S3 E39 Pork Carnitas

Transcript

SPEAKER_06 0:14

Hello and welcome to Perfectly Seasoned, the podcast about all things culinary. I'm your personal chef, Greg Strom. Today on Perfectly Seasoned, have you ever eaten little meats? I'll bet you have. Find out what they are today on Perfectly Seasoned. Stay tuned. Hello everyone. And today on Perfectly Seasoned, we will be discussing pork carnitas. Carnitas literally means little meats in Mexican cuisine. And it's done in a slow cooker, or you can do it in an Instapot, or you can do it in a Dutch oven. Carnitas originated in Mexico dating back over 500 years, and they came about because of the introduction of pigs to Mexico by the Spaniards who brought them over. The ingredients are traditionally pork shoulder and citrus aromatics and spices. And they're slow cooked for four to five hours over low heat. And that causes the meat to literally fall apart. And they can be used for tacos, quesadillas, burritos, or just over rice and beans, which is how I usually serve it. Joining me on the phone today from Wheeling, West Virginia, are my friends and first-time guest home cook, Kurt Byron, and his wife Kristen. And Kristen has been on the podcast many times. The other guest home cook today is our friend Loretta Kosig, who is also a let's just say she's better at making reservations than dinner.

SPEAKER_03 2:20

Truer words were never spoken.

SPEAKER_06 2:22

So I I talked her into doing this in my kitchen. So I was basically supervising, but I didn't tell her how to do it, and she did a really great job. So hello to everyone. Hello, Kurt.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Hey Kurt. Hello there. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_06 2:37

I'm doing fine. Welcome to Perfectly Seasoned. Well, uh this has been brewing for a while because when you guys came to visit in February, I talked you into, and I think Curtin pro or Kristen probably uh browbeat you into saying yes. But I'm glad she did because I just my influence. Well, the whole idea was cooking isn't rocket science, and pretty much you can do it if you if you really want to try. So I'm gonna start right out by saying how how was the uh process for you, Kurt? It was it was dangerous.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

What do you mean by once I got once I got past the uh rincing the club garlic and uh chopping the onions without losing any digits, I I felt like it was gonna be a successful knife.

SPEAKER_05 3:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 3:34

Well, next time you're here, I'll have to give you a little a little training on some uh knife skills, so you won't the next time, because the next recipe that I give you might be a little more complicated. But as far as as as far as the reason that I gave you this is because it was very simple. Did you how did you did you find it simple?

SPEAKER_01 3:56

Uh yeah, all in all, it it was. You know, the the the the shoulder roast, we we actually got it, it wasn't a in a a whole piece. We we had it cut into five individual pieces, which I think or at least my sous chef who who assisted me um that that it it that is helped the process.

SPEAKER_06 4:24

Right, so well it does help the process, and that's I actually cut it into uh sections because it helps cook easier and quicker. So if you can have the butcher do that, hey, that's that's even easier. That that's one step you just take it from the package and put it and put it in with your seasonings. So that that that might that was a time-saving step. Very, very good.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Oh yeah. Yeah, it worked it worked well, and and then you know, trimming the fat, I I I trimmed a lot of fat out of it before putting it in there, and I think that helped as well.

SPEAKER_06 5:11

Here's a question for you. Have you ever looked in Kristen's spice cabinet before this?

SPEAKER_04 5:22

That's a very personal crazy. Really? Where are we going with this?

SPEAKER_01 5:30

Well, did you did you I I can't say I can't say that I have looked at it very often. That that is true. So had you ever heard of some of these?

SPEAKER_06 5:39

Have you ever heard of these spice, some of these spices before?

SPEAKER_01 5:43

Oh, sure. Yeah, I've heard of all of them, I would say.

SPEAKER_06 5:47

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

Yeah. So I mean, I've I'm I I don't I stay out of the kitchen, but I I certainly am aware of of the basics, I guess.

SPEAKER_06 5:58

Okay. And you're never late for dinner. And you're never late for dinner. Okay, well, let's switch over here to Loretta and uh let's get her experience. Go ahead, Loretta.

SPEAKER_03 6:09

My experience was divine because I had a great sous chef as well.

SPEAKER_06 6:14

Well, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 6:15

My sous chef, I will say, had my had the pork all cut up for me, so thank you. And bought, so thank you. But no, it was really, I think, easy enough as far as what it all entailed as far as the spices. Except, Craig, let me stop a second because you used this term twice and I don't know the difference. What's the difference between an aromatic and an herb?

SPEAKER_06 6:39

An aromatic is something like an onion.

SPEAKER_03 6:42

Oh, okay, gotcha.

SPEAKER_06 6:43

Uh it has an herbic.

SPEAKER_03 6:44

Like an onion and the garlic was the aromatics.

SPEAKER_06 6:47

Right. Garlic, yes.

SPEAKER_03 6:48

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 6:48

Those are the aromatics.

SPEAKER_03 6:50

But I'm with you, Kurt, about the whole cooking or the whole chopping. And that's the other thing. On the on the onions, I think it said uh chopped. It said chopped, and I like this looks more like it's sliced. I would call them sliced, but I think the recipe said chopped.

SPEAKER_06 7:08

But that's well, that was the original way she the language that Lauren used. It it depends on how you chop it. If you chop it the way I said, like t with the grain of the onion, you'll get the strips. Otherwise, if you cut across it, you'll get chunks. So that's one thing. But just let me explain. I didn't actually cut the meat up. No, right. Because uh what I ended up doing is I went to Costco and they they had the 12-pound shoulder roast. It ended up only costing the entire thing was $29. So I bought the whole thing and I cut it into three roasts. And on since there's all it was boneless, so since it it is boneless, when they take the bone out, there are pieces that are not whole. So what I ended up doing is getting a four-pound roast of just the pieces around the bone that were already cut. So I didn't, you you did it all. I I just I just put it to in the ziploc bag and said put it in the freezer.

SPEAKER_03 8:14

Yeah, like I went to the store because that's where I first started. It's like, okay, this is easy. How do I shop for a pork roast or whatever this thing is?

SPEAKER_06 8:26

I have no pity for you if you have no idea how to grocery shop. That's that's a whole nother bottle of wine. Okay, moving right along here. Did you guys do it in a slow cooker? Or did you do it in Yes? Okay. Did you use the the the fat, you know, on high or on the low, which is the the low one is like seven to eight hours, and I think the fast we put it on high for five hours, and pretty much after five and a half hours it was it was in good shape, and we took it out and started to to shred it. Yeah. Did you find it easy to shred?

SPEAKER_01 9:11

Uh yeah, it just it it really fell apart quite easily.

SPEAKER_06 9:16

And how did you serve? Did you serve it with anything else? What did you serve it with?

SPEAKER_01 9:20

You know, I'm kind of an impetuous person and and it looked so good. I had some buns nearby, so I put it on a bun and I ate it. Oh, fantastic!

SPEAKER_06 9:28

Oh perfect. Yeah, it's pulled pork. It's basically pulled pork. So absolutely. In fact, I had some leftovers and I had some today, and I actually did exactly the same thing. I just put it on a bun. So it's good.

SPEAKER_04 9:42

The soup, the soup chef will chime in here and say one thing that I noticed is he was taking the pork out and threading it. There's a lot of good juices left in the crock pot. And so I took a spoon and just tried a little bit of it. And it was so concentrated that I coughed. I started coughing. But also, I told her, this is really flavorful and really good. So just a spoonful at a time started mixing it in and letting that shredded pork absorb that liquid that was left in the pot, and probably ended up using about half of the liquid that was left in the pot that way, and it really added flavor to eat anything else.

SPEAKER_06 10:32

Let me just tell you, you you sh you could have just shred it right in the crock pot. And that and that would have absorbed the rest of that. That's and even if you did it in a Dutch oven, I when I did it in a Dutch oven, I didn't put it on a separate in a separate uh container and shred it. I shred it in the ju in the liquid so that it stayed moist, and then all of that liquid absorbed into the meat. Yeah. So it's very it's actually very little liquid when you stop and think about it. It's just the juice of two oranges and two limes. That's basically it.

SPEAKER_03 11:13

Yeah, that's what I did. I shredded it in the uh crack pot and it was there was very little, if any, left.

SPEAKER_06 11:20

Yeah, it it all absorbed. So maybe would you try this again, Kurt?

SPEAKER_01 11:25

Uh sure. Uh yeah, absolutely. I mean, you know, would I try it again? Let's be real. I I Well Well, Kristen do it. But yeah, Kristen.

SPEAKER_04 11:39

I appreciate the honesty. It was and I have to say, it was a little stressful for me having him in the kitchen that day.

SPEAKER_06 11:51

Well, but you proved a point. You did prove a point that you know you know, you wouldn't starve. You could cook for yourself if you had to.

