The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (193 page)

MAKES ABOUT
2¹⁄
₂
CUPS, ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE
INDOOR PULLED PORK

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl with ¹⁄
₂
cup defatted cooking liquid, reserved from step 5, and whisk to combine.

MAKES ABOUT
2¹⁄
₂
CUPS, ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE
INDOOR PULLED PORK

Combine all ingredients in medium bowl with ¹⁄
₂
cup defatted cooking liquid, reserved from step 5, and whisk to combine.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Like the best barbecue,
carnitas
—Mexico’s version of pulled pork—offers fall-apart hunks of crisp meat. In carnitas, the flavor of the pork, subtly accented by earthy oregano and sour orange, takes center stage. Another appealing aspect of this dish is that it is cooked indoors, so it can be made any time of year. Rather than frying chunks of meat in gallons of lard, we were able to replicate deep-fried taste and texture by braising the pork in small amount of liquid, then reducing the liquid to a syrupy consistency and incorporating it back into the dish. Broiling the glazed meat on a rack not only crisped the exterior, but also allowed the excess fat to drip off, preventing a greasy final dish. Refining our cooking liquid’s flavors with a mixture of lime and orange juices, bay leaves, and oregano was the finishing touch.

SERVES 6

We like serving carnitas spooned into small corn tortillas, taco-style,
but you can also use it as a filling for tamales, enchiladas, and burritos. Boneless pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket.

PORK

TORTILLAS AND GARNISHES

1.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pork, water, onion, lime juice, oregano, cumin, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄
₂
teaspoon pepper in Dutch oven (liquid should just barely cover meat). Juice orange into bowl and remove any seeds (you should have about ¹⁄
₃
cup juice). Add juice and spent orange halves to pot. Bring mixture to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with fork, about 2 hours, flipping pieces of meat once during cooking.

2.
Remove pot from oven and turn oven to broil. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl; remove orange halves, onion, and bay leaves from cooking liquid and discard (do not skim fat from liquid). Place pot over high heat (use caution, as handles will be very hot) and simmer liquid, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy (heat-resistant
spatula should leave wide trail when dragged through glaze), 8 to 12 minutes. You should have about 1 cup reduced liquid.

3.
Using 2 forks, pull each piece of pork in half. Fold in reduced liquid; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread pork in even layer on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet or on broiler pan (meat should cover almost entire surface of rack or broiler pan). Place baking sheet on lower-middle rack and broil until top of meat is well browned (but not charred) and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, flip pieces of meat and continue to broil until top is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Serve with warm tortillas and garnishes.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Tinga
is a spicy Mexican dish of shredded pork possessing an intense, meaty sweetness. The pork is sautéed after braising until it acquires deeply browned edges, then briefly simmered in sauce before being served atop crunchy tostada shells. To get smoky, fork-tender pork on the stovetop, we simmered cubed Boston butt in water flavored with garlic, onion, and thyme, then shredded the pork and sautéed it in a hot frying pan to crisp it. (Shredding the meat before sautéing maximizes the surface area available for browning.) Finally, we used canned tomato sauce and chipotle chile powder to build a deep and complex sauce for our shredded pork tostadas.

SERVES 4 TO 6

Boneless pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. The trimmed pork should weigh about 1¹⁄
₂
pounds. Tinga is traditionally served on tostadas (crisp fried corn tortillas), but you can also use the meat in tacos and burritos or simply served over rice. Make sure to buy tortillas made only with corn, lime, and salt—preservatives will compromise quality. We prefer the complex flavor of chipotle powder, but two minced canned chipotle chiles can be used in its place.

TINGA

TOSTADAS

GARNISHES

1. FOR THE TINGA:
Bring pork, quartered onion, smashed garlic, thyme sprigs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 6 cups water to simmer in large saucepan over medium-high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to surface. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and cook until pork is tender, 1¹⁄
₄
to 1¹⁄
₂
hours. Drain pork, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Discard onion, garlic, and thyme sprigs. Return pork to saucepan and, using potato masher, mash until shredded into rough ¹⁄
₂
-inch pieces; set aside. (Pork can be prepared through step 1 and refrigerated for 2 days.)

2.
Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shredded pork, chopped onion, and oregano; cook, stirring often, until pork is well browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3.
Stir in tomato sauce, reserved pork cooking liquid, chipotle powder, and bay leaves; simmer until almost all liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and season with salt to taste.

4. FOR THE TOSTADAS:
Heat oil in 8-inch skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees. Using fork, poke center of each tortilla 3 or 4 times. Fry one at a time, holding metal potato masher in upright position on top of tortilla to keep it submerged, until crisp and lightly browned, 45 to 60 seconds (no flipping is necessary). Drain on paper towel–lined plate and season with salt to taste. Repeat with remaining tortillas. (Tostadas can be made up to 1 day in advance and stored in airtight container.)

5. TO SERVE:
Spoon small amount of shredded pork onto center of each tostada and serve, passing garnishes separately.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Increase amount of pork to 3 pounds (2¹⁄
₂
pounds after trimming). Using two-thirds of pork (1¹⁄
₂
pounds), follow recipe as directed in step 1. To make chorizo, place remaining pork pieces on large plate in single layer and freeze until firm but still pliable, about 15 minutes. Once firm, toss pork with 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1¹⁄
₄
teaspoons chili powder, 1 small minced garlic clove, 1 teaspoon salt, ³⁄
₄
teaspoon hot paprika, ³⁄
₄
teaspoon ground chipotle powder, ³⁄
₄
teaspoon dried oregano, ¹⁄
₄
teaspoon pepper, and ¹⁄
₈
teaspoon ground cumin in medium bowl. Pulse half of chorizo mixture in food processor until meat is finely chopped, 8 to 10 pulses. Transfer to bowl and repeat with remaining chorizo mixture. In step 2, heat oil as directed and add chorizo mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly crisp and no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer meat to paper towel–lined plate, leaving rendered fat in skillet. Proceed with recipe as directed, using rendered fat to cook shredded pork and returning chorizo mixture to skillet along with tomato sauce in step 3.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

When the craving for crisp-crusted, smoky spareribs strikes in midwinter, we usually have two options: head to a local barbecue joint or attempt them in the oven. But most oven recipes slather on smoke-flavored sauce only to cover up the disappointingly tough meat beneath. We wanted to replicate the deep, rich flavor and fork-tender texture of barbecued ribs indoors. First off, we rejected stovetop smokers in favor the oven, which better contained the smoke and was able to accommodate the ribs in one batch. To replace the wood chips of a stovetop smoker, we sprinkled the smoldering, strong-tasting tea, Lapsang Souchong, underneath the ribs, which added rich smokiness to the meat. Finally, to prevent the meat from drying out (roasting the tea leaves requires high heat), we found it necessary to freeze the ribs before they went into the oven.

See “REMOVING THE MEMBRANE FROM THE RIB RACK” illustrations that follow recipe.