Homemade Pork Carnitas Tacos And Cilantro Lime Rice

Memorial Day brought with it the desire to fire up some homemade pork carnitas tacos and cilantro lime rice. A good old fashioned Mexican feast. It's honestly a really simple dish to make, and I don't know about your house, by the people around my table dig it far more than your average ground beef taco.

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups Water
2 Limes
1 Orange
1 Onion
2 Bay Leaves
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
3/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Teaspoons Cumin
4 -  6 Pound Pork Shoulder

In a large measuring cup, measure out your two cups of water. If you're not fond of the tap water in your area, then I highly recommend using bottled water. In fact, I recommend that for any recipe you make. Clear tasting water can make a world of difference when cooking / baking.

To your water, add your salt, pepper and cumin, and give it a stir. Then juice your limes and orange into this mixture, stirring it again. Don't discard your orange peel. Instead, slice it up into segments, and throw it in the mixing cup.

Peel and slice and onion in four, and add it to your measuring cup. Lastly, toss two bay leaves in, gently pushing them down to submerge them.

You can use this right away, or you can cover it, and refrigerate for twenty-four hours, the latter of which is what I do.

Whether you start a day in advance, or immediately move on, the next step is to slice up your pork shoulder into large chunks. Start by preheating your over to 300°.

Most pork shoulders still have the bone in it, so you're going to need to work carefully to remove this first.

Once you've done this, slicing the shoulder into large sections will help make it more manageable for splitting into chunks. This also helps you remove any of the "excess" fat that you want to discard. Pork shoulders are relatively fatty, and it's not a bad thing to trim off large segments of it, unless you like eating it.

With large segments on my cutting board, I then proceed to cut large palm size chunks. This meat is going to cook low and slow, and anything smaller than that may get dried out in this process.

Transfer your sliced up chunks to a large baking dish, and pour your liquid mixture overtop, spreading out your onions and orange peels across the top.

Leave it uncovered, and transfer it to the oven to cook uncovered for three hours at 300°.

While the meat is cooking, I prep my "toppings" for my tacos. I like to keep them legit, using onions, cilantro, lime, and radishes.

I simply put everything in its own dish for serving alongside the meat when it's done. And, yes. I know. I forgot to take a photo of the onions.

After three hours, check your meat. You want it to be fork tender, breaking easily, but not being so soft that it shreds apart at the slightest touch. Depending on how deep your baking dish is, it may or may not brown a bit on top. No biggie if it does because you'll be doing this anyway shortly. For now, let the meat cool for thirty minutes to an hour. Help this along by transferring it to a baking dish, or in my case, a grill safe broiling pan.

DO NOT THROW AWAY THE LIQUID. You're going to need this.

While the meat is cooling, I'm changing the temp on my oven to 350°, and putting a large skillet with a lid on the stove. It's time to make my rice. Much like bacon, I'm a firm believer that the secret to good rice is the oven.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 Cups Rice
3 Cups Hot Water

1 Packet Knoor Red Rice Seasoning

2 Ounces Lime Juice

4 Tablespoons Cilantro

2 Tablespoons Butter

Turn your stove heat on medium, and melt your butter in the pan. While it's melting, measure out your three cups of water, and add your Knorr red rice seasoning, and stir it well to combine.

Once your butter has melted, add your rice to the pan, and stir it well to coat with the butter, then simply let this sit on the stove for a minute or two while the bottom of the rice browns a bit.

Give your rice a stir, and just let it get nice and toasted on all sides.

Reduce the heat to medium low, and add your lime juice. This is where it's going to be important to stir frequently because the natural sugars in the juice will make the rice want to stick.

Just as the liquid is all absorbed, add your cilantro, and keep stirring. Then add your liquid.

Despite adding liquid, your rice is still going to try and stick to the bottom of the pan, so keep stirring, and raise the heat to medium high. You want to bring the pan just to a boil. When it does, put your lid on it, and put it in the oven for thirty minutes at 350°.

If you don't have a grill, you're going to need to wait for your rice to finish cooking before moving back to your meat. However, if you do have a grill, and also importantly, a grill broiler pan, fire up your grill, and let it get nice and hot.

When it's nice and hot, put your pan on the grill.

Using a brush and the liquid you cooked the meat in, baste it often as it sits on the grill. You want to keep things nice and moist so that you don't dry out your meat while giving it that golden outside. Flip your meat often to ensure you baste both sides.

That right there is what you're looking for. A nice crispy outside, and moist / soft inside. If you're able to multitask, throw some refried beans on the stove, or your grill stove (if you have one), and warm those up to go with your tacos.

Call the family, and come hungry to this table!

You know what's up next, get you some, and get to digging in! As I was setting the table, I sliced up my avocado slices, and took out a jar of tomatillo to top these bad boys with.

Just looking at these photos makes me wish it was dinner time again!

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Homemade Mediterranean Chicken Kabobs

 

M'boy! I'm stepping back in the kitchen to make up a hearty meal of delicious Mediterranean chicken, yellow rice with pine nuts, and hummus. Naturally, since I'm cooking, I'm sharing the recipes.

Now, for the most flavor out of this meal, much like all the other foods I've made, you want to give yourself the appropriate time to let marinades play with meat, and spices dance with each other in the fridge. So, for the best results, you're going to want to start this a day in advance.

Before we start, there is something worth noting here, and that's the garlic. These recipes call for garlic cloves that are minced. However, should you not want to do this from fresh cloves, then follow this simple mathematical equation. One garlic clove equates to 1 teaspoon of jarred minced garlic.

