CARNITAS

There are really very few things I can say I love to prepare. While I am a chef, there are several things I actually don’t enjoy cooking (like poached fish, for example)... but when I feel like making pork carnitas, I truly put patience and genuine love into my recipe, a love that can only be compared to the love Mia and Sebastian share in La La Land... oh, and by the way, that love is so strong you can actually taste it.

This is due to the complexity that can be infused into this dish. While it's a very simple preparation, the time invested and the blend of flavors you can achieve are completely worth it—so much so that this dish tops the list of the 50 best pork dishes in the world.

So, what are carnitas? Well, the answer is quite simple: pork cooked in lard at a constant temperature for a long time... it's like the pork version of a confit. During cooking, different ingredients and spices are added to the lard to enhance the flavor, such as sour orange, water, lots of salt, pepper, onion, cloves, and even Coca-Cola to help give color to the carnitas (and add a slight sweetness, although I don’t do that).

The origin of carnitas is still disputed between Michoacán, Hidalgo, Jalisco, and Querétaro. However, the most widely accepted place of origin is Michoacán. While this dish may date back to the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico along with pork, it is considered a purely Mexican dish, as both the recipe and the ingredients were developed in Mexico without any influence from other countries.

Carnitas became even more popular during the Mexican Revolution, when soldiers needed quick and easy-to-prepare food. Carnitas became a favorite dish because they can be made in large quantities and easily satisfy hunger due to their richness and the fact that they’re typically eaten in tacos.

In the United States, it’s common to find carnitas prepared differently, often with less fat, incorporating smoked flavors, or changing ingredients in the recipe, since they typically avoid very greasy foods. I had the chance to cook carnitas during my stay in the U.S. for the birthday party of a great friend I made here who loves them, and they were a hit.

As I mentioned before, I put love, understanding, tenderness, and all my attention and time into this dish to create a wonderful product—juicy, fatty, and so tender it melts in your mouth. For me, the secret lies in the care, a good amount of salt, garlic, onion, orange, and adding bay leaves and a little cinnamon to the cooking liquid... trust me, that’s the winning recipe, approved by people from all over the world who came to my friend’s party (because we had guests from India, Peru, the Philippines, Argentina, the United States, and even a guy from Turkey).

(What you see on the left are the carnitas)

(I know, I need to improve my food photography skills)

If you ever have the chance to visit Michoacán, go to any carnitas stand, and you’ll see why it's the best pork dish in the world... and yes, Michoacán carnitas are the best. The ones in Querétaro are very tasty, but I prefer my carnitas a bit greasier. Pair them with a good pico de gallo and some green salsa, and let me know what you think... enjoy your meal!