Just another day on my COVID-19 watch. T.G.I.S. (Thank God It’s Someday!)

However, it is Cinco de Mayo, on Taco Tuesday, during the COVID-19 craziness named after a Mexican Beer!! This could not be a better day to make Carnitas, the one dish I use to gauge any and all Mexican Restaurants!

When done right, the flavor that is produced from a long and slow-cooked pork shoulder into crispy chunks of goodness, cannot be beaten. Many people are used to cooking their pork shoulder low and slow in a BBQ smoker to make their own version of BBQ pulled pork. I must admit, that is a great dish, but for me, carnitas is up near the top of how we should be cooking a pork shoulder.

In order to make this version of carnitas extremely tender and tasty, I decided to use my Sous Vide. Check here for more discussion on cooking Sous Vide. I cut up a pork shoulder into big chunks to cook my pork faster than it typically would. Added some onion, spices, and orange to bring out some great flavors in the pork.

You certainly can’t celebrate Taco Tuesday and Carnitas without the best salsa to add to your taco. Checkout my Tomatillo Salsa here.

I’m a big fan of Birria Tacos. So if you feel the same way I do, check out my recipe for Birria Tacos here!

Happy Cinco de Mayo to All; Enjoy your Carnitas Tacos and as always; Thanks for Spending Time in My Kitchen!

Carnitas…is there anything better?

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Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen

Servings

10-12

servings

Active time

minutes

Cooking time

hours

Ingredients

Sous Vide
6 lb 6 Pork shoulder, cut into 3 inch chunks
1 1 Onion, cut into chunks
1 1 Orange, cut into quarters
1 1 Bay leaves
1 Small 1 Cinnamon sticks
2 tsp 2 Mexican oregano
3 Tbl 3 Salt
Roasting Spices
2 Tbl 2 Chili powder
2 Tbl 2 Salt and pepper
16 oz 16 Chicken broth
Taco Seasoning for Grilled Shrimp (if you want another protein for your taco night!)
1 lb 1 Shrimp (size 21-25) Cleaned and deveined
2 tsp 2 Paprika
1 Tbl 1 Chili Powder
1 tsp 1 Salt
1 tsp 1 Garlic Powder
4 Tbl 4 Butter, melted
2 2 Limes, juice

Directions

Sous Vide (See note below if Sous Vide is not Available)
Set up your sous vide for 15 hours at 165° in at least a 10 qt pot. Fill with water to about 7 quarts. See details on how to use sous vide here…
Add in all sous vide ingredients and place them in a vacuum bag. If a vacuum bag is not available, use a large ziplock.
Place the vacuum bag into your sous vide pot and let it cook.
Roasting Carnitas
After your 15-hour sous vide cook, your meat will look all grey and ugly. Don’t worry. We are going to fix that now.
Empty a vacuum bag and place chunks of pork on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil to save ourselves a little time cleaning.
Sprinkle roasting seasonings over the meat and stir.
Add just enough broth to lightly cover the bottom of the tray.
Place the tray into the oven and roast for approximately 2 hours or until you get the texture you want to achieve. Personally, I like my carnitas crispy!
Time to shred your carnitas into smaller pieces just perfect for tacos.
Enjoy!
Additional Taco Recipe for Grilled Shrimp!
Combine all shrimp taco seasoning and melted butter.
I cut my shrimp into smaller pieces to fit easier within the taco shell.
Place all your cut shrimp on a grill pan that is specific for seafood and veggies. (For example, I have one similar to the one below.)
Brush the shrimp with grilling seasoning. Set grill heat on high. Be careful, shrimp will cook quickly. Be ready to move your shrimp around with a metal spatula to bring color to the whole shrimp. Give your shrimp one last brush. Pull shrimp off of the heat.
Garnish your Taco Board
Put together your Taco sides such as your favorite taco shell, flour or corn, shredded cheese, chopped onions, cilantro, salsa, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, guacamole and you are on your way with for a great Taco Tuesday to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!! Enjoy!!

Notes

If you don’t have a sous vide, don’t worry…you can still achieve the most tender of carnitas chunks by braising your shoulder in the oven over 12 – 18 hours and then breaking it down into chunks and placing back into the oven to get your crispy carnitas. Life is Good!!