I don’t think that boiling would have the same effect on the collagen and connective tissue, of which there’s a lot in pork butt. Same idea as smoking brisket for a long time at a low temp. We’ll see.
I guess you’re right, I usually boil chamorro which is a different cut altogether, plenty of bone, lots of meat, not too much else. Berl it, make some asado with the stock, comes out gooder’n hell. You can do more or less anything you want with the result, from pozole to pulled pork whatever.
How did the carnitas turn out?? Asking for a friend.
Still in the bath right now. I’ll pull them around 5:30 and then finish them up (shred and crisp under the broiler or in a ski, haven’t decided). I’ll let you know how they turn out later on.
Please do. Goddamn, I love carnitas.
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So I smoked a pork tenderloin with some roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Excellent. I have a peach cobbler on the smoker now.
Carnitas were yummy (when aren’t they?), but not revelatory. Probably not a result that couldn’t be achieved in a slow cooker or a Dutch oven (which are the other ways I usually cook these). The sous vide technique has the benefit of being extremely schedule-friendly, since you’ve probably got a 12-hour window when you could pull the meat snd shred it. I crisped it in the broiler, which worked fine and didn’t leave the kitchen smelling like hot oil. Strained the liquid from the sous vide bag to remove the solids, then reduced it a bit in a saucepan and poured it over the crisped meat.
Fwiw, I served it with a new-to-me Spanish wine Parcelica, which is a blend of Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Tintorera. Not bad at all, especially at the price point, about $15.
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Tonight was the rack of lamb I intended to cook for Easter, but ended up travelling. It was really good, roasted at high heat with olive oil, garlic, and parsley. The chops were topped with an oyster mushroom ragout and accompanied by garlic bread. I lost the inspiration to make the warm bacon spinach salad I intended to finish it off, but that would have been nice.
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Here is a link to my go-to carnitas recipe: https://www.punchfork.com/recipe/Double-Pork-Carnitas-Bon-Appetit
It is incredibly easy to whip up and absolutely never fails. Have made it with bacon in lieu of pork belly plenty of times. You can’t go wrong. Not sure if the salsas that the original magazine recipe had accompanying the carnitas are linked to here but if they are they’re great, too.
Also have recently discovered the Vista Hermosa flour tortillas Whole Foods sells. On first bite, thought: I have wasted my life.
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Punchfork makes me want to go to the grocery store buy a bunch of stuff and come home and cook it.
Bummer the carnitas weren’t quite to the level you were hoping for. I usually do mine in the slow cooker or Dutch oven with moderate success. Never tried crisping them in the broiler, though. Usually in the cast iron in high heat. Reckon I may have to try the broiler next time.
I love a good pork tenderloin. My go to marinade is red wine vinegar, brown sugar, stone ground mustard, salt, pepper, chopped rosemary and minced garlic. Let that sit for a few hours in the fridge and then fire up the grill.
Man, this thread is making me hungry.
My marinade yesterday was apple juice, vinegar, brown sugar, honey, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme, because that’s what Mrs Hawk cut from the herb garden. It was damn tasty. I also like dry rubs on pork, with dry mustard and ginger. Leftovers today, but I’ve got a fridge full of good stuff.
I like to brine a pork loin roast with a brine similar to what HH outlines above and then grill it at about 350. It develops a bit of a crust, and it’s fantastic straight off the grill. Sadly, it’s not nearly as scrumptious when reheated (the texture gets a little bit tougher), so I usually only fix it when we have guests and can finish most of it that night.
I smoke my tenderloin at 225 to an internal of 145. It’s a lot for the two of us, and while it doesn’t reheat well, it’s a nice addition to a salad, or even eat just cold.
Very nice!! We need to get our garden (troughs) going again, if for no other reason than having fresh thyme.
On a whim, I grabbed a rack of baby back ribs. Dry rub of salt, pepper garlic, paprika, and garam masala than eight hours in the slow cooker. Finished under the broiler with bbq sauce glaze. Can’t wait to tuck into the leftovers.
Kara and I can’t finish a whole tenderloin either. So, if we don’t have friends over for dinner when we make it, I usually chuck the leftovers into fried rice.
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Was in Llano this morning and I always try to stop in Miiller’s for impulse purchases, today’s was the Cowboy Salt. Will be testing it on a sous vide/cast iron pork tenderloin tonight
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Where was this when I was in high school?
Please report back with results (and specifics about the recipe, the marinade in particular). Pork tenderloin when done right is fantastic.
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I’m using pork because I have it and it’s a pretty neutral meat, and it’s a test run. Will use on an indoor steak if this checks out. No reason to use smokey salt on something cooked over an outdoor fire. Sample smell and taste check out so far.
eta: pretty damn delicious. Now I’m thinking this plus some citrus and butter would be amazing on some shrimp
I’ve done tenderloins about every way imaginable because you can do literally anything with them (cajun, texmex, mexmex, italian, etc), and I don’t have an actual recipe
I just remembered that my local bakery is open for retail on Fridays only, if they have the right bread today then the rest of this pork will make a proper Cuban sammich