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Carnitas finished on the steel

alphacentauri
alphacentauri Posts: 54
in EggHead Forum
been wanting carnitas lately so i read up on the subject. i eventually got here: http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/07/the-food-lab-how-to-make-crisp-and-juicy-carnitas-without-a-bucket-of-lard.html

so i decided on adding lard to my boston butt pieces and covering it tightly, as i had leftover lard from hot smoking bacon this week. 
pork pieces with seasonings:
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smeared with bacon lard and the boston butt fat cap placed on top for extra drippings:
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In the egg for 4 hours at 250f. completely sealed with new maverick temp probes so i can watch the temp as i sit inside now! It took 2 hours to reach 200f and then i kept it there another 2 hours, in that time it raised to 214, which next time i will try to avoid and keep it closer to 200-208. 
 
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here it is after resting for 20mins... fat cap still not gone, maybe longer next time? i drained the fat and juices and got rid of the fat cap. 
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pulled..this wasn't the whole thing, i removed some in a bowl to fry outside. this is leftovers that got vacuum sealed.
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on the baking steel! steel temp was 330f, the dome was about 350.
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more griddle action 
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all done and ready to be in taco heaven 
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on homemade tortillas before adding cheese and sour cream..
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today for lunch im cooking up leftovers and i think i will fry the carnitas a little longer, i was just afraid of drying it out but other than that it ruled! 
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Comments

  • Charlie tuna
    Charlie tuna Posts: 2,191
    Most of the recipes i see for carnitas have it cooking in cast iron, i'm suprised the foil can handle it?  It looks good.
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  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    Strong cook. Looks so good.


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
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  • alphacentauri
    alphacentauri Posts: 54
    Charlie tuna said:
    Most of the recipes i see for carnitas have it cooking in cast iron, i'm suprised the foil can handle it?  It looks good.
    i have never cooked it before, so i don't know if cast iron would of been superior. it just felt like the right size i wanted, plus i had a few other foil pans underneath it so it wasn't touching the platesetter directly.  
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  • Charlie tuna
    Charlie tuna Posts: 2,191
    I came across a recipe that had me cook it in a covered cast iron enameled pot at 400 degrees!!  It cooked very fast.  I wasn't sure about it's outcome so i found a small butt and tried it.  It wasn't bad, not near as tender as a normal cooked pork butt, but if you were in a hurry for some sammies, it works !
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