Garlic and Jalapeno Carnitas Tacos

It has been touched on before in the blog. These webpages have been scrawled with tales of the days of ole when I was a super picky eater.

Seriously, Diet Coke, Caesar salad and cheesecake were my three food groups.

I’ve always loved Mexican food, but until I was in high school I would eat nothing but crispy shredded beef tacos. Not chicken. Not ground beef. Not soft. Crispy. Beef. Tacos.

And there is still a beautiful place in my heart for my old favorite.

But these days, I find myself craving pork carnitas more and more.

I finally decided it was time to get in the kitchen and try my hand at this tasty shredded pork treat.

Mexican places are great, but they ain’t got nothing on my carnitas.

You will need…

3 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder (pork butt)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

20 unpeeled garlic cloves

3 jalapenos, seeded and diced

½ cup chicken stock

½ cup fresh orange juice

Salt and pepper to taste

8 tortillas, warmed on the stove or grill

1 cup pineapple, diced

Your choice of toppings (shredded jack cheese, diced tomato, diced onion, cilantro, avocado)

Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees.

In a roasting pan, rub the pork down with the oil and chile powder. 

Season with salt and pepper and fill the bottom of the roasting pan with the chicken stock and roast for 1 hour.

After the hour, scatter the pork with the garlic and jalapeno and bake for another 2 hours. Rotating once.

Up the oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop the pork into large chunks and then use 2 forks to pull apart the pork.

Add the shredded pork back into the roasting pan. Remove the peals from the garlic and add it back to the pan.

Roast for another 30 minutes until well browned and crisp.

Stir the pork and continue to roast for a final 30 minutes.

Pour the drippings from the pork to a medium saucepan and add in the orange juice.

Bring the juices to a simmer over medium heat until slightly reduced. About 4 minutes.

Drizzle over the pork and serve with pineapple, & your favorite toppings on a warmed tortilla.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Garlic and Jalapeno Carnitas Tacos

3 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder (pork butt)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

20 unpeeled garlic cloves

3 jalapenos, seeded and diced

½ cup chicken stock

½ cup fresh orange juice

Salt and pepper to taste

8 tortillas, warmed on the stove or grill

1 cup pineapple, diced

Your choice of toppings (shredded jack cheese, diced tomato, diced onion, cilantro, avocado)

Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees.

In a roasting pan, rub the pork down with the oil and chile powder.

Season with salt and pepper and fill the bottom of the roasting pan with the chicken stock and roast for 1 hour.

After the hour, scatter the pork with the garlic and jalapeno and bake for another 2 hours. Rotating once.

Up the oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop the pork into large chunks and then use 2 forks to pull apart the pork.

Add the shredded pork back into the roasting pan. Remove the peals from the garlic and add it back to the pan.

Roast for another 30 minutes until well browned and crisp.

Stir the pork and continue to roast for a final 30 minutes.

Pour the drippings from the pork to a medium saucepan and add in the orange juice.

Bring the juices to a simmer over medium heat until slightly reduced. About 4 minutes.

Drizzle over the pork and serve with pineapple, & your favorite toppings on a warmed tortilla. 

Pork Burgers with Apple Fennel Slaw

Labor day, the symbolic end of summer has come and gone.

As much as I love summer, its end signifies lots of great things.

Autumn signifies the evacuation of tourists from Newport Beach. My nighttime bike rides will no longer be obstructed by oblivious tourists stopping with their coolers in the middle of the boardwalk or walking in a line seven deep in the bike lane.

Fall on its way means that new and delicious vegetables like butternut squash and Brussels sprouts are on their way.

And longer nights mean it is boot season. Thank the freaking lord for boot season. My seventeen pairs are anxious to come out and play.

But longer nights means, well, longer nights.

Longer nights mean a whole lot less time at the barbeque.

Major bummer.

But that doesn’t mean it has to be the end of your burger enjoyment.

Here is the perfect autumn burger. All cooked inside in the comfort of your warm home.

You will need…

1 ½ pounds ground pork (80/20)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup crumbled blue cheese (or sharp white cheddar if you don’t like blue cheese)

4 of your favorite burger buns (I love anything with onions)

2 tablespoons butter (at room temperature)

2 pink (Gala, Pink Lady, Braeburn) apples, very thinly sliced

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

½ small red onion, thinly sliced

¼ head of green cabbage, thinly sliced

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

½ cup cilantro, finely chopped

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

4 tablespoons chive aioli

Start by combining the apples, fennel red onion, cabbage, jalapenos, cilantro and white wine vinegar in a large bowl.

Toss everything well and set it aside.

Then in a large bowl, combine the pork, salt and pepper. Mix everything well with your hands and then begin forming 4 patties.

Once your 4 patties are formed, set aside on a plate.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

When the oil is nice and hot, add the patties to the oil and cover.

