I’ve never braised meat – let alone for 8 hours. But I had a big plan for a big meal. So I braced myself – I was going to be tortured by the aroma of pork and spices for most of the evening/night.
When the meat was done, I used to big forks to pull it out of the braising liquid. But the meat was so tender, that it just fell apart with a splash before I could get it out of the pot.
I had a fun few minutes of “find the pork” in the large pot, before I was able to get the little pieces onto a platter and let them cool. And then I spent a few minutes cleaning up the braising liquid from the stove and floor. And since it was so late in the evening (and most recipes call for the meat to chill over night) I changed my soaked outfit for pajamas and considered day one of cooking complete.
We enjoyed carnitas and pico de gallo the next day.
Braised pork
- 4 lbs of pork shoulder
- Olive oil
- 10 cups of water
- 2 cups of chicken stock
- 2 onions, quartered
- 2 jalapenos, halved
- 1 tablespoon of chili powder
- 1 tablespoon of cumin
- Salt and pepper
Heat the olive oil until it’s hot but not smoking. Add the pork and brown on all sides. Add the liquid, onions, jalapenos and spices. Let simmer for 8 hours.
Carnitas With Pico de Gallo
- 1 package of flour or corn tortillas
- Pulled pork (re-heated)
- Lettuce
- Pico de Gallo
- A wedge of lime or lime juice
- Pickled jalapenos
- Monterrey jack cheese
Either heat the tortillas in a microwave with a damp paper towel for 20 seconds, or quickly heat them over a stove gas burner for about 5 seconds a side.
Top the tortilla with pork and layer with pico, extra jalapenos and lime juice. (Even though there are jalapenos and lime in the pico, having another layer of them makes this incredibly spicy.)
Now, the carnitas recipe was a success, but the pork was originally slated for my first ever tamale making experiment. That didn’t go so well. But, considering the time that I had spent braising the pork I wanted to make something really delicious with it. And this fit the bill.
Have you ever had two-step recipe go awry? How did you salvage it?