SPEAKER_01 12:01

So and so, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 12:07

Well, what about you, Kristen? I know you're gonna try it this summer when you're up in Loretta. Or Loretta. What did I say?

SPEAKER_03 12:14

Kristen, but that's okay.

SPEAKER_06 12:15

Never mind. You're gonna try it again, but you're gonna are you gonna try to have your brother make it instead? Or you're gonna do it again?

SPEAKER_03 12:24

I mean, he might once I make it for him, and he knows, but he he's not gonna do it.

SPEAKER_06 12:28

Well, you can show him how to make it.

SPEAKER_03 12:29

Oh, yeah. No, I will. I will. And we will.

SPEAKER_06 12:33

And we served it. Well, I made rice, uh, black beans and rice. So good. And well what I will do is on the website when I post this, I will also post the recipe for my black beans and rice because I think Kristen, I I I I'm I you're gonna you would love them. I know you guys would love them. And I served it the carnitas over the the rice and beans, and it was a complete meal. It really turned out very nicely. Or you could also add sour cream, you could add uh guacamole, you could, you know, as a like little side dressing things.

SPEAKER_03 13:13

And then one night we had a you had uh extra lime juice and uh Tabasco to put over it. That was really yeah, gave it a kick.

SPEAKER_06 13:21

Yeah. Didn't the the lime juice? I don't know. Did you have to did you add any extra lime juice on yours, Kristen or Kurt when you were serving it? No. No. The lime juice, it's amazing. Just a teaspoon or so of the of lime juice, just it just like a light switch goes on. It just it makes it just electric. It really was very good.

SPEAKER_02 13:43

It does give it a different little level of flavor.

SPEAKER_06 13:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:47

A little brightness, like you said.

SPEAKER_06 13:48

And well, you answered the question already about what did you serve with it as far as uh drinks go. And I I fully concur. No. Now, since we're coming up to wine o'clock, that's I I have this running thing with Cynthia, or Somalier, is I'm also a beer drinker, and there are just some foods that are just screaming for a beer instead of wine. So we'll see. We're gonna see because I would recommend uh an ice cold beer as well. And it just is there's just something about Mexican food and beer that it's just it's just it's just so bright. So I wanna, you know, thank you so much, Kurt, uh, for being such a good sport because I know I know you were kind of browbeaten into doing this. But uh I th did you have a good time doing it though? I mean, uh please say yes.

SPEAKER_01 14:49

No, absolutely. It was it was it was great. And it's fun to try something different. Well, it was a good thing.

SPEAKER_03 14:56

Well, Kurt, I want to uh boy, do I have a list for you? Well, Kurt, I want to know from Greg who gets the award because there is an award, even Blank can do it. So it's like this is so easy, even Kurt can do it, or is this so easy even Loretta can do it?

SPEAKER_06 15:16

Well, I think Kurt's gonna take the prize on that one. I think Kurt, because that was really it was really a labor of love for Kurt. So Kurt, well, let me ask you this.

SPEAKER_01 15:29

I feel honored.

SPEAKER_06 15:30

Well, let me ask you this. Uh on a scale of one to five forks, five forks being the Academy Awards, how how would you rate this?

SPEAKER_01 15:44

The taste was great. Uh I I would eat it anytime, anyplace, anytime, anywhere. I I'd say it's a vibe.

SPEAKER_06 15:52

How about you, Chris? Or Kurt. Kurt. I'm sorry, Loretta.

SPEAKER_03 15:57

I'm sitting right across from them. I'm gonna put a name tag on next time.

SPEAKER_06 16:01

Let me have another glass of wine.

SPEAKER_03 16:04

No, I would, yeah, this this would definitely be a staple once I get a crackpot or a Dutch crack. A Dutch oven.

SPEAKER_06 16:11

Yeah, okay. Thank you for bringing that up because I am a believer in not having to buy additional cookware just to make a dish, if that's the only thing you use it for. If you have a good, and I Kristen, I know you you will probably agree with this, and that is if you have a good Dutch oven, you can make anything that you can make in a crock pot.

SPEAKER_04 16:33

Oh yeah. Yep.

SPEAKER_06 16:34

And it's less storage of cookware. I don't know about you, but every six months I go through and get rid of things that pots that I haven't used, because sometimes I bought them for one thing.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

That's a good idea. We we ought to we ought to try that, Kristen. Let's get rid of them.

SPEAKER_03 17:00

Well, when he gets rid of his Dutch oven or slow cooker, I'm getting that.

