Lunchtime: Pork Carnitas

Carnitas literally translates to “little meats.” Pork shoulder/picnic arm cuts of meat are traditionally used while braising or roasting is the typical method of preparing carnitas. It is a Mexican street food classic.

To save some time for a quick lunch, I pan-fried the “little meats” in lard. Lard is pig fat in rendered or unrendered forms. It has a high-saturated fat content but it enhances the pork flavor.

After the lard has melted, I added the pork and pan-fried for about ten minutes. To add a quick crisp, I placed it under a smoking hot broiler until it started to crisp up.

Fine diced white onion and cilantro are nice accompaniments as well as a squeeze of fresh lime topped with salsa.

If lunchtime allows you a few swigs from a cold bottle of cerveza, Chevere!