Nobody ever knows what to do with the 'L'! In my family, we don't pronounce the L, and the che is just like check so it's pronounced "Che - bowski". Anyway, I sincerely appreciate the shoutout Kenji. As I've said before, you are a big inspiration to how I approach and think about cooking, especially in applying it for home cooks. I made a similar carnitas video using Diana Kennedy's method earlier this year discussing some of the benefits. I'll have to hold you to that phone call so we can chat sometime!
Ethan confused between choosing what makes him happier: getting a shout-out from Kenji or being called Ethan The Big Lebowski. He's literally the Dude now.
@@rafiki4444 people who are members of a minority group very often jokingly make fun of each other for traits they share, it’s understood that it’s being done in good faith and with the full context of having the same experiences re: being a part of that minority. You should see how us gays talk to each other, lol
@@karlastormborn5467 not sure what you are basing your generalization on. I, for one, don’t find it amusing nor did it sound to me in good faith. And it seems later in the video Kenji himself realized how does it sound and kind of apologized.
I think it's great that all these cooking channels, whether professional chefs or home cooks, all seem to watch each other's channels. It's awesome that there's a community like that.
Kenji, my man, super close to what I do with Carnitas, but if you'll allow me one small suggestion: Once you strain out the braising liquid, put it on high heat until it reduces to a thick syrup. Toss the meat in the reduced meat-syrup before going in the broiler. This creates an incredible, pure meaty-oniony caramelization layer on the meat and literally turns the carnitas up to 11.
I tried this tonight and OMG thank you!! Definitely a game-changer to reduce the braising liquid(some of which I used to make corn tortillas). Makes the most delicious pork ever
Thanks for sharing the tip. Tips like this only add value to a great vid like Kenji's, I don't think they disrespect it at all. I mean, what's the point of RUclips even having comments if not for adding value ya know.
Your fridge always looks so well stocked with fresh goodies. Have you made a video previously on how to manage your fridge to avoid spoilage and waste? If not, I'd love to see one. Love from the UK.
I love that there are so many ways to prep and cook. It makes me realize that in life it isn't about A or B(right or wrong) but the journey to get things right is a balance of what makes you happy and learning how stuff works. Food and cooking not only taught me life lessons but also brought me closer to many people and cultures.
Oh you shoulda been around back in April of last year. Multiple uploads a day sometimes. It was truly the golden age of Kenji on RUclips. Perfect quarantine entertainment.
Probably my favorite and most often made Kenji recipe, as carnitas were my favorite filling at my local burrito joint growing up. I make them with his sous vide recipe most of the time now, because I can make huge batches and freeze them for the future.
Hah this is my favorite Kenji recipe as well, and was on heavy rotation in my household for a long while. I haven't made it in a while, I think I'll cook it this week.
I've always made the carnitas similiarly in a dutch oven. Let them cool. Put them in the fridge. Next day drain the water- the rendered fat will float to the top and solidify like a big disc. separate the meat and other ingredients. Heat up just the fat to 375f. Then in the same dutch oven deep fry the hunks of meat in it's own rendered fat. 2 day process but makes tender pieces with super crispy outsides. Thanks Kenji I always learn new tricks and techniques from your videos
Gonna try your method with Kenji's! I think Kenji sometimes considers the home cook in his approach (and he is busy too but I know, for example, recipes on Serious Eats and other food entities have rules/guidelines to make cooking easier for home cooks) - most home cooks would not want to do two days. But as Flavor Chasers out here we all know we will spends weeks to get the perfect bite.
Do you let the carnitas in the dutch oven overnight or do you put them in a different container? Are they not going to make collecting the fat the next day harder if you let them in? On the other hand they will lose a ton of flavor so I guess it's worth it. Anyway, I'm 100% trying this it sounds amazing.
@@hannibot either way won't make much of a difference in my experience. I usually just leave them and separate them the next day out of laziness and one less container to clean
Three things I love about you 1) You're very educational in a natural way which shows you genuinely care about your passion 2) You always feed your dogs what you make 3) Recognizing the non-binary portion of your viewers! claps to you all around, I love your content!
I’ve tried quite a few carnitas recipes and this, by far, was my favorite. My freezer supply just ran out, time for some more! (I freeze them uncrisped vacuum packed in portions and crisp/reheat)
Re: your daughter & The Claw...I was teaching my daughter about knives & cutting etc. She watched me and told me, " Dad you're moving your hand like spider !!" Good stuff. She nailed it!. She hates spiders but her perspective was exceptionally clear, concise & appreciated. I utilize it in all basic culinary skills demos and instruction. Thank you much Sir.
Anyone wondering if this can be done in a crockpot- YES. I cooked in crockpot yesterday & refrigerated overnight and crisped up under broiler tonight. They were divine.
I made this last night and everybody loved it. My son said it was the best thing I'd ever cooked. He even loved the pickled onions on it (he hates vinegar). So, thanks for the recipe!
