bunch. Carnitas forever. Thank you.

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  25. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  26. Anonymous1:11 PM

    My roommate in grad school was Filipino, and she made this adobo but w/o the water, add more vinegar and soy sauce, and some ginger, so I always think of adobo as Asian. Hmm. If you do it all on the stove-top, after the meat cooks and the sauce is almost sticky (it will get that way if you use less water) we would stir fry cooked jasmine rice in it, amazing. Perfect salty fix, we called it period food, if you know what I mean!

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  27. We ate this tonight. After my kid finished her chocolate ice cream, she asked for more meat. Thanks!

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  28. Julie8:02 AM

    Your "Pork So Good It Will Make You Cry" is SO good already. I'm scared to mess with perfection.

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