SPEAKER_06 17:06

Okay, I'll put your name on it. Okay. I'll put your name on it.

SPEAKER_03 17:09

And on that note.

SPEAKER_06 17:10

Oh, yeah, on that note, let's head over to Cynthia to see what she is gonna recommend. And she's probably gonna shoot us down, Kristen, for well, maybe not, because she does she she does drink beer occasionally if if it's appropriate. So anyway, thank you both for uh joining us today. And of course, Loretta might she's she's Tim and I's a sister from another uh a sister Mista. There you go. So anyway, thank you both. And let's head on over to Cynthia for wine o'clock. Bye-bye, guys.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

Thank you. Bye-bye.

SPEAKER_06 17:49

Okay, Cynthia. What do you have for us today? We're pork carnitas.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

Okay, I'm going to off-wrap two really wonderful pairings, in my wine opinion. So the fruit would be a Provence Rosé or a Tavel. So bone-dry Provence Rosé Think X. You know that rose you see on the shelves, A-I-X.

SPEAKER_06 18:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 18:15

Perfect with this. Has the acidity to cut through the rendered pork, but you know, the delicate strawberry and citrus notes to complement the flavors of the carnitas would be really wonderful. Or, you know, Tavelle, which is a fuller bodied rose from southern Rome, can handle spicier preparations. It can hold up to a steak, even more structure. It's kind of the the red wine drinker's rose, if you will. And then something, something else to offer as a summer red for those that only want to drink red wine, is a lambrusco. So really yeah, a dry lambrusco.

SPEAKER_06 18:57

That's a name I haven't heard for a long time.

SPEAKER_00 19:00

Well, the lambrusco now, like for example, one that I love is Medice Ermite, Lambrusco Concerto. It's dry. Medice Ermite is one of the best producer, perhaps. They've won numerous awards, Gambero Rossos. And this is not your 1980s Lambrusco. This is not bottom shelf. This it's still very inexpensive, but it's fizz, it's tart cherry, it's violet. The bubbles are nice little palette scrubber after each bite of the slow cooked pork. And it's lighter and it's really great in the summer because it's refreshing and it's I mean, you just drink a whole bottle, you know?

SPEAKER_06 19:40

It's it's just I'm thirsty right now. I mean, just oh my gosh, that's really something. I I I I I'm I'm a little shocked by that because as I said, lambrusco is kind of the it was, I guess it it was like the popular wine in the 80s, and then it just kind of went away. And I haven't really heard of it.

SPEAKER_00 20:04

But it's back. I just did a tasting a month ago where I poured Lambrusco because you know, we wanted to pour a summer red, and there's not one better than that. I mean, you drink it very, very chilled, so you still get the tannin, you kind of you you get all of those characteristics of a red wine that you love because it is, but it's so refreshing and it will it goes with so much. It's truly beautiful wine.

SPEAKER_06 20:30

Is it really crackling cold?

SPEAKER_00 20:32

I mean, is it uh I like it, I like it very well chilled. Yes.

SPEAKER_06 20:36

Yeah, I I would like it cold. I I would I think that would be my choice as well. I'm gonna have to try that one too. My gosh.

SPEAKER_00 20:45

Yeah, look, look for Medice Ornite Concerto. They also make a dolce, but you like the concerto, it's a beautiful bottle. You know, lambrusco is one of the first things I had when I went out to dinner in my 20s when I moved to Spain. Went to this little Italian restaurant, and their house wine was a Lambrusco. And I was like, I love this, this is fabulous. I was really only into white wines at the time. Um, and then it's still a preference, but lambrusco all day every day. Oh, so wonderful.

SPEAKER_06 21:14

Oh my gosh, what that's a great, that's a great one. I and a surprise on top of that. So uh okay, well, thanks, Cynthia. Well, if if you have any questions about today's recipe or if you'd like to be a home uh guest home cook on Perfectly Seasoned, just email me at info at the silverchef.net and I'll get right back to you. And I'd like to thank today's home cooks, Cynthia and Kurt, and Kristen and Loretta. They all did this recipe, and Kurt was his first time ever cooking anything. So that was fun. Wow, yeah. So you can listen to Perfectly Seasoned on my website, thesilverschef.net, my Facebook page, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, Amazon, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is your personal chef, Greg Strom. Thanks for listening to us today on Perfectly Season. And remember, to eat fresh, may the fork be with you, and may all your days be perfectly seasoned.