I got this recipe on Serious Eats. I made this yesterday and it was awesome! Green sauce turned out awesome! Easily the best tacos I’ve ever made. Also, after 51 years, I finally figured out how to heat corn tortillas properly. Picked onions would have been a perfect finishing touch. Next time I will make that a reality. Thanks man, you’re the best!
Kenji, with the most respect, you give both instruction and pleasure from your videos. I’ve seen the growth over the years and am glad you have stayed with the sharing. Best to you.
at the taqueria i worked at we used big tilt skillet with 1 gallon of milk and orange juice some water, garlic, onions, salt and then we crisped it on flat top whenever they need it for order
Love love love this recipe! I have been making it for several years from the Serious Eats article. I use this method for my pork for tamales and also carnitas. I food saver the leftovers as the reheat is perfect with the coating of fat already on the meat. I have made the salsa with roasting and not, prefer the roasted with added carnitas rendering liquid in the blender. I ALWAYS receive compliments on this dish with friends. Im glad to see you made a video of it. I will have to add the pickled onion to this. Kenji, you are my food spirit guide!
Awesome cooking skills Kenji, I always watch your videos after I come back from College, its almost as if I'm the one cooking, perspective is awesome! Keep it up, looks delicious
Man Kenji, those carnitas looks awesome and the overall cook with the salsa and onions looked pretty straight forward. This maybe a very soon cook for me my friend! Thanks for the great content. I love how down to earth your videos are and are relatable.
This is by far one of my favorite recipes. I've never tried broiling the tomatillos, so now I'm excited to try that. I also always end up making a fresh corn salsa to go with these using corn, poblanos, jalapeños, red onion, lemon juice and lime juice. Such a crowd pleaser.
Not sure if it has been pointed out, but your carnitas show "maciza". Carnitas are as varied as the pork itself and can use ALL the parts of the swine, including organs. The purpose, beyond the varied taste, is the texture experience (we use ear, snout, and womb, for example). Same method for it, but it becomes TRULY "no waste" that way. :)
Absolutely adore Kenji correcting himself for making a joke about Ethan’s surname even though I’m sure all of us, including Ethan, passed it off as a harmless joke because it wasn’t even offensive! Just shows how incredibly nice he is 🥺❤️
I make this in my Breville pressure cooker and it comes out great. Aldi recently sold pre-marinated pork butt for carnitas and it was very good, though most of the time I flavor my own, using essentially the same things Kenji is using here. I use a little chicken stock in the pot as well. It takes 1.5 hours to do it this way.
This is my go to carnitas recipe (with the lime as well as orange). Have a glass jar that the recovered fat goes in to that's stored in the freezer for the next time I make it. Each batch is better and better.
❤the 'claw' story! I grew up in the restaurant & catering business-with both parents as CCC CPC. I was taught the 'claw' technique at a very early age as well. I'm gonna make these for Canada Day
What's also really good is to put it on a hot skillet. You can do it dry (the meat is fatty enough), or you can pour some of the liquid in for extra flavor. You can keep it loose, which makes a lot of brown bits, or you can make a rough patty of sorts and flip it. Put it on a taco, eat it plain, put it on top of instant ramen, make a sandwich, etc. Lots of possibilities!
In a recent trip to Mexico, my compadre made some and all he used for a whole pig was; a head and a half of garlic, salt, small can of sweetened condensed milk, and a few oranges. Served soft and moist. Very delicious :)
@@kowalikus7581 That doesn't always follow, though. Surnames, especially from families that emigrated a long time ago, tend to get Anglicized and the "correct" pronunciation from the mother tongue is no longer actually correct (for example, my surname is not pronounced the way it would actually be pronounced in German). When in doubt, ask the person who owns the surname how they pronounce it.
Great recipe, video! Thanks for keeping it real and giving Ethan a shoutout. Pickled onions are a go to for me as well. I usually toss in some pickled jalapenos and carrots in the jar as well. :)
Those carrots get ZESTY after a little while couped up with those onions and peppers. My local taco joint had carrots in their pickled mix and I was confused at first but am a huge fan of it now.
Made this this weekend and it was amazing. Still eating the tacos for lunch. It was pretty easy to prep and then I just did yard work while the pork cooked in the oven for 3 hours. I now know how to cook Boston Butt 2 different ways. Thanks for the video!!
