Diana Kennedy's Carnitas
Genius Recipes
- Serves
- 4 to 6
- Prep Time
- 5 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 2 Hours 40 Minutes
The magic of pork + water + salt -- a genius recipe from The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy.
Ingredients
- 3 pound pork shoulder, butt, or country-style spare ribs, skin and bone removed
- Cold water to barely cover
- 2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
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Directions
- Step 1
Cut the meat, with the fat, into strips about 2 x 3/4 inches. Barely cover the meat with water in a flameproof dish, add the salt, and bring it to a boil, uncovered.
- Step 2
Lower the flame enough to bring down to a simmer. Let the meat continue simmering until all the liquid has evaporated -- about 1 hour and a half, depending on the shape of your pot. By this time the meat should be cooked through but not falling apart.
- Step 3
Lower the flame a little more and continue cooking the meat until all the fat has rendered out of it. Keep turning the meat until it is lightly browned all over -- about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
- Step 4
Notes: The meat will get more evenly cooked if the dish is rather large and shallow. Do not add too much water at the beginning or the meat will fall apart at the frying stage. If the meat is still fairly hard when the water has evaporated, then add a little more water and continue cooking. Choose pork that has a fair amount of fat or you will have to add some lard for it to brown properly.