Carnitas and Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

While we lived in California, I got plumb spoiled with authentic Mexican food. Up until then, I didn't think I would ever like it. The extent of Mexican cuisine for me was the occasional trip to the Taco Bell drive thru. However it didn't take me long after moving to Cali to give it a try and I fell in love! Homemade tamales, carne asada and carnitas! There are a few Mexican restaurants here in Missoula, MT. I've been to one of them so far. Unfortunately, my experience was "eh, ok I guess". So I tried my hand at making carnitas myself. Some people roast the pork, but I read that for "authentic" carnitas, the pork should be deep fried in lard. It actually came out really yummy and not greasy at all. I was shocked! The only downside is that because you're frying, you have to stay close by the stove at all times. I think next time I'll roast it in the crock pot and see how it turns out. By the way, if you're going to make carnitas, then you MUST make roasted tomatillo sauce to go with it. The recipe I use is easy and SO delicious and fresh tasting! Enjoy!

Tomatillo Sauce/Salsa AKA “Green Sauce”

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed
• 1 head garlic cloves, separated and peeled
• 2 to 3 fresh jalapeno peppers
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup water, or as needed
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven's broiler. Arrange the whole cloves of garlic, tomatillos, and jalapenos on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler, and cook for a few minutes. Remove garlic cloves first, as soon as they are toasted, you don't want them to have a bitter flavor. Continue to roast jalapenos and tomatillos until evenly charred, turning occasionally. Set aside to cool. Don't remove the charred parts of the tomatillos or the peppers. They add a really nice flavor.
2. Place peppers and tomatillos in a blender with the garlic and cilantro. Add a little water to the mixture if necessary to facilitate blending (I didn't need to add any water). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until serving.

Carnitas

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
• 2 pounds lard
• 2 dozen corn tortillas
• salt

Slice the pork into 3 inch slabs. Make sure they all end up roughly the same size, so they cook in the same amount of time.

Toss the pork into a large bowl and then add the lime juice and salt. Stir the pieces until well coated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for an hour. Toss the pieces twice over the course of the hour.

Meanwhile, melt the lard in a large pot over medium heat.

When the hour is up, carefully add the pork to the pot. The lard should cover the pieces. After a few minutes, very large and lazy bubbles will pop to the surface. This is good. You don't want to have aggressive frying. Let cook on medium, flipping the pieces occasionally for even cooking, for about 2 hours or until cooked through. The meat should be very tender when pierced with a fork.

The meat should come out all nicely browned and golden.

Set them on a cutting board and let sit for 10 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, fill the bottom of another pot with about a 1/2 inch of water and bring to a boil. Wrap the tortillas in a towel and set in a steamer basket atop the boiling water. Cover the pot.

Cook for 1 minute. Then turn off the heat and let sit for 15 minutes or so.

Now it's time to get the meat ready. Slice it or shred it. Whichever you prefer.