One of the amazing things about Kenji and what makes him an original character is his spontaneous down to earth qualities that he doesn’t even realize that he is one of the top if not the top cooking content creator. For me when it comes to cooking there is pre and post the food lab era. Cooking used to be seen as that snotty out of reach purely technical profession that you must have a European accent and a shitty attitude to master. But Kenji made me and many many more people fell in love with it (one of them is def Ethan BTW who is an absolutely magnificent home cooking content creator) anyway I think what I meant to say is Thank you Kenji, I know you don’t get it and you probably never will because of how humble you are but you are for sure on of our generation’s heroes when it comes to cooking. All the best to you ❤️
Ok so I’ve made this recipe a few times and for the most part it’s EXCELLENT. One thing I do. Little different is I want some extra crisp on the pork. To do this, I drain the braising liquid and chill it overnight. Then I skim off the fat and use that to sauté the shredded pork in. So I put the shredded pork in a pan with some of the braising liquid and heat until hot and liquid is evaporated. Then I add the rendered fat and sauté till crisp. Trust me. This will make it utterly perfect
My mom's carnitas were very simple. The pork in chunks, usually with bone on, onion, garlic and salt. She'd put it all in a broad pot and boil them with water, then leave them to crisp up after the water had boiled off in the fat that had rendered from the meat during boiling, not long. I dunno if she added any oil, but we never used lard or copper kettles in our house. They were soft and tender with some texture to them.
11:38 I like using this method occasionally as well. Although I found out the hard way that you should set your knife on the item first and then put your hand over the knife (I was in a rush lol).
Hi Kenji, I read the section in your book on cooking meat to temperature and collagen breakdown. Have you considered doing something in depth there or know a resource that shows the temp and time to cook to to hold something (eg chuck roast) to get the best texture? Thanks love all your content
You’ve gotta do this video again Kenji. Hubby and I were very into it as we are making carnitas today. What a tease not seeing you do this entires recipe!! Please do again!! Many thanks for all the fabulous recipes you share!
I just made this last night in a cast iron skillet. SUPER flavorful for so little effort. AND it keeps well in the fridge. In fact, the leftovers tasted even better in the burrito I just made with it.
This recipe is so easy and delicious. We also tried this same recipe in our Instant Pot pressure cooker and it turned out just as delicious, if not more, in half the time!
One of the local places uses carnitas in their pork chile verde and I'd recommend using leftover carnitas as a stand-in for pork in your pork chile verde recipe. I also like adding the carnitas in with some sauteed onion and green pepper (any relatively thick-walled pepper works) and squeezing in some lime juice to finish things off. The only thing certain is I like to do two distinctly different dishes with about one 4 pound shoulder, and carnitas is flexible enough to allow that to happen without getting too repetitive.
Curious to try this recipe, last time I made carnitas I had a TON of lard leftovers. Also, I believe the coke is used for browning during the last couple of min of the braising, not as a marinade.
I made this for dinner..started at 4:00PM we at 7:00/PM but totally worth it.Thank you very much for the recipe . I used canned tomatillo but nonetheless the salsa verde was deliciosu and the pickled onions a perfect addition to the overall dish🎉
Trick for electric dry herb buzz grinder. Add 2T of dry rice, and buzz. Once works for me, have done twice when coffee was buzzed. Use that rice flour to thicken this and that where the flavor is complementary in small amounts (almost anything).
What i like about using water is i can get a decent bit of pork stock and some lard i know for sure is basically just lard, it can dry it out some, but i can freshen it up with pico de gallo or add a few spoons of the stock when reheating, and crisp it up with the lard i got from the pork itself
I also agree to keeping pickled onions in my refrigerator at all times as I have been converted by Ethan as well. I always use it for my sandwiches and salads
Chef John has a carnitas recipe that is virtually identical to this one and I've been using it for years. The only thing I change is i use a pressure cooker to save time. I can have this from prep to the table in about an hour and a half. Just slice the meat and add ingredients, put in pressure cooker from 45 min to an hour and 10 minutes depending on size of chunks. Release pressure, transfer to oven safe pan, i use my cast iron skillet, and place under broiler in 5 min intervals basting with rendered fat in-between. My family enjoys this pulled pork style so I only do 1-2 times under broiler. Always great.
I just love that you cook the way I do. I can’t make anything without getting stuff on the floor. Glad to know that even a professional is not perfect.
One of the basic rules of any professional kitchen is if you have a free 30 seconds, you sweep the floor. Sweeping and wiping down surfaces just becomes second nature.
Just made some carnitas for my wife last night! They came out so good. For my salsa I boiled the ingredients, and it came out delicious 😋. Thanks for the video!
I made Joshua Weisman's pho awhile back using quite a bit of pork ribs and chuck roast. The pho was great, but to change things up I fried some of the meat up in lard a la carnitas. Although very lightly simmered instead of fried or whatever, it turned out excellent. The next day I fried the same pho meat up a la a rendang. Got the carnitas, rendang, and pho at the same time. Nothing planned, just kind of flowed. Used the grill instead of the oven to roast the bones/meat/aromatics. Recommended meal prep option.
I had always broiled the garlic with the skins on but I tried your method of taking the skins off and they came out much nicer, rather than burning the skin they got a little color on them.