First up, the chicken. You're going to need the following:

3 Pounds Chicken Breast - Boneless
1 Cup Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1/8 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper (optional and adjustable for your preferred level of heat)
Zest from 1 Lemon - Approximately 1 Tablespoon
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (from your lemon or bottled)
1 3/4 Teaspoons Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
5 Garlic Cloves (minced)
Skewers (wooden or metal)

In a large bowl, combine everything except your chicken and skewers, and stir it up thoroughly. It's going to come out somewhat reddish in color when you have everything fully incorporated.

Next up, you want to work with your chicken. However, there's a couple things to keep in mind here, as cutting things up, and how you do so, are optional. This will also determine if you even need skewers. Obviously, if you're leaving your chicken whole, or cutting it in half, or other large chunks that you can put on the grill without it falling through, you don't need the skewers.

As for me, I'm slicing it, and still using the skewers. The reason I'm not leaving it whole is, one, they're kabobs, and two, the more meat exposed, the more flavor you get out of it from the marinade. I'm not cubing it, because I find that square meats tend to break off of skewers when cooking, resulting in some pieces falling through the slats in the grill. I.E. wasted food.

If using skewers, put the chicken on them, and give it a good rolling around in your marinade.

Get everything nice and coated, and then cover it for its resting place in the fridge. I'm going to leave mine overnight, but you can do this a couple hours in advance if you want. Obviously, the longer it sits, the better the flavor.

With the chicken squared away, I'm moving on to the hummus. But before I do, let me stress one thing to you. Store bought hummus is disgusting. It tastes so artificial. If you've only been eating store bought pre-made hummus, stop this immediately. You're doing a great disservice to yourself. Fresh made hummus tastes a thousand times better, and takes minutes to make. All you need is:

2 Cans (15 ounces each) Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans) - drained
1/2 Cup Tahini
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice (fresh or bottled)
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Water

Before you start, let's talk about the water.

Tap water. In most places it's disgusting. It also changes the flavor of what you're using it in. In the case of sauces or dips, it's a far greater impact because it's ultimately what turns a chunky paste into a hearty dip. As such, unless you absolutely love the taste of tap water, I highly recommend using a bottled spring water to measure out your 1/2 cup.

Regardless of what you choose, simply put all the ingredients into a food processor and push the button. Watch as you magically create the most delicious hummus you've ever seen.

If you want your hummus a little thinner, simply add a little more water. As for me, this is perfect. You can eat this right away, but I'm going to transfer it to a separate container and leave it in the fridge over night to get all the ingredients acquainted with each other, and also to chill it. This will also firm it up a smidge more. The one thing I don't make from scratch is the naan bread. Perfectly suitable options can typically be found in the bakery or bread isle of your local grocery store. I would no sooner make this than I would my own hamburger buns, but you can if you like.

Pro-tip - Tahini is not a common item at most grocery stores. However, if yours has it, it can usually be found in a jar or bottle with the peanut butter and jelly. Alternatively, if you have an international isle, it could be there.

A new day dawns, and it's time to finish making the food, and most importantly, get to eating. You're going to want to plan about an hour for this.

What goes better with kabobs than a nice side of rice? Well, maybe a salad if you're watching your carbs. But today, I'm making rice, and for that I need:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Onion - Diced
2 Cloves Garlic - Minced
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Cups Long Grain Rice
2 1/4 Cups Water (Hot)
1/4 Cup Pine Nuts

Start by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees. Ovens and tin foil are the secret to perfectly cooked rice.

Measure out your hot water, and stir your cumin, turmeric and salt into it, letting it dissolve fully.

In a large oven safe skillet, which you have a lid for, heat the oil over medium heat. Stir in your onions, pine nuts and rice, stirring frequently to saute, but not burn. Add the garlic, and stir it around to incorporate it, while also letting it brown a little as well.

When it's all to your desired color, add your water. You want the water to be as hot as you can make it, because when it hits the pan you want to bring it to a boil as quickly as possible.

When the pan boils, put a piece of tin foil over the top, and place your lid on top of this. Fold the edges of the tin foil over the lid, and put the pan in the oven.

This will allow the rice to steam, without moisture escaping the pan. Bake at 350 for twenty-seven minutes. IMPORTANT - Do not open the oven during this process. Leave it completely alone.

While this is cooking, it's time to grill up the chicken. Depending on how you cut your chicken will determine how long this process takes. For mine, in strips, this is going to be approximately ten to fifteen minutes on each side.

Pro-tip - Don't close the lid on your grill when cooking meats. When you do this, you are no longer grilling. You're broiling in what is essentially a convection oven.  While this is certainly a faster way to cook, true grilling, with all the rewards of that smokey flavor, takes the open air, and time. So be patient.

One thing I like to do with these particular kabobs is that when I flip them, I remove the sticks. They're large enough pieces that they'll cook perfectly on the grill this way.

I also like to take them off the grill after giving both sides a good charring, to reacquaint them with the sauce again. A double dip, if you will. 

Bottom line, cook them all up to your desired temp - Well done for me with chicken.

Now back to our rice. If you've timed everything right, it should be just about done. After baking, remove the pan from the oven, but let it sit with the tin foil and lid for five minutes. This will allow the remaining liquid to evaporate, and also give your chicken time to rest.

You'll notice when taking the foil off your rice that it looks like a solid crusty mass.

Not to worry. A quick stir up, and it's all good and fluffy.

I garnish my rice with a little fresh chopped cilantro.

You know the deal from here. Dig in!

Some of that spicy green sauce I showed you how to make with Peruvian chicken certainly goes well with these kabobs. As would a traditional Tzatziki sauce. Much like my other sauces, I keep this on hand, so I didn't need to make it for this recipe. However, doing so is relatively easy.

1 1/2 Cup Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
2 Garlic Clove - Minced
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Dill - Minced (fresh is best)

Simply whip all of that together in a bowl. You can even add some finely diced cucumber if you want to add color, crunