My Carnitas Experiment

JohnEggGio

Looks like your “experiment” was a huge success!  Inspirational cook and post!

northGAcock

SciAggie said:

Dare I share we made churros also?

That put it over the top. 

TTC

I am at a loss for words, and that is rare. Thank you for posting such a fantastic cook

Ozzie_Isaac

Oh my! Epic, thank you for sharing.

LetsEat

Wow! Just wow!

Carolina Q

I have never had carnitas. That is about to change!! Wow, great cook! Great post!

Question about the copper pot. I have a round bottom copper bowl for whipping egg whites into meringue (which knew I'd never use, but hey, it was 10 bucks at an antique shop), but have never seen one like yours. I assume it's heavier than my meringue bowl (which is not intended to be heated). Is there any reason you chose copper for this? 

SciAggie

Carolina Q said:

I have never had carnitas. That is about to change!! Wow, great cook! Great post!

Question about the copper pot. I have a round bottom copper bowl for whipping egg whites into meringue (which knew I'd never use, but hey, it was 10 bucks at an antique shop), but have never seen one like yours. I assume it's heavier than my meringue bowl (which is not intended to be heated). Is there any reason you chose copper for this? 

I chose copper for a couple of reasons. First it’s the traditional vessel for making “authentic” carnitas in Mexico. The second reason is I just like collecting and using old school cookware. I don’t see any reason you couldn’t use any vessel you have that will hold what you are wanting to cook. A large CI or enamel Dutch oven would probably work just fine. 
While on the subject, a few folks have voiced their concerns about cooking in an unlined copper vessel. I don’t think it’s risky. @nolaegghead might have some insight as a chemist. From what I can gather as long as the copper is clean and free of oxidized surface salts and you are cooking low acidity foods there is little danger from the copper. I also won’t be doing this on a regular basis. Folks have run water through copper lines in their homes for many years without much concern. I know you didn't ask about this but others have so I thought I’d throw this out there. 
I will say I really didn’t have trouble holding the pot at a fairly stable temperature. Copper is a good conductor of heat but I honestly doubt it made any real difference. It probably had more to do with having a large thermal mass that changes temperature slowly. 
I also have a large copper bowl I use for whipping egg whites and making whipped cream. I personally would be reluctant to use it to cook with - but more because of aesthetics than any harm it might cause the pot. Some of those antique bowls are quite heavy so it is most likely durable enough. I’d worry more about it being unstable with the round bottom than anything. You’d have to keep it stirred also to keep food from collecting and burning on the bottom. 

kl8ton

SciAggie said:

I watched the Taco Chronicles on Netflix and got all inspired.

I would watch a Netflix documentary about you, your outdoor kitchen build and all your recipes you've tried.   I would need lots of shots of the fire in the wood oven crackling away.  You've redefined top notch. 

Do you still teach high school kids to cook?  Weren't you doing something like that? 

SciAggie

Thanks to all for the kind words. The cook probably looks more complicated than it really was. It was much like cooking a regular pork butt or brisket - hang around, drink beer, and watch it...

bubbajack

Very Nice!!!!!!!!!!

SciAggie

kl8ton said:

SciAggie said:

I watched the Taco Chronicles on Netflix and got all inspired.

I would watch a Netflix documentary about you, your outdoor kitchen build and all your recipes you've tried.   I would need lots of shots of the fire in the wood oven crackling away.  You've redefined top notch. 

Do you still teach high school kids to cook?  Weren't you doing something like that? 

Thanks. I can honestly say I learned (or was inspired) about my cooking from what I’ve seen here on this forum. @lousubcap and I once had a bit of a conversation about that. If you want a chuckle or two go look at a couple of my earliest posts.

Yes, I have an after school culinary class. It’s part of a grant that offers enrichment classes and tutorial time for students. We have a lot of fun. I try to teach them to make simple meals. Many of these kids eat mostly box food, fast food, or something from a convenience store. They also have have very limited resources in terms of their kitchen equipment and/spices, condiments, and such. So we make spaghetti - but we also learn to make homemade pasta. I’ll show them how to saute chicken in a skillet and make a pan sauce. We’ll just have fun and make cookies some days. The kids tell me they go home and later cook a lot of the meals we make for their families. I think that’s pretty neat. 

Carolina Q

SciAggie said:

Carolina Q said:

I have never had carnitas. That is about to change!! Wow, great cook! Great post!

Question about the copper pot. I have a round bottom copper bowl for whipping egg whites into meringue (which knew I'd never use, but hey, it was 10 bucks at an antique shop), but have never seen one like yours. I assume it's heavier than my meringue bowl (which is not intended to be heated). Is there any reason you chose copper for this? 