I would love to see a Kenji 10 essential kitchen items video just like GQ. Or a what's in my fridge where you explain your organization and thought process behind some of the things you keep in there
Hey man just wanted to say I followed the technique in this video and it was some of the best food I've cooked for myself, I was *extremely* happy with how well it turned out. Both the pork and the salsa were absolutely fantastic. I love the little tidbits of cooking science like like how cooking with oil is different than braising with water. Out of curiosity, would this method work for a Birria type of meat out of curiosity? By adding different peppers and flavors? Maybe marinading beforehand for a day or two?
No, birria is quite different as it’s a braise in broth. I have a recipe for barbacoa on serious eats though. Use that recipe and use lamb or goat instead for birria.
Thanks for another great video Chef! Hope you and the family are well. I've bought a couple items through your recommendation over the past 2 years of watching you and I love each and every one of them. Excited to try this out! Really appreciate you taking the time to share your cooking knowledge with us, it means a lot! (and makes my wife happy)
Why isn't POV cooking more of a thing. This was way more exciting. Been using your recipes for a long while at Serious Eats, but never thought to find you on RUclips. Thanks!
Hey Kenji. Thanks for this video and recipe. Carnitas is one of my favorite foods, but I've always been intimidated by it. Well, not only did I make this recipe, but I made it for a group of friends, and they said they were incredible. Much love.
If you like spicy, throw a few slices of a habanero pepper into your purple pickled onions. Kicks it up a notch! (And is amazing in carnitas tacos!) Edit to say that I’m a crispy carnitas fan!
Have learned so much from you. So many little bits of knowledge. Your really good beef stew video had to much info that informed my other recipes. Thank you so much.
Oh, man, I made this the day I watched it and it was so good even though I didn’t have any pork and used a chuck roast instead! Thank you, Kenji!!! 💕💕💕😋
Nobody ever knows what to do with the 'L'!
In my family, we don't pronounce the L, and the che is just like check so it's pronounced "Che - bowski". Anyway, I sincerely appreciate the shoutout Kenji. As I've said before, you are a big inspiration to how I approach and think about cooking, especially in applying it for home cooks. I made a similar carnitas video using Diana Kennedy's method earlier this year discussing some of the benefits. I'll have to hold you to that phone call so we can chat sometime!
Was grinning ear to ear when he gave you the shout-out. Love the content my guy. Was actually thinking about your carnitas video when watching this!
I’ll look for that video, and thanks for the pronunciation guide. DM me on Instagram and we can figure out that call!
Wait… your name is pronounced ‘Ethan Big Ebowski”?
@@JKenjiLopezAlt link to the carnitas video ruclips.net/video/dQw4w9WgXcQ/видео.html
Collab between you guys would be amazing, you're both awesome
Ethan confused between choosing what makes him happier: getting a shout-out from Kenji or being called Ethan The Big Lebowski. He's literally the Dude now.
I've been calling him The Big Chlebowski ever since I found his channel.
It’s curious to see a guy with half Asian half Latin last name making fun of a foreign surname. I guess it’s overcompensation.
@@rafiki4444 I think you're reading the tone of his message wrong - I don't think he was making fun of Ethan's last name.
@@rafiki4444 people who are members of a minority group very often jokingly make fun of each other for traits they share, it’s understood that it’s being done in good faith and with the full context of having the same experiences re: being a part of that minority. You should see how us gays talk to each other, lol
@@karlastormborn5467 not sure what you are basing your generalization on. I, for one, don’t find it amusing nor did it sound to me in good faith. And it seems later in the video Kenji himself realized how does it sound and kind of apologized.
Ethan is great about citing his sources, too and credits you with being a huge influence in his approach to cooking.
Kenji is always a class act. I appreciate how he always gives credit to other cooks, chefs and recipe writers. Not all chefs do this.
Ethan is really good about doing it too
@@gbird5000 yep! Appreciate that about him too.
@@gbird5000 I've followed a lot of other chefs and cooks based on both of their recommendations.
Some definitely don't as much as I wish they did.
I think it's great that all these cooking channels, whether professional chefs or home cooks, all seem to watch each other's channels. It's awesome that there's a community like that.
Kenji, my man, super close to what I do with Carnitas, but if you'll allow me one small suggestion: Once you strain out the braising liquid, put it on high heat until it reduces to a thick syrup. Toss the meat in the reduced meat-syrup before going in the broiler. This creates an incredible, pure meaty-oniony caramelization layer on the meat and literally turns the carnitas up to 11.
I tried this tonight and OMG thank you!! Definitely a game-changer to reduce the braising liquid(some of which I used to make corn tortillas). Makes the most delicious pork ever
100% agree. I added that glaze to the (red in my case) salsa. Ton of flavor that can’t go to waste!
nice tip
Thanks for sharing the tip. Tips like this only add value to a great vid like Kenji's, I don't think they disrespect it at all. I mean, what's the point of RUclips even having comments if not for adding value ya know.
Hey Kenji, I'd love to hear about how you do your weekly(?) grocery shopping for your family - and how you plan meals.
