Carnitas, literally meaning "little meats", in

Mexican cuisine Mexican cuisine consists of the cuisines and associated traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican Cuisine, Mesoamerican cuisine. Mexican cuisine's ingredients and methods arise from the area's first agr ...

, is a dish made by

braising Braising (from the French language, French word ''braiser'') is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first Browning (cooking), browned at a high temperature, then simmered in a covered pot in cook ...

simmering Simmering is a food preparation technique by which foods are cooked in hot liquids kept just below the boiling point of water (lower than ) and above poaching temperature (higher than ). To create a steady simmer, a liquid is brought to a boil, ...

and

frying Frying is the cooking of food in cooking oil, oil or another fat. Similar to sautéing, pan-fried foods are generally turned over once or twice during cooking to make sure that the food is evenly cooked, using tongs or a spatula, whilst sautéed ...

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

in its own fat, lard or cooking oil. The name "''Carnitas''" is, historically, the colloquial name given in Mexico for the French dish ''Rillons de Tours'' also known in Spanish as ''Chicharrón de Tours''. The process takes three to four hours, and the result is very tender and juicy meat, which is then typically served with chopped

cilantro Coriander (), whose leaves are known as cilantro () in the U.S. and parts of Canada, and dhania in parts of South Asia and Africa, is an annual herb (''Coriandrum sativum'') in the family Apiaceae. Most people perceive the leaves as ha ...

(coriander leaves), diced

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

, salsa,

guacamole Guacamole (; informally shortened to ''guac'' in the United States since the 1980s) is an avocado-based dip, spread, or salad first developed in Mexico. In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine, it has become part of international cuisin ...

tortilla A tortilla (, ) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread from Mesoamerica originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour. The Aztecs and other Nahuatl speakers called tortillas ''tlaxcalli'' (). First made by the indi ...

s, and refried beans (''frijoles refritos'').

Description

Pork carnitas are traditionally made using the heavily marbled, rich

Boston butt A Boston butt is the slightly wedge-shaped portion of the pork shoulder above the standard picnic cut which includes the blade bone and the "lean butt" (which is boneless), both extensions of the tenderloin cut and can be used in place of the ten ...

picnic ham File:British Pork Cuts.svg, 400px, United Kingdom, British cuts of pork poly 187 219 187 194 173 196 Pig's trotters, Trotters poly 372 226 373 207 361 204 359 216 Pig's trotters, Trotters poly 171 141 166 104 287 117 294 152 Pork belly, Belly pol ...

cuts of pork which is seasoned heavily before slow

or deep frying. Carnitas can also be made of chicken, using breasts or thighs, and cooking in a similar manner. The traditional way to cook carnitas is in a thick-bottomed pot with seasonings simmered in lard until tender over a very low heat. When the meat is tender enough the heat is turned up and the outside of the pork begins to crisp. At this stage, the

collagen Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix of the connective tissues of many animals. It is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up 25% to 35% of protein content. Amino acids are bound together to form a trip ...

in the meat has broken down sufficiently to allow it to be pulled apart by hand or fork or chopped with a cleaver. The meat can then be used as an ingredient in

tamale A tamale, in Spanish language, Spanish , is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of ''masa'', a dough made from nixtamalization, nixtamalized maize, corn, which is steaming, steamed in a corn husk or Banana leaf, banana leaves. The wrapping ...

taco A taco (, , ) is a traditional Mexican cuisine, Mexican dish consisting of a small hand-sized corn tortilla, corn- or Flour tortilla, wheat-based tortilla topped with a Stuffing, filling. The tortilla is then folded around the filling and fing ...

torta Torta is a culinary term that can, depending on the cuisine, refer to cakes, pies, flatbreads, sandwiches, or omelettes. Usually, it refers to: * cake or pie in South America, much of Europe, and southern Philippines * flatbread in Spain * a t ...

s, and

burritos A burrito (, ) or burro in Mexico is, historically, a regional name, among others, for what is known as a taco, a tortilla filled with food, in other parts of the country. The term ''burrito'' was regional, specifically from Guanajuato, Guerr ...

History

''Carnitas'' originate from a traditional French dish that was introduced to Mexico via Spain. According to Mariano Galvan Rivera’s cookbook —''Diccionario de cocina'' (1845)— "carnitas" was the vulgar name given by Mexico’s lower classes to the dish known as "Chicharrones de Tours", and were specifically made and sold in working class neighborhood slaughterhouses or pork shops:

References

External links

Carnitas recipe
{{Mexican cuisine Mexican cuisine Pork dishes

Description

History

See also

References

External links