Pork Cheek Carnitas

landarc

landarc

somebody shut me the fark up.
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cheeknitas.jpg


These were an incidental cook to my fattie and ribs cook from yesterday. These were some pork cheeks I got from Matt Gonzalez at Phat Matt's BBQ in Oakland. He smoked them wrapped in bacon over hickory, I did mine nekkid over apple. But, then I fried them in the rendered fat from the rib trimmings and some olive oil, along with a few onions and garlic. Don't know when I will have time to eat them.

Well, I ate one...or two...they were terrific.
 
I had thought so, but, it is not. It is quite lean and appears to be the piece of the meat in the middle of the jowl. It is quite tough if not cooked a while. I was hoping for jowl to make jowl bacon, this stuff would not work. On the other hand, smoked for three hours at 225F and it is as tender as money muscle on a butt. Not KCBS legal though :p
 
Holy crap that looks amazing. Where's the drool smiley when you need it?!?

Smoked then fried, that's interesting. My friend and I have been dying to try carnitas for a while, we might give that a shot when we finally do it.
 
They look good! Kinda like the lean, cheeky equivalent of burnt tips. Just gotta have one...
 
I keep coming back to stare at this picture. I could eat that whole bowl right about now.
 
Kyle, you can do the same thing with a butt, smoked until it is almost done, then chop and fry in lard or olive oil until tender. You will want some corn tortillas and some of that Mexican slaw ready. I use a product called Lucky Dog hot sauce to punch up the heat a little.
 
dannypat21 said:
I can bring the tortillas and salsa fresca over.......smoked carnitas sounds killer.
Click to expand...
Actually, once on the tortilla, they make very little noise, but, they do taste killer. :p
 
I have made it with pork butts I smoke it to around 150 degree then deep fry in dutvh oven with lard, good stuff
 
Itadakimasu Onii-Chan!
I've never had cheek or jowl meat bePhore...most probably I can get that over here.
 
Here's a shot of the stuff I did on my Traeger. Chunked it by hand, a little chopping, then tossed it in a hot dutch oven with some lard in it, some mexican seasoning..quick crisp up of the larger chunks and it smelled like....like.... victory.

P1300174.jpg
 
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