I'm sure he mentioned somewhere that he doesn't really plan his meals.
there’s a section about zero-waste/planning in his book “The Food Lab” i totally recommend it.
Your fridge always looks so well stocked with fresh goodies. Have you made a video previously on how to manage your fridge to avoid spoilage and waste? If not, I'd love to see one. Love from the UK.
+1 for the fridge guide please!!!
Love the Ethan shout out, love that guy! He’s the reason I always have pickled onions in my fridge now
Camera crap out music was the best thing I've heard all day. Almost makes up for the missed dad jokes.
I love that there are so many ways to prep and cook. It makes me realize that in life it isn't about A or B(right or wrong) but the journey to get things right is a balance of what makes you happy and learning how stuff works. Food and cooking not only taught me life lessons but also brought me closer to many people and cultures.
I love that in all of Kenji's videos there is the sound of anticipatory doggie paws.
My absolute favorite is the pups coming over for their taste test. =D
@@CamilleGarriga I love how big they've gotten!
doggo got real pumped when the lid came off the pork ;)
Absolutely loving the frequency of uploads. Getting spoiled here.
Really appreciate it. Ty kenji.
Oh you shoulda been around back in April of last year. Multiple uploads a day sometimes. It was truly the golden age of Kenji on RUclips. Perfect quarantine entertainment.
Probably my favorite and most often made Kenji recipe, as carnitas were my favorite filling at my local burrito joint growing up. I make them with his sous vide recipe most of the time now, because I can make huge batches and freeze them for the future.
I think this is true in our house, as well, and we also do sous vide now. The salsa is so delicious.
Would you happen to have a recipe on the ready that you could point me to for sous vide carnitas?
Hah this is my favorite Kenji recipe as well, and was on heavy rotation in my household for a long while. I haven't made it in a while, I think I'll cook it this week.
I wrote that probably 6-7 years ago!
@@JKenjiLopezAlt the new site update has made it impossible to tell when an article/recipe was posted for the most part.
I've always made the carnitas similiarly in a dutch oven. Let them cool. Put them in the fridge. Next day drain the water- the rendered fat will float to the top and solidify like a big disc. separate the meat and other ingredients. Heat up just the fat to 375f.
Then in the same dutch oven deep fry the hunks of meat in it's own rendered fat. 2 day process but makes tender pieces with super crispy outsides.
Thanks Kenji I always learn new tricks and techniques from your videos
Wow this sounds incredible as well. I did something similar, but broiled the chunks on a rack in a sheet tray. I’m going to try this!
That sounds amazing!
Gonna try your method with Kenji's! I think Kenji sometimes considers the home cook in his approach (and he is busy too but I know, for example, recipes on Serious Eats and other food entities have rules/guidelines to make cooking easier for home cooks) - most home cooks would not want to do two days. But as Flavor Chasers out here we all know we will spends weeks to get the perfect bite.
Do you let the carnitas in the dutch oven overnight or do you put them in a different container? Are they not going to make collecting the fat the next day harder if you let them in? On the other hand they will lose a ton of flavor so I guess it's worth it. Anyway, I'm 100% trying this it sounds amazing.
@@hannibot either way won't make much of a difference in my experience. I usually just leave them and separate them the next day out of laziness and one less container to clean
Three things I love about you
1) You're very educational in a natural way which shows you genuinely care about your passion
2) You always feed your dogs what you make
3) Recognizing the non-binary portion of your viewers!
claps to you all around, I love your content!
I’ve tried quite a few carnitas recipes and this, by far, was my favorite. My freezer supply just ran out, time for some more! (I freeze them uncrisped vacuum packed in portions and crisp/reheat)
Lol 16:03
Kenji: "sit"
(Dog doesn't sit...gives a piece anyway)
Kenji: "good boy"
Jamon has mobility issues, so K rewards him without having to perform a “sit”.
Re: your daughter & The Claw...I was teaching my daughter about knives & cutting etc. She watched me and told me, " Dad you're moving your hand like spider !!" Good stuff. She nailed it!. She hates spiders but her perspective was exceptionally clear, concise & appreciated. I utilize it in all basic culinary skills demos and instruction.
Thank you much Sir.
4:04 Shabu sensed a disturbance when something kinda edible hit the floor.
Anyone wondering if this can be done in a crockpot- YES. I cooked in crockpot yesterday & refrigerated overnight and crisped up under broiler tonight. They were divine.
I made this last night and everybody loved it. My son said it was the best thing I'd ever cooked. He even loved the pickled onions on it (he hates vinegar). So, thanks for the recipe!
Your kitchen is so organised! would love a video on some kitchen organisation tips or even a video on some of your favourite kitchen utensils
I got this recipe on Serious Eats. I made this yesterday and it was awesome! Green sauce turned out awesome! Easily the best tacos I’ve ever made. Also, after 51 years, I finally figured out how to heat corn tortillas properly. Picked onions would have been a perfect finishing touch. Next time I will make that a reality. Thanks man, you’re the best!
