Real Carnitas.....pics

[bbqchicken]

Wow fantastic post! I want carnitas now!

[Mcrae Rd Smoker]

Can't wait to try!

[eribac]

This is an awesome thread, thanks for posting this!

[Pugi]

We had to add another 25 lb block of frozen lard to top off. The pot is about 45 gallons. Really not much to see. The legs were cut off whole and cooked whole. Pretty much we cook the largest chunks of meat we can. On top of all the meat is the skin. This helps keep the heat in and to eliminate to much splashing of hot lard when pot is full. Slow simmer is the key. Should take 3 or 4 hours. It will be fall of the bone when done.

[Pugi]

Moving the frozen lard around to get it to melt with the hook. The hook is used to retrieve or move meat in hot lard. It it used to s ape the sides and bottom to ensure no burning. We do this very gently. It's almost like if your looking your not cooking. We don't want to break up the large pieces of meat.

[Pugi]

Not much more to see until its almost done. Notice the small bubbles around the side of pot. This is a low and slow simmer. The block of frozen lard is getting melted and all we see is the skin.

[Twelvegaugepump]

I wish you were my neighbor. Wow, what an awesome thread. Hope you feel better. Keep the pics coming.

[Pugi]

Oh Dang, I almost forgot a important step, no pics as I was at church. This morning the lard was heated up very hot. It was smoking slightly. The whole chunks of meat were one by one lowered with the hook into the very hot lard and seared, maybe a minute or two. Then removed and set aside untill all pieces and skin was done. If you looked at pics above you notice the skin has some dark color to it from this step. After searing the heat was lowered and the meat placed in low simmering lard to cook.

[twinsfan]

This is fantastic! I'm used to the Americanized carnitas which are marinated in a chile paste and then baked! This looks incredible

[coyotero]

Compa PUGI;

Don't know were you or your inlaws are from, but know this. I am from Coahila and this is an outstanding post!

Are you doing that lamb in the ground "barbacoa" style?

Keep the pics coming

Your are making me homesick

And I thank you

JV

[cowgirl]

I want to borrow your relatives next time I butcher.. Looks great!!!

[Smoothsmoke]

epic pr0n

[caseydog]

Originally Posted by twinsfan

This is fantastic! I'm used to the Americanized carnitas which are marinated in a chile paste and then baked! This looks incredible

You can do this style of carnitas with chunks of pork butt, manteca (lard), and a cast iron dutch oven. Yeah, it's not a whole pig, but it works.

Just don't tell your family and friends how you cooked the carnitas.

CD

[campdude]

Wow, lotta work, but I'm sure the end product is worth it. I'm feeling kinda bad about doing carnitas with chuncks of pork butt in the turkey fryer now.

[PNW Smoker]

I love real carnitas. There was one resturaunt in L.A. I used to go to regularly to enjoy. Up here in the PNW, I don't even bother ordering carnitas. From what I can tell, it is just boiled meat

Those big pots remind me of many trips down into Baja. You could be in the middle of nowhere and roll up on a side of the road shack where they would be cooking the pig this same exact way

Damn, now I've got a hankerin'