aLy-niTas***

...i know you are asking yourself; self, what could aly-nitas be, well let me tell you, that is CARNITAS aLy-stLye- Now I hear the second question (unless you are someone lucky enough to have experienced carnitas) WHAT ARE CARNITAS? well let me tell you-

in the words of the GREAT wikipedia:

Carnitas, literally "little meats", is a type of braised or roasted (often after first being simmered) pork in Mexican cuisine.
Pork carnitas is traditionally made using the heavily marbled, rich 'boston butt' or 'picnic ham' cuts of pork. Contrary to their misleading names, these are neither rump or ham areas, but rather the upper and lower sections of the front shoulder of the hog. The 6–16 lb (3–7 kg) sections are usually cut down to a workable (6–10 lb) size and seasoned heavily before slow braising or slow roasting, generally in the range of 160 to 180 °F for 8 to 12 hours. At this stage the collagen in the meat has broken down sufficiently to allow it to be pulled apart by hand or fork or chopped with a cleaver.
Prior to serving, the pork, along with some of the rendered liquid, is placed in fairly shallow pans to maximize surface area, then roasted at high (375 to 425 °F or 190 to 220 °C) heat for a few minutes to produce the desired alternating texture of succulent softness and caramelized crispness. 


so that is what they say, but this is what i say:

here is goes-

ALY-NITAS

take about a 5# pork shoulder

and rub it with the seasoning below and let sit for 2-12 hours

(the longer it sits, the more flavor it has...its up to you, its AWESOME either way!)

SEASONING

1/4 c. salt

1/2 c. sugar

1 T Mexican Oregano

1 T black pepper

1 T cumin

1 T ancho power

1 T minced garlic

mix it up and rub it on!

After you have marinated your meat, 

put the pot you plan to braise it in on the stove 

and turn the heat up high

let the pan get hot w/ 3 T oil, then place the meat in the pan GENTLY

let it sit and get nice and golden brown

then flip it over

then add:

1 bottle of light beer 

1 bottle of dark beer (like Guiness)

1 can diced tomatoes w/ liquid

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

1 onion chopped

2 oranges cut in half, squeeze then add rind too

2 T salt

CAUTION THIS PART WILL BE HOT AND SHOULD BE DONE WITH EXTREME CAUTION:
then carefully put in your oven at 400 degrees

let cook for 1 hour, then flip meat

cook for another hour, flip

then let go for one more hour

when the meat is falling apart its ready to be Enjoyed!

its best if you let it sit in its juices over night and serve the next day, 

but if you are like me, you can't wait that long!!!

but before you eat it all try this, take the picked pieces and put it in a pan with hot oil and crisp it up a bit, it get crispy and SO SO so yummy...

then----------->

I like to serve this just with corn tortillas, sour cream, chopped onion, & cilantro...

maybe come pinto beans...

but the options are limitless really...

you could put it on a homemade pizza, serve with rice and beans, put in fried rice, use in a pasta, top nachos with it, make a torta aka a Mexican sandwich...

HOW TO MAKE A TORTA----->

take a bolillo 

(really awesome savory mexican bread, kind of like the most KICKASS hamburger bun EVER!)

cut in 1/2

on the bottom put re-fried beans

then lettuce

the the meat of your choice

tomato

onion

guacamole

and on the top, mayo

then put it in a hot pan with a little oil and weight the top down

(i like to use a brick covered in aluminum foil, 

or you can use an other saute pan, or cast iron sandwich weight)

then cut in 1/2 and ENJOY! yum yum!

HAPPY FOOD ADVENTURES!