Kenji, with the most respect, you give both instruction and pleasure from your videos. I’ve seen the growth over the years and am glad you have stayed with the sharing.
Best to you.
at the taqueria i worked at we used big tilt skillet with 1 gallon of milk and orange juice some water, garlic, onions, salt and then we crisped it on flat top whenever they need it for order
Kenji this is by far my favorite recipe of yours. The cost/effort:taste ratio is off the goddamn charts.
Love love love this recipe! I have been making it for several years from the Serious Eats article. I use this method for my pork for tamales and also carnitas. I food saver the leftovers as the reheat is perfect with the coating of fat already on the meat. I have made the salsa with roasting and not, prefer the roasted with added carnitas rendering liquid in the blender. I ALWAYS receive compliments on this dish with friends. Im glad to see you made a video of it. I will have to add the pickled onion to this. Kenji, you are my food spirit guide!
Awesome cooking skills Kenji, I always watch your videos after I come back from College, its almost as if I'm the one cooking, perspective is awesome! Keep it up, looks delicious
Man Kenji, those carnitas looks awesome and the overall cook with the salsa and onions looked pretty straight forward. This maybe a very soon cook for me my friend! Thanks for the great content. I love how down to earth your videos are and are relatable.
This is by far one of my favorite recipes. I've never tried broiling the tomatillos, so now I'm excited to try that. I also always end up making a fresh corn salsa to go with these using corn, poblanos, jalapeños, red onion, lemon juice and lime juice. Such a crowd pleaser.
Not sure if it has been pointed out, but your carnitas show "maciza". Carnitas are as varied as the pork itself and can use ALL the parts of the swine, including organs. The purpose, beyond the varied taste, is the texture experience (we use ear, snout, and womb, for example). Same method for it, but it becomes TRULY "no waste" that way. :)
Following Kenji’s recipes is the new ‘trying new restaurants’ in my life
Absolutely adore Kenji correcting himself for making a joke about Ethan’s surname even though I’m sure all of us, including Ethan, passed it off as a harmless joke because it wasn’t even offensive! Just shows how incredibly nice he is 🥺❤️
I make this in my Breville pressure cooker and it comes out great. Aldi recently sold pre-marinated pork butt for carnitas and it was very good, though most of the time I flavor my own, using essentially the same things Kenji is using here. I use a little chicken stock in the pot as well. It takes 1.5 hours to do it this way.
This is my go to carnitas recipe (with the lime as well as orange). Have a glass jar that the recovered fat goes in to that's stored in the freezer for the next time I make it. Each batch is better and better.
❤the 'claw' story! I grew up in the restaurant & catering business-with both parents as CCC CPC. I was taught the 'claw' technique at a very early age as well. I'm gonna make these for Canada Day
What's also really good is to put it on a hot skillet. You can do it dry (the meat is fatty enough), or you can pour some of the liquid in for extra flavor. You can keep it loose, which makes a lot of brown bits, or you can make a rough patty of sorts and flip it. Put it on a taco, eat it plain, put it on top of instant ramen, make a sandwich, etc. Lots of possibilities!
In a recent trip to Mexico, my compadre made some and all he used for a whole pig was; a head and a half of garlic, salt, small can of sweetened condensed milk, and a few oranges. Served soft and moist. Very delicious :)
Thank you for putting the video up anyway. It's encouraging to struggling new youtubers to see the pros make mistakes and keep going!!!
This is my favorite recipe of yours. Just so simple, cost-effective and tasty. Thank you!
Ethan has a video that explains how to pronounce his last name
Link ?
Chlebowski is polish surname. I reccomend to go to the google translate and let it read it for you. It will be pretty accurate
@@kowalikus7581 That doesn't always follow, though. Surnames, especially from families that emigrated a long time ago, tend to get Anglicized and the "correct" pronunciation from the mother tongue is no longer actually correct (for example, my surname is not pronounced the way it would actually be pronounced in German).
When in doubt, ask the person who owns the surname how they pronounce it.
@@toddosty yea, youre right. It's not 100% correct.
@@toddosty but in ethan case it's almost on point. I heard him saying his surname on the stream.
Made this for the fam tonight. Scary easy and it came out perfect. Huge hit. Thanks!!!
Great recipe, video! Thanks for keeping it real and giving Ethan a shoutout. Pickled onions are a go to for me as well. I usually toss in some pickled jalapenos and carrots in the jar as well. :)
Those carrots get ZESTY after a little while couped up with those onions and peppers. My local taco joint had carrots in their pickled mix and I was confused at first but am a huge fan of it now.
Made this this weekend and it was amazing. Still eating the tacos for lunch. It was pretty easy to prep and then I just did yard work while the pork cooked in the oven for 3 hours. I now know how to cook Boston Butt 2 different ways. Thanks for the video!!
