Braised Carnitas with Spiced Cole Slaw, Blue Cheese and BBQ Sauce
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
- Total: 4 hr 10 min
- Active: 50 min
Ingredients
Braised Carnitas:
1 whole pork butt, cut into 2-inch pieces (discard 70% of the fat)
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 to 2 quarts canola oil (lard/pork fat are suitable alternatives)
BBQ Sauce:
2 cups mustard
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
Half a 7-ounce can chipotles in adobo
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons agave syrup
Spicy Coleslaw:
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1 cup julienned carrots
3/4 cup shaved jalapeño
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup stone-ground mustard
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup agave syrup
Tacos:
Flour tortillas, for serving
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Blue cheese crumbles, for serving
1 bunch fresh cilantro
Directions
Special equipment:
a high-powered blender- For the carnitas: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add the cut meat to a cold roasting pan and sprinkle liberally with salt. Stir and fold the salt into the meat to evenly distribute. Cover with just enough canola oil to submerge the meat, then cover with foil. Move the pan to the oven and cook for 2 hours.
- Remove from the oven and set aside. Before serving, crisp the meat in a hot frying pan with 3 tablespoons oil.
- For the BBQ sauce: In a high-powered blender, add the mustard, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, chipotles, Worcestershire and agave and blend for 10 minutes. (A high-powered blender like a Vitamix will slightly warm the mixture that will help to incorporate all of the ingredients together.)
- For the spicy coleslaw: In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cabbage, carrots, jalapeño, cilantro, mustard, vinegar and agave together thoroughly and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
- For the tacos: Warm a tortilla on a medium-warm griddle, then top with Monterey Jack and melt. Place some pork on top. Spoon over some BBQ sauce and spicy coleslaw, then top with blue cheese crumbles. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Cook’s Note
You can skip the frying/crisping the pork and use the meat straight from the roasting pan. We like the texture created by frying but it’s not required for deliciousness.