I chose copper for a couple of reasons. First it’s the traditional vessel for making “authentic” carnitas in Mexico. The second reason is I just like collecting and using old school cookware. I don’t see any reason you couldn’t use any vessel you have that will hold what you are wanting to cook. A large CI or enamel Dutch oven would probably work just fine. 
While on the subject, a few folks have voiced their concerns about cooking in an unlined copper vessel. I don’t think it’s risky. @nolaegghead might have some insight as a chemist. From what I can gather as long as the copper is clean and free of oxidized surface salts and you are cooking low acidity foods there is little danger from the copper. I also won’t be doing this on a regular basis. Folks have run water through copper lines in their homes for many years without much concern. I know you didn't ask about this but others have so I thought I’d throw this out there. 
I will say I really didn’t have trouble holding the pot at a fairly stable temperature. Copper is a good conductor of heat but I honestly doubt it made any real difference. It probably had more to do with having a large thermal mass that changes temperature slowly. 
I also have a large copper bowl I use for whipping egg whites and making whipped cream. I personally would be reluctant to use it to cook - but more because of aesthetics than any harm it might cause the pot. Some of those antique bowls are quite heavy so it is most likely durable enough. I’d worry more about it being unstable with the round bottom than anything. You’d have to keep it stirred also to keep food from collecting and burning on the bottom. 

Thanks very much! I have a few Mauviel pieces that are tinned. A couple have spots where the tinning has worn through to bare copper. Turns the oil green. I don't use them these days, really should have then re-tinned, but too they're too heavy (2.5 mm thick w/ CI handles) and high maintenance. I'm okay without them. They look nice hanging from the rack.

As for the stability of the bowl, I'll bet my spider would take care of that.

kl8ton

SciAggie said:

kl8ton said:

SciAggie said:

I watched the Taco Chronicles on Netflix and got all inspired.

I would watch a Netflix documentary about you, your outdoor kitchen build and all your recipes you've tried.   I would need lots of shots of the fire in the wood oven crackling away.  You've redefined top notch. 

Do you still teach high school kids to cook?  Weren't you doing something like that? 

Thanks. I can honestly say I learned (or was inspired) about my cooking from what I’ve seen here on this forum. @lousubcap and I once had a bit of a conversation about that. If you want a chuckle or two go look at a couple of my earliest posts.

Yes, I have an after school culinary class. It’s part of a grant that offers enrichment classes and tutorial time for students. We have a lot of fun. I try to teach them to make simple meals. Many of these kids eat mostly box food, fast food, or something from a convenience store. They also have have very limited resources in terms of their kitchen equipment and/spices, condiments, and such. So we make spaghetti - but we also learn to make homemade pasta. I’ll show them how to saute chicken in a skillet and make a pan sauce. We’ll just have fun and make cookies some days. The kids tell me they go home and later cook a lot of the meals we make for their families. I think that’s pretty neat. 

That is very cool.  All those kids are so lucky!  Since it is after school, it sounds like the kids that are there WANT to be there, which is helpful. 

You mentioned box lunches and fast food.  As I was pushing my shopping cart out of the grocery store last night, I happened to glance at another checkout lane where a mom with 5 kids was unloading their cart on the conveyor belt.  I don't know their situation, so I am making a lot of assumptions, but she is setting those kids up for a lifetime of problems. . . many of them health and behavior related.  All that was on the belt was various boxes of Little Debbie/Hostess type snacks (at least 10 boxes), followed by 10ish boxes of individually wrapped frozen cheeseburgers, after that was all the bags of chips, pop, candy, pizza rolls, frozen burritos, etc.  The belt was piled high.  Not one piece of produce was in the cart or on the belt.  What do ya do?  

SciAggie

@kl8ton Yeah, that’s the question. What do you do? I believe most folks grow up and cook the way “Mama” cooked. We do what we know and eat what we grew up with. If we grow up eating cr@p, then what? I’m trying in a small way to fix that. MOST kids want to learn. They have issues and baggage but ultimately don’t we all want to be happy, healthy, and successful? Part of the fun of the culinary class is the conversations we have. As we all know cooking and eating promotes conversation. So I get to know these kids and sometimes I get to guide and nudge them in directions that I hope help them. 

Carolina Q

Love your culinary class story. Great way to spend an afternoon. You could teach them to make tortillas too. You don't even need a tortilla press. Just a heavy bottom pan. If you don't have that, a couple of books or even boards I suppose. Put the dough ball between the books and sit on the stack. Chef John calls them "tortillass" (sorry, he said it, not. me). 6:45 here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH2f5C0z0Kg&t=323s

I was in the checkout line at the grocery store a while back. Not sure what I was buying, but I know there was produce and protein in my cart - there always is. I am retired and live alone, but I still cook real food. The guy in front of me looked old enough to be retired and had a cart full of... frozen pizza. At least a dozen. Period. Don't know if he couldn't afford better, didn't know better or was just too lazy to do better. Felt bad for him.