One of the amazing things about Kenji and what makes him an original character is his spontaneous down to earth qualities that he doesn’t even realize that he is one of the top if not the top cooking content creator. For me when it comes to cooking there is pre and post the food lab era. Cooking used to be seen as that snotty out of reach purely technical profession that you must have a European accent and a shitty attitude to master. But Kenji made me and many many more people fell in love with it (one of them is def Ethan BTW who is an absolutely magnificent home cooking content creator) anyway I think what I meant to say is Thank you Kenji, I know you don’t get it and you probably never will because of how humble you are but you are for sure on of our generation’s heroes when it comes to cooking. All the best to you ❤️
Ok so I’ve made this recipe a few times and for the most part it’s EXCELLENT. One thing I do. Little different is I want some extra crisp on the pork. To do this, I drain the braising liquid and chill it overnight. Then I skim off the fat and use that to sauté the shredded pork in. So I put the shredded pork in a pan with some of the braising liquid and heat until hot and liquid is evaporated. Then I add the rendered fat and sauté till crisp. Trust me. This will make it utterly perfect
My mom's carnitas were very simple. The pork in chunks, usually with bone on, onion, garlic and salt. She'd put it all in a broad pot and boil them with water, then leave them to crisp up after the water had boiled off in the fat that had rendered from the meat during boiling, not long. I dunno if she added any oil, but we never used lard or copper kettles in our house. They were soft and tender with some texture to them.
11:38 I like using this method occasionally as well. Although I found out the hard way that you should set your knife on the item first and then put your hand over the knife (I was in a rush lol).
Hi Kenji,
I read the section in your book on cooking meat to temperature and collagen breakdown.
Have you considered doing something in depth there or know a resource that shows the temp and time to cook to to hold something (eg chuck roast) to get the best texture?
Thanks love all your content
You’ve gotta do this video again Kenji. Hubby and I were very into it as we are making carnitas today. What a tease not seeing you do this entires recipe!! Please do again!! Many thanks for all the fabulous recipes you share!
I just made this last night in a cast iron skillet. SUPER flavorful for so little effort. AND it keeps well in the fridge. In fact, the leftovers tasted even better in the burrito I just made with it.
This recipe is so easy and delicious. We also tried this same recipe in our Instant Pot pressure cooker and it turned out just as delicious, if not more, in half the time!
One of the local places uses carnitas in their pork chile verde and I'd recommend using leftover carnitas as a stand-in for pork in your pork chile verde recipe. I also like adding the carnitas in with some sauteed onion and green pepper (any relatively thick-walled pepper works) and squeezing in some lime juice to finish things off. The only thing certain is I like to do two distinctly different dishes with about one 4 pound shoulder, and carnitas is flexible enough to allow that to happen without getting too repetitive.
Curious to try this recipe, last time I made carnitas I had a TON of lard leftovers. Also, I believe the coke is used for browning during the last couple of min of the braising, not as a marinade.
I made this for dinner..started at 4:00PM we at 7:00/PM but totally worth it.Thank you very much for the recipe . I used canned tomatillo but nonetheless the salsa verde was deliciosu and the pickled onions a perfect addition to the overall dish🎉
16:03 I find it funny that I remembered Jamon’s hurt leg before Kenji did
Can you do a re fried beans video Kenji? You mentioning them when talking about uses for pork fat made me think of it.
As a Mexican, I approve!! :D
Hope you use those pickled red onions for other Mexican dishes like Cochinita Pibil
Trick for electric dry herb buzz grinder.
Add 2T of dry rice, and buzz. Once works for me, have done twice when coffee was buzzed.
Use that rice flour to thicken this and that where the flavor is complementary in small amounts (almost anything).
What i like about using water is i can get a decent bit of pork stock and some lard i know for sure is basically just lard, it can dry it out some, but i can freshen it up with pico de gallo or add a few spoons of the stock when reheating, and crisp it up with the lard i got from the pork itself
I also agree to keeping pickled onions in my refrigerator at all times as I have been converted by Ethan as well. I always use it for my sandwiches and salads
Chef John has a carnitas recipe that is virtually identical to this one and I've been using it for years. The only thing I change is i use a pressure cooker to save time. I can have this from prep to the table in about an hour and a half. Just slice the meat and add ingredients, put in pressure cooker from 45 min to an hour and 10 minutes depending on size of chunks. Release pressure, transfer to oven safe pan, i use my cast iron skillet, and place under broiler in 5 min intervals basting with rendered fat in-between. My family enjoys this pulled pork style so I only do 1-2 times under broiler. Always great.
I just love that you cook the way I do. I can’t make anything without getting stuff on the floor. Glad to know that even a professional is not perfect.
One of the basic rules of any professional kitchen is if you have a free 30 seconds, you sweep the floor. Sweeping and wiping down surfaces just becomes second nature.
