Making Carnitas

[Rissask]

I found this page interesting, making carnitas.

It is a page from a site by an ex pat American, Rolly Brook, living in Lerdo, Durango.

[Rissask]

Plus, this page has lots of great Mexican recipes!

from Dona Martha's kitchen

[Ranger]

Originally Posted by Rissask

I found this page interesting, making carnitas.

It is a page from a site by an ex pat American, Rolly Brook, living in Lerdo, Durango.

That was a great read, very interesting. Frying in the rendered pork fat (lard) is a key flavor enhancement.

[Loree]

Originally Posted by Rissask

I found this page interesting, making carnitas.

It is a page from a site by an ex pat American, Rolly Brook, living in Lerdo, Durango.

that was way too graphic for me

[Ranger]

Originally Posted by Rissask

Plus, this page has lots of great Mexican recipes!

from Dona Martha's kitchen

Yes it does, I'm saving that link for future use. You will not find many (there are some of us) in the US that will spend the time it takes to make this type of food, it's real home cooking.

[Ranger]

Originally Posted by Loree

that was way too graphic for me

To slaughter and sell things in this country there would be very strict health regulations like stainless steel utencils, running tap water and proper refridgeration.
I can kill, clean and cook my turkeys for myself (which I do), but I cannot leagally sell to the public. I can sell alive or bring to a slaughter house facility.

[Rissask]

Originally Posted by Loree

that was way too graphic for me

Sorry, Loree ....farm girl here, I didn't think it was at all graphic compared to seeing cattle, chickens, and pigs slaughtered when I was a kid.

Ranger- I liked the pozole recipe but I am not sure I wanted to know it was made from the meat from a pig's head. I love pozole.

[Sol]

Originally Posted by Rissask

Sorry, Loree ....farm girl here, I didn't think it was at all graphic compared to seeing cattle, chickens, and pigs slaughtered when I was a kid.

Ranger- I liked the pozole recipe but I am not sure I wanted to know it was made from the meat from a pig's head. I love pozole.

Use a nice hunk of pork roast for pozole. UGH...now I want some pozole. Pozole in August...I gotta be nuts.

[Rissask]

Originally Posted by Sol

Use a nice hunk of pork roast for pozole. UGH...now I want some pozole. Pozole in August...I gotta be nuts.

hey, good idea (why didn't I think of that )...except I have never made it, just ate it at restaurants.

Now maybe I will be making it and never ordering it.

I think I read about some nasty ingredients in chorizo too, once. LURVE me some chorizo.

[Sol]

Originally Posted by Rissask

hey, good idea (why didn't I think of that )...except I have never made it, just ate it at restaurants.

Now maybe I will be making it and never ordering it.

I think I read about some nasty ingredients in chorizo too, once. LURVE me some chorizo.

The same holds for chorizo since it can be made with pure ground pork. My great grandmother used to make it this way and so did my mom.

[Ranger]

Originally Posted by Sol

Use a nice hunk of pork roast for pozole. UGH...now I want some pozole. Pozole in August...I gotta be nuts.

Yeah but there has to be a texture AND flavor issue. Stuarte G. could chime in on that. Maybe a shoulder but.... Jesus?

[Sol]

Originally Posted by Ranger

Yeah but there has to be a texture AND flavor issue. Stuarte G. could chime in on that. Maybe a shoulder but.... Jesus?

I agree. I definitely would use a pig's head. That is if I could get one. I would have to order it from a butcher shop here and it would come frozen for I don't know for how long. I would want one that had just been slaughtered. Now, if someone is squeamish or cannot obtain a pig's head, then one can rely on a roast. I would prefer a rump roast or whatever looks good to me.
For flavor, I would steam the meat as long as possible in water with garlic, a bit of cumin, and salt. I would let the water steam out and kind of fry the fat off of the meat. The meat at that point would melt in one's mouth.
For pozole, you want the texture of the hominy and really not the meat. I would want fresh hulled maize for the hominy. Where I live, I have to get the stuff in the bag. At least I can get the seasonings around here.
The spices and chili you add are also important. The region of Mexico from which my parents are from, pozole and menudo should be red. In Sonora, these are white. It they are white, you add dinely chopped onions, cilantro, lime, and powdered chile pequin to menudo or pozole as condiments. If the menudo or pozole is red, then you can add more chile if you want, onions, cilantro, lime, and a tiny bit of oregano.

[Ranger]

Originally Posted by Sol

I agree. I definitely would use a pig's head. That is if I could get one. I would have to order it from a butcher shop here and it would come frozen for I don't know for how long. I would want one that had just been slaughtered. Now, if someone is squeamish or cannot obtain a pig's head, then one can rely on a roast. I would prefer a rump roast or whatever looks good to me.
For flavor, I would steam the meat as long as possible in water with garlic, a bit of cumin, and salt. I would let the water steam out and kind of fry the fat off of the meat. The meat at that point would melt in one's mouth.
For pozole, you want the texture of the hominy and really not the meat. I would want fresh hulled maize for the hominy. Where I live, I have to get the stuff in the bag. At least I can get the seasonings around here.

OK !

[Sol]

Originally Posted by Ranger

OK !

Oh...I was just explaining my take on pozole.

[Ranger]

AND , I am a foodie, not being negative.