Pork Butt Carnitas -- 170 or full-on to 203?

[Michael_in_TX]

One of the recipes I've had booked marked for some time is this pork butt carnitas on White Thunder BBQ's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2J0Iz6pfqk&list=PLTaikr-0Hl33YSvQr9BrizoRap-lK5TWE&index=6&t=0s (Video has no voiceover, the directions are all on-screen text.)

He carves up a boneless pork butt into about 1" steaks and marinates them overnight. He cooks them to 170 on the PBC then chops the pork up into very small cubes for carnitas. Carving the pork butt into the individual steaks increases the crust surface area, which I thought was a neat idea. The steaks also cook much faster than a whole pork butt. (Four hours in his case.)

What I want to avoid is a repeat of last night's flank steak cook. Very tasty, yet tough, even when cut relatively thin. I've only done pork butt to 200 or so. I'm not expecting pulled pork here at all, of course, but will 170 be tender?

[jfmorris]

So much of the connective tissue and fat in a pork shoulder renders well above 170 that I personally would go higher. I did a butt for slicing one time at someone else’s request, and took it to 180 or 185 as I recall, and they were happy with it. 170 is barely out of the stall most of the time. You can slice at 195 too usually once it cools if you want to cut it into cubes.

There are a lot of carnitas recipes out there, and most of them are braised in liquid - not smoked. Personally, I just do a butt for shredding, shred it, then fry it in a skillet to crisp it for serving.

[barelfly]

Your pot wasn’t here when I was posting, took me a bit with the plane connectivity. But I agree with your post, spot on!

[Henrik]

+1

[barelfly]

For carnitas, does this recipe shred or cube at the 170* then finish in a Dutch oven with some type of sauce to add the extra flavor? That’s how I’ve always seen carnitas finished. Sometimes it’s almost like frying them and then others I’ve seen reduce a sauce down with the shredded pork.

Otherwise, I think 170* is a bit low but I have not tried it that way. Just my opinion.

[lemayp]

I cheat on my carnitas, https://www.platingsandpairings.com/...pork-carnitas/. Throw some smoked salt on it and put it under the broiler for a minute.

[Michael_in_TX]

Thanks all. I did a lot of research (read video watching) this evening and it is hard to find a video of someone not doing pork steaks to 190 or so. So I think I am going to go higher than 170.

I watched Malcom Reed's video on doing pork steaks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRXhFktgMGM) (he goes to 195) and he gave me an idea, or at least something to seriously consider. Once the bark on these steaks gets to where I want it, I probably should wrap them in foil (with butter or something) to continue the climb to 190.

[Red Man]

I always make carnitas with leftover pulled pork. My recommendation is to make regular pulled pork. Then reheat in a skillet to crisp it up for carnitas.

[jfmorris]

Yep this is what I do as well.

[parkerj2]

This trips me out big time. I learned carnitas from a guy that used to work for me. basically this:

”cook until it starts to come apart. Shred it. Crisp it”.

I think all the worry over temp makes cooking way less enjoyable. Maybe just me though.

[smokin fool]

I at least break the 200 mark when
smoking butts or shoulders
Easier to pull too

[ColonialDawg]

In the carnitas recipe I use the pork is cut up into 2 inch chunks. They are braised and then cooked uncovered to develop a nice bark. For the grill I would cut the pork into similar chunks and then cook them like pork belly burnt ends. Just another thought.

[HouseHomey]

They NEED to be fried in lard.

You are making pulled pork, smoked pork, shredded pork and pork steaks.

Carnitas are fried in lard, Manteca, rendered pork fat etc...

I am not a purist and never have been but carnitas are fried in lard.

just saying.

[Troutman]

Thank you Homes, first one to recognize what Carnitas really is, fried in lard !! It's the French equivalent of a confit.

[ofelles]

Using up left over pulled pork for Carnitas is great. But lard for the real thing.

[Potkettleblack]

technically confitted in lard.

[tbob4]

Many times I buy Costco’s pork butt strips. Lots of surface area. I don’t temp them at all. I cook them on my Vision Kamado and toss them into a Dutch over before they start to pull apart with onions garlic and some seasoning. I cook them for about an hour that way and start to pull. When everything pulls I pull and serve. Even though I call them carnitas from the beginning, I don’t consider them carnitas until day two or three when I do what HouseHomey said. I will cheat with other oils for frying most of the time. Your pork butt steak sound like a similar concept. Watch out for surface area. While we all like bark, providing more surface area can really give you too much if you are not careful.

[Michael_in_TX]

Okay, I will admit that frying in lard in a cast iron skillet does have a certain appeal.

[rickgregory]

In the carnitas recipe I use the pork is cut up into 2 inch chunks. They are braised and then cooked uncovered to develop a nice bark. For the grill I would cut the pork into similar chunks and then cook them like pork belly burnt ends. Just another thought.

Yeah. This. In Mexico, they would chunk up the pork and simmer it in... lard. I actually cut the butt into cubes, simmer in water spiked with garlic, herbs, a little liquid smoke and chili powder... as the water evaporates, the pork starts to crisp. At that point I remove it, shred it and re-add it to crisp it.

[ColonialDawg]

Yeah. This. In Mexico, they would chunk up the pork and simmer it in... lard. I actually cut the butt into cubes, simmer in water spiked with garlic, herbs, a little liquid smoke and chili powder... as the water evaporates, the pork starts to crisp. At that point I remove it, shred it and re-add it to crisp it.

I do something similar in my dutch oven. Braise pork chunks (fat and all) in a marinade of sour orange juice, garlic, oregano, onion, and...wait for it.. coke. After a few hours, the pork is sitting in its own fat. I leave the lid off, raise the temp, and cook the pork in it’s own fat plus the reduced coke marinade, turning every 20 minutes to develop a nice bark. It’s a beautiful thing. Carnitas should be a separate food group.

[Potkettleblack]

I live in a neighborhood with a lot of folks from Michoacan, in Mexico. Which is one of the places they claim it as their own.

It's pretty much always confitted in lard.
The best place in Chicago (maybe in the US for that matter) is Carnitas Uruapan down in Pilsen (the south side of my congressional district, known as the Latino Earmuffs).
Here's a quick video about that. https://youtu.be/KnxQdql6Fpw

Uruapan is in Michoacan, so here's a recipe video for that.

https://youtu.be/Lcnt0G76roY

Always in fat.

A thing about tradition... there are tens of thousands of cooks in Michoacan. There are other pork forward regions of Mexico, and further south into Latin America. This is a dish created by folks who had access to whole hogs, much as Carolina BBQ was. There is no REAL recipe. Every abuelita, every donna, has a different trick with what is regionally available to make it theirs. So, as Meathead says, no rules. But, in fat. Confitted, or fried and confitted.

[fzxdoc]

Great videos! Thanks.

[Potkettleblack]

If you're ever in this neck of the woods, I wouldn't be opposed to hitting up CU for the authentic real deal... never been. Which astonishes me.