A couple weeks ago, I visited my parents and got my fill of the cleavage and nice hair channel FoodTV. Not in my own kitchen at the time, I could only jot down some notes on what I committed to do. Someday that is - after we move.
Not since Molly's waffles (Molly, I'm going to make these someday if it kills me!) have I seen a recipe so decadent. It's from a new guy who calls everything "the bomb". Some hipster term I don't have time to look up. I think it means something good.
He made pork carnitas and the thing that caught my eye was the way he prepared the pork. It was "the bomb". He took a boston butt, ca. 4-5 lbs, and cut it in four chunks. Then he deep fried it in Manteca (ca. 2-3 quarts; a kind of lard, pork-derived I think) heated to approximately 300-deg-F (I'm sure the temp went way below that with all that mass) in a cast iron skillet for about an HOUR. He took it out, let it rest and it pulled beautifully. I was salivating excessively. Before I die, I will cook a pork butt like this. Anyone ever tried this method?
food boston butt carnitas foodtv
9.13.2006
The Bomb
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9 comments:
Uh, that's "da bomb" grampa. Heh.
And you'll never here that or "my bad" coming from these hillbilly lips.
Yeah, ya know that's actually true carnitas and to be honest have never cooked them or eaten them. My sister and her husband ate them in LA and said they'd never had carnitas that good. A friend of Meathenge recent prepared it but with peanut oil. He also chimed in about how good it was. But complained that the oil cost more than the meat and kinda a waste of good oil. Unless of course you reuse it someway.
Manteca is Spanish for lard. Which is why a local city here, Manteca's nickname is Fat City. The key here is to render your own lard, this I have done. Do not, under any circumstance use that Armor manteca crap. It'll ruin anything you use it on. Render your own and use that for the carnitas. In fact, google: What is carnitas.
Neat, eh?
Wow. So, Dave, if you do ever make that carnitas recipe, let me know, and I'll fly out to help you eat it. No one should be alone with deep-fried pork! It could get dangerous, you know?
Oh, and how about waffles for dessert? Hmm?
Dr. B., What's wrong with the Armor stuff? Also, given that most of my gear is packed and in storage, have you ever slow cooked a butt rubbed with spices in just an oven (180/10 hours or so)? I agree, the oil/lard would definitely cost more than that cut of pork.
Hey Molly, Surprisingly the carnitas, as prepared on that show, had only a slight amount of the pork and the rest was tasty corn tortilla and fresh veggies. The whole package wasn't quite as unhealthy as it sounds. Now, those waffles ... we will have those before we die. My wife and I fantasize about them often.
The armor lard is as bad as margarine, tastes even worse. Fresh lard is a joy to cook with and fry in. Harrible stuff that armor, please don't.
I do an ovenned pork butt a few times a year, but I think I pull it up to 225 or 250 until the only thing that will slice it is a fork. It don't quite make it 10 hours, but it seems to be jess fine that way.
Biggles
Today she goes. My barbecue stuff's packed up so in the oven at 225 it is Dr. B. Got a real nice pork butt the other day. She's all rubbed down and ready to go. Pulled pork tonight!
Packed up? Where you going?
To the same zip code, about a mile away. Little bigger space. Kid can now ride her trike down a 70' hallway.
Did the oven pulled pork. Pretty darn good for an oven. Got a prime butt, good rub, 250/about 7 hours, 1 hour rest and it fell apart into tender morsels. That and some slaw for sandwiches. Even Frankie had a ton of pork.
Amen to that brother. We were in a 2 bedroom condo when Zachary was born up until about 1 1/2. We'd drive miles just to take him for walkies. While we don't have a 70' hallway, it's a darnsite larger, fer sure. Now I can que and sip beer while they play.
Always amazed at how good the oven can do when let go for hours like that. The flavor of the pork really comes out nicely.
Biggles
Why do it in the oven for 7 hrs when you can braise in less than 3? Actually just finished a batch on Sunday. Will have to try one in the oven some time. (Any excuse to eat pork, yes?)
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