Coca Cola Carnitas Food

CARNITAS

Steps:

• Toss the pork with 2 teaspoons of salt. Transfer to a 6- to 7-quart Dutch oven or pot along with the oil, oregano, red pepper, cloves, garlic, bay leaves, lime juice, orange peel and onion. Cover with 4 to 5 cups of water. Bring to a high simmer, then reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pot and simmer gently, checking occasionally to give it a stir, until the pork is tender and just beginning to fall apart, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Fish out the bay leaves and orange peel. (The pork will not look super-attractive at this point but don't panic!)
• Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium-high. Simmer vigorously, stirring frequently, until all of the water has evaporated, leaving only the oil, and the pork has browned and begun to fry slightly at the bottom of the pot; continue to cook, scraping up the bottom of the pot frequently to release the fried bits, 30 to 40 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the pork from any remaining oil in the pot.
• Serve with tortillas and suggested toppings to make tacos.

CARNITAS MICHOACANAS

Steps:

• Cut the meat into large chunks, or leave it on the bone if the hunks will fit in the pot you are using. Salt them well.
• Fill your pot with the lard and heat it to about 200°F or thereabouts. You might need more than 3 quarts. Remember, you will be able to reuse this lard later, and almost all of it will stay in the pot, so fear not.
• When the lard hits temperature, add the pork. Now, there is an order to things. Different pieces cook at different rates. Longest cooking bits, in order, are: hocks, feet, tongue, heart, jowls, shoulder, ribs, hind leg, skin, belly, loins. Depending on what you are using, add the longest cooking bits in first. In general, wait 30 minutes before you put in the next item. Even loin will ultimately need 1 hour, though, so keep this in mind. Carnitas is a process.
• Once you put in the first pork item, add all the remaining ingredients and let things cook at about 195°F, more or less, until all the various piggy bits are soft and tender. Normally this takes about 4 hours, but could be more with wild hogs.
• When the meat is starting to fall off the bone, remove it from the lard and let it cool a bit. Carefully debone it. If you are using feet, this will be fiddly. Now, you have two choices. If you don't care about reusing the oil, heat it to 350°F and fry the pork until the exterior is crispy. If you do want to reuse the lard, remove all but about 1 cup and then sear the pork bits in that lard until crispy.
• Chop and shred the meat as you like and serve. It will keep a week in the fridge and freezes well.

PORK CARNITAS (MEXICAN SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK)

Steps:

• Rinse and pat dry pork with a paper towel.
• In the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker, add pork, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, onion, garlic, lime juice, orange juice, coke, and bay leaves.
• Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8-10 hours, or high heat for 5-6 hours (until the meat falls apart).
• Remove pork and shred with two forks (DO NOT DISCARD THE LIQUID!)

BEST EVER SLOW COOKER CARNITAS

Steps:

• Cut the 2 lbs of pork into roughly 2 inch squares and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Pour the stick of melted butter in the slow cooker coating the meat. Do the same with the 2 Tbs of oil.
• Break the one cinnamon stick in half and place to the sides of the meat.
• Peel 5-6 garlic cloves, cutting the tips off, and break 3-4 bay leaves in half. Place the leaves and the garlic in the slow cooker, evenly distributed among the meat.
• Add the 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 2 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp (or more depending on taste) red pepper flakes, sprinkling evenly across the meat.
• Pour the 1/3 cup whole milk in the cooker, being careful not to wash away the spices from the meat.
• Add the Coca Cola, being careful not to wash away the spices from the meat. Add enough to just cover the top of the meat.
• Turn the slow cooker to the "Low" heat setting. Cook for 6 hours, stirring every few hours.
• Once cooked, remove meat from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon and place in a separate large bowl. Shred the meat using two forks, and add spoonfuls of liquid from the cooker to ensure meat is moist.
• Serve on warm tortillas, with pico de gallo, sour cream, and chopped jalapenos.

CROCK POT 'CARNITAS'

Steps:

• Combine pork, onion, jalapeno, orange peel and soda in a crock pot.
• Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
• Uncover and shred the meat using 2 forks.
• Serve on flour tortillas and top with pico de gallo, if desired.
• For Pico de Gallo:.
• Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cover and refrigerate until ready to use; Makes 1 1/2 cups.
• Note: Also, up to 2 teaspoons each of fresh minced garlic and dried oregano can be added to taste.
• The carnitas can be served rolled into flour tortillas or in taco shells.
• Topping options include pico de gallo, guacamole or shredded cheese with a bit of taco sauce.

COCA-COLA CARNITAS

Steps:

• Sprinkle the pork on all sides with the garlic powder and plenty of salt and pepper.
• Heat the pork fat over medium-high heat in a small, heavy Dutch oven or braiser (see Cook's Note). Add the pork and fry on all sides until well browned, about 20 minutes. Add the Coca-Cola and 1/2 cup water (there should be just enough liquid to cover the sides of the meat). Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the tarragon, bay leaves and thyme. Cover and simmer until the pork is tender, about 1 1/2 hours; the Coca-Cola will caramelize and the liquid will evaporate completely.
• Transfer the pork to a cutting board and shred. Serve with warm corn tortillas (charred over a flame) and toppings on the side: salsa verde, diced onions, cilantro, radishes, lime wedges and avocado.