Carnitas Braised in Witbier
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1large onion, quartered
- 5garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 2bay leaves
- 1tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1cinnamon stick
- 1ancho or other mild dried chili
- Salt
- black pepper
- 212-ounce bottles Allagash white, or another beer in the Belgian witbier wheat beer style, like Hoegaarden
- Neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, if needed
- Lime wedges for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
474 calories; 32 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 28 grams protein; 706 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Put the pork, onion, garlic, bay leaves, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, chili and some salt and pepper in a large pot with a lid or a Dutch oven. Add the beer and water if needed to cover. Turn the heat to high, bring to a boil and skim any foam that comes to the surface. Partly cover and adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles steadily. Cook until the meat is quite tender, about 1 hour, then cool.
- Step 2
Remove the bay leaves, spices and chili with a slotted spoon and discard. Break or roughly chop the meat into bite-size pieces, return to the pan and cook uncovered until all the liquid has evaporated. Continue to cook the meat in the remaining fat until it’s crisped and browned; add a little oil if it sticks or becomes dry. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature with the lime wedges, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Private Notes
Comments
Used a local red ale (2 cans) w water as well. Also covered and cooked in a 300° oven for two hours. I think the real secret to any carnitas is the shredding and frying after braising. Large skillet, med hi heat. Spread out in pan and leave until starts to crackle. Add a cupful of pot juice and stir until evaporated, repeat until pot juices are used up. You want a balance of lightly crisped and lightly moist meat. Evaporating the juices concetrates the flavors. Serve w/salsa/guac on tortillas.
It took longer than one hour for it to become sufficiently tender, but that was to be expected. That gave time for the dried chiles to dissolve into the meat, and the onions did the same, so it worked out well. Didn't need to add any oil. A very good recipe. Could do with more cinnamon, and I added mexican oregano.
Nancy, Try two bottles of Mexican Coke - it's (obviously) not what Mark envisioned but it's delicious, using the same spices, ratios and process. "Carnitas braised in Coke" is one of the most requested dishes at my house.
Cooked without cinnamon in Dutch oven, baked 275 for two hours, with 1 weisbier with chicken stock to cover, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds with 2 teaspoons cumin seed. Removed pork with slotted spoon to frying pan, browned with oil, added lime juice. Removed bay leaves and used immersion blender on stock mixture. Added two cans pinto beans and reduced stock until thick. Beans were beyond stellar, pork was very good but slightly under seasoned. Chopped red onion, jalapeños and tomatoes added to burrito with sour cream and carnitas. Maybe better than some restaurants, to be repeated again for sure.
I’m from San Diego where I grew up eating all the carnitas I could get my hands on. I used to think that the famous Old Town Mexican cafe (Bill Clinton has eaten there) had the best carnitas on the planet. Now, I think I’ve found better in this recipe. I took the large pieces of fat from the pork and rendered for the last fry of the pork pieces and “boiled down broth.” Carnitas must taste like Manteca or pork fat. Invest in a tortilla press and make your own. And please buy humanely sourced pork as I do. Expensive but if you don’t eat it often it works. Well worth it.
This was so good! Mark Bittman’s recipes are always spot on. It took me a bit longer—so maybe more like a 2 hour time frame from start to finish, but boy was it good. A couple of differences I made: I didn’t have cumin seed and couldn’t find it at any of my local stores when I looked—which was strange, as we usually do have it—so I used ground spices instead of the seeds for cumin and coriander. I toasted them with the garlic for a couple of minutes with a light drizzle of grapeseed oil to start. Then I added the cinnamon stick. I used a locally made white Belgian style beer—which we love—that was less expensive than buying Allagash or Hoegarden. I added a bit of Chicken Bone Broth from the fridge instead of water as I had it on hand. It was easy, delightful, and festive for ur (pre) Cinco de Mayo dinner. (May the Fourth be with you!). Also…as a note, I had some boneless pork ribs in my freezer which had some good fattiness on them so I used that instead of the cut Mark Bittman called for.