Oh, and here's my copper bowl...
Obviously not hand hammered.

SciAggie

@Carolina Q That’s a beautiful copper bowl. I love cookware - particularly classic old school stuff. I laugh and tell people I’ve spent thousands of dollars to cook like people did hundreds of years ago. 

Yeah, we’ll most likely make tortillas too. Our has stoves have the built-in CI griddles in the center between the burners. And then we’ll make enchiladas, quesadillas, salsa, etc. lot’s of fun. 

dmourati

Carolina Q said:

Love your culinary class story. Great way to spend an afternoon. You could teach them to make tortillas too. You don't even need a tortilla press. Just a heavy bottom pan. If you don't have that, a couple of books or even boards I suppose. Put the dough ball between the books and sit on the stack. Chef John calls them "tortillass" (sorry, he said it, not. me). 6:45 here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH2f5C0z0Kg&t=323s

Chef John's speech pattern annoyed me to no end. It was like a weird valley girl upspeak.

That said, I learned something about homemade tortillas and I'm making tacos later today so it was useful.

Carolina Q

dmourati said:

Chef John's speech pattern annoyed me to no end. It was like a weird valley girl upspeak.

That said, I learned something about homemade tortillas and I'm making tacos later today so it was useful.

@dmourati, Glad you got something out of it. He takes some getting used to, but I have. There's at least one old video on YouTube with him speaking normally. Sounds really bland and boring. Not to mention the lousy audio quality. Meatballs, 12 years old I think...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6_kRAZXyu0&t=13s 

Eggcelsior

Great cook. Here is the OG version of Michoacán carnitas I did inside, along with homemade corn tortillas. Further proof that pork is the best meat of all.

Botch

A fantastic cook, Sir!  
I do have two questions:
1.  Any idea what the sweetened condensed milk does?  I've never seen that in a Mexican recipe;
2.  Did you note any differences/have any preferences with the different-sized cuts of pork you started with?  

Eggcelsior

Botch said:

A fantastic cook, Sir!  
I do have two questions:
1.  Any idea what the sweetened condensed milk does?  I've never seen that in a Mexican recipe;
2.  Did you note any differences/have any preferences with the different-sized cuts of pork you started with?  

Sweetened condensed milk helps with some background “richness/sweetness” and color, giving a deeper brown finish to the pork chunks. There is no one “true” carnitas recipe, so some recipes use it instead of coke, some coke instead of it, some with both, and some recipes are just salt, pork, and the lard to cook it in.

SciAggie

@Eggcelsior Those look delicious.

GoooDawgs

Incredible.   Are you related to @smokingal?!  You guys are killin it with the photos these days...

smokingal

GoooDawgs said:

Incredible.   Are you related to @smokingal?!  You guys are killin it with the photos these days...

@GoooDawgs If we are, he's from the saner side of the family.  The last time I made churros was back when I was smoking every single ingredient and figured out how to make smoked churros.

lousubcap

@SciAggie - between you and @smokingal (that's smokin GAL for Sciaggie's benefit) this place has risen to heights that I was not capable of even thinking about until your posts. 

What a level of effort, documentation and incredible results right there.  Wow, just wow!  Congrats is not nearly enough!

SciAggie

smokingal said:

GoooDawgs said:

Incredible.   Are you related to @smokingal?!  You guys are killin it with the photos these days...

@GoooDawgs If we are, he's from the saner side of the family.  The last time I made churros was back when I was smoking every single ingredient and figured out how to make smoked churros.

Not too sure about "saner" but I'm certainly honored to be included in any context with her high quality cooks. She sure raises the bar high.
I'd love to see pictures of a smoked churro but I'll admit I can't wrap my head around how that would taste. @smokingal How were they?

SciAggie

lousubcap said:

@SciAggie - between you and @smokingal (that's smokin GAL for Sciaggie's benefit) this place has risen to heights that I was not capable of even thinking about until your posts. 

What a level of effort, documentation and incredible results right there.  Wow, just wow!  Congrats is not nearly enough!

Brother Cap don't sell yourself short. Do you remember the old EF Hutton commercials? "When EF Hutton talks, people listen." My friend you are one of those folks - when you talk about brisket or brown water people that are smart get quiet and listen. I know I do and I'm a better cook for it. It's also a much more pleasant journey into orbit now as well now that I've learned a few things about brown water.

Battleborn

D@mn son! That all looks incredible!

theyolksonyou

Battleborn said:

D@mn son! That all looks incredible!

CPARKTX

I am in awe