Kenji you’re the best! So humble and so so talented. Thanks for all that you do/create!
Just made some carnitas for my wife last night! They came out so good. For my salsa I boiled the ingredients, and it came out delicious 😋. Thanks for the video!
Nothing better than getting a notification for a new Kenji video.
I've made this four or five times since first viewing the video. It's become a staple lazy weekend dish. Thanks!
This was amazing-- dredging and frying the tortillas is a master stroke. Definitely going into my dinner rotation.
I made Joshua Weisman's pho awhile back using quite a bit of pork ribs and chuck roast. The pho was great, but to change things up I fried some of the meat up in lard a la carnitas. Although very lightly simmered instead of fried or whatever, it turned out excellent. The next day I fried the same pho meat up a la a rendang. Got the carnitas, rendang, and pho at the same time. Nothing planned, just kind of flowed. Used the grill instead of the oven to roast the bones/meat/aromatics. Recommended meal prep option.
I had always broiled the garlic with the skins on but I tried your method of taking the skins off and they came out much nicer, rather than burning the skin they got a little color on them.
I would love to see a Kenji 10 essential kitchen items video just like GQ. Or a what's in my fridge where you explain your organization and thought process behind some of the things you keep in there
You can tell Kenji has worked in kitchens. He's quick and efficient. Like in cutting the tomatillos!!
Hey man just wanted to say I followed the technique in this video and it was some of the best food I've cooked for myself, I was *extremely* happy with how well it turned out. Both the pork and the salsa were absolutely fantastic. I love the little tidbits of cooking science like like how cooking with oil is different than braising with water.
Out of curiosity, would this method work for a Birria type of meat out of curiosity? By adding different peppers and flavors? Maybe marinading beforehand for a day or two?
No, birria is quite different as it’s a braise in broth. I have a recipe for barbacoa on serious eats though. Use that recipe and use lamb or goat instead for birria.
made these last night. tons of leftovers, one of the best sunday-night-with-a-beer meals ive ever made
Kenji uploading frequently makes me so happy
Thanks for another great video Chef! Hope you and the family are well. I've bought a couple items through your recommendation over the past 2 years of watching you and I love each and every one of them. Excited to try this out! Really appreciate you taking the time to share your cooking knowledge with us, it means a lot! (and makes my wife happy)
Why isn't POV cooking more of a thing. This was way more exciting. Been using your recipes for a long while at Serious Eats, but never thought to find you on RUclips. Thanks!
This is one of my favorite recipes of yours!!! So freaking good... especially during the holidays with the cinnamon!
I have to say - seeing that jar of RAO’S in his fridge was pretty satisfying.
Agree!
Hey Kenji. Thanks for this video and recipe. Carnitas is one of my favorite foods, but I've always been intimidated by it. Well, not only did I make this recipe, but I made it for a group of friends, and they said they were incredible. Much love.
Made these today and marinated the red onions too! Yummy! I added kimchi to my tacos…it’s a fabulous combo!
I love seeing your ANOVA steam oven in the background. ❤
If you like spicy, throw a few slices of a habanero pepper into your purple pickled onions. Kicks it up a notch! (And is amazing in carnitas tacos!)
Edit to say that I’m a crispy carnitas fan!
Love a little habanero kick in my pickled onions! Heads up that it's a regular n, not ñ. :)
@@hikuwai thanks!
Made these last night. Super easy. Family enjoyed them. Definitely a repeater.
...ok, the 'My camera crapped out' bit about made me snort coffee out of my nose, wonderful recipes, love the energy.
This has to be my favorite recipe of yours. It is truly amazing
this gives me an idea to adapt this for my instant pot under the slowcook setting.
Thank you SO much for the heads up on Kan Knives. This Santoku ROCKS. Thanks for this recipe too, btw.
Both you and Ethan do my peoples cooking proud
I was literally just looking at this recipe on the SeriousEats site for dinner tonight and then I see you've come out with a video! What timing.
Great - now I’m hungry again.
This is going on my “to cook” list for sure 👍
FYI, this is hands down Kenji’s best recipe.
I was legit wondering where Shabu was hanging out at the end, very happy you included her in the edit :D
Have learned so much from you. So many little bits of knowledge. Your really good beef stew video had to much info that informed my other recipes. Thank you so much.
Made this for my family this weekend. it was a huge hit, thanks for the recipe!
Oh, man, I made this the day I watched it and it was so good even though I didn’t have any pork and used a chuck roast instead! Thank you, Kenji!!! 💕💕💕😋
I'm sitting here with my head tilted back, drooling while hearing you describe carnitas. It so true and so...so good.
I wonder if Kenji realizes how many big RUclips chefs are fans of his. I swear other RUclipsrs bring up him and Chef John all the time
I love this recipe. I've made it countless times since you posted this (or at least a version of this) on Serious Eats ages ago.