Cook until the bottom side is browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the burger over and top each burger with a little cheese.

Recover and cook the burgers until browned on the underside. Another 3 to 4 minutes.

When the burgers are cooked through, remove them from the heat.

Lightly butter each side of the buns and place them in turn on the pan until they are lightly browned, about 20 to 30 seconds.

To assemble the burgers, place the patty on the bottom bun.

Spread 1 tablespoon of chive aioli on the top of each bun.

Top each patty with ½ cup of apple fennel slaw and serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

1 ½ pounds ground pork (80/20)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup crumbled blue cheese (or sharp white cheddar if you don’t like blue cheese)

4 of your favorite burger buns (I love anything with onions)

2 tablespoons butter (at room temperature)

2 pink (Gala, Pink Lady, Braeburn) apples, very thinly sliced

1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

½ small red onion, thinly sliced

¼ head of green cabbage, thinly sliced

2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

½ cup cilantro, finely chopped

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

4 tablespoons chive aioli

Start by combining the apples, fennel red onion, cabbage, jalapenos, cilantro and white wine vinegar in a large bowl.

Toss everything well and set it aside.

Then in a large bowl, combine the pork, salt and pepper. Mix everything well with your hands and then begin forming 4 patties.

Once your 4 patties are formed, set aside on a plate.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

When the oil is nice and hot, add the patties to the oil and cover.

Cook until the bottom side is browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the burger over and top each burger with a little cheese.

Recover and cook the burgers until browned on the underside. Another 3 to 4 minutes.

When the burgers are cooked through, remove them from the heat.

Lightly butter each side of the buns and place them in turn on the pan until they are lightly browned, about 20 to 30 seconds.

To assemble the burgers, place the patty on the bottom bun.

Spread 1 tablespoon of chive aioli on the top of each bun.

Top each patty with ½ cup of apple fennel slaw and serve hot. 

Pad Thai Pork Salad

I am relatively certain that I could never even begin to explain how ridiculous my family can be. And we are usually our most out of control around the dinner table.

And even though I will never really be able to explain, I can show you photo evidence.

I have no idea how we got there, but somehow we ended up discussing geographic tongues (if you don’t know what they are already, don’t Google it unless you have a strong stomach).

And then…

This…

Awesomeness…

Happened.

Awesome, or kind of gross? You be the judge.

But more awesome than family tongues, is this tasty dish.

You will need…

For the Pork:

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 pound ground pork

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

For the Salad:

4 tablespoons soy sauce

1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Pinch of Chinese five-spice

12 ounces Pad Thai noodles

½ medium cucumber, halved and thinly sliced

½ cup roughly chopped mint

½ cup chopped cilantro

½ cup chopped roasted peanuts

Start by heating a large pot of water until it boils.

While waiting for the water to boil, start your pork by heating the oil in a large pan over high heat.

When the oil gets warm, add in the pork and season it with salt and pepper.

Cook the pork until it is browned and nearly cooked. About 4 minutes.

Drain off half of the cooking fat and add the garlic, ginger and sugar.

Cook until the sugar is completely absorbed and add in the soy sauce.

Stir until the liquid has absorbed as much as possible and set aside.

By now your water should have boiled.

Add in the noodles and cook until they are barely tender, 4 to 6 minutes.

Drain the noodles and immediately submerge the noodles in cold water.

Combine the remaining soy sauce, brown sugar, pepper and Chinese five spice in a small bowl and mix well.

Drizzle the sauce over the noodles and add in the cucumber, cilantro, mint, and peanuts.

Top with the pork, toss and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Pad Thai Pork Salad

For the Pork:

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 pound ground pork

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

For the Salad:

4 tablespoons soy sauce,

1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Pinch of Chinese five-spice

12 ounces Pad Thai noodles

½ medium cucumber, halved and thinly sliced

½ cup roughly chopped mint

½ cup chopped cilantro

½ cup chopped roasted peanuts

Start by heating a large pot of water until it boils.

While waiting for the water to boil, start your pork by heating the oil in a large pan over high heat.

When the oil gets warm, add in the pork and season it with salt and pepper.

Cook the pork until it is browned and nearly cooked. About 4 minutes.

Drain off half of the cooking fat and add the garlic, ginger and sugar.

Cook until the sugar is completely absorbed and add in the soy sauce.

Stir until the liquid has absorbed as much as possible and set aside.

By now your water should have boiled.

Add in the noodles and cook until they are barely tender, 4 to 6 minutes.

Drain the noodles and immediately submerge the noodles in cold water.

Combine the remaining soy sauce, brown sugar, pepper and Chinese five spice in a small bowl and mix well.

Drizzle the sauce over the noodles and add in the cucumber, cilantro, mint, and peanuts.

Top with the pork, toss and serve.