Carnitas with Spicy Pickled Vegetables and Cactus Salad

Recipe courtesy Susie Jimenez

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Picture of Carnitas with Spicy Pickled Vegetables and Cactus Salad Recipe Photo: Carnitas with Spicy Pickled Vegetables and Cactus Salad Recipe
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Total Time:
4 hr 0 min
Prep
40 min
Inactive
1 hr 0 min
Cook
2 hr 20 min
Yield:
6 servings
Level:
Intermediate
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Ingredients

Pork:

  • 6 pounds lard
  • 2 lemons, halved
  • 2 limes, halved
  • 2 oranges, halved
  • 3 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 yellow onion, quartered
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 bottle Mexican cola

Directions

Pickled Vegetables:

  • 1 quart white vinegar
  • 2 chiles de arbol
  • 3 tablespoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon mixed color whole peppercorns
  • 6 green beans, trimmed
  • 6 yellow wax beans, trimmed
  • 6 baby carrots, peeled
  • 6 baby ears of corn
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 6 jalapenos

Cactus Salad:

  • 4 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • 2 cactus paddles, trimmed
  • 3 scallions
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 serrano chile, minced
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Corn tortillas
  • Limes, cut into wedges

For the pork: Melt the lard in a large pot over medium heat. Squeeze the juice from the citrus fruits into the lard along with the skins. Add the pork shoulder, bay leaf, onions and salt. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the pot and cook the pork, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

In the meantime, for the pickled vegetables: In a non-reactive pot, bring the vinegar, chiles de arbol, salt and peppercorns to a boil. Take off the heat and add the green beans, wax beans, carrots, corn, garlic and jalapenos. Chill in the refrigerator to cool down, at least 1 hour. Will hold in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

For the cactus salad: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and grill the cactus paddles until soft and charred, about 10 minutes. Remove the paddles and set aside. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and grill the scallions until just cooked, about 3 minutes. After the cactus and scallions have cooled, dice them up and mix with the tomatoes, chile and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and reserve.

After the pork has been cooking and is soft, turn the heat up to medium-high and add the cola. Cook until the pork caramelizes, 15 to 20 minutes.

To assemble the carnitas, strain a spoonful of the pork from the fat and serve on a warm corn tortilla. Garnish with the pickled vegetables, the cactus salad and lime wedges.

Notes

This recipe was created by a contestant during a cooking competition. The Food Network Kitchens have not tested it for home use, therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

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Newest Ratings and Reviews

Read all 2 reviews

  • on May 24, 2012

    Flag

    You will LOVE this recipe. This is how I was taught to make carnitas years ago but hadn't tried it for many years. I made it exactly as written and my husband and I loved it! We were worried about the fat but the meat was NOT greasy, it was super tender and tasted of orange--a great benefit. I'm not sure the coca cola helped (although I've always been told to use it but there was a slight sweetness to the meat. This is a fabulous recipe, you have to try it. SO easy. I couldn't find lard so I used Crisco (vegetable fat but I don't think it mattered, honestly. Thank you Susie!!

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  • on September 06, 2011

    Flag

    This is a great Carnitas Recipe! Susie you should write a cook book, true to your heritage! Yummy! I just made the meat and added pineapple salsa for tacos. The meat was delicious. Thank you Susie

    people found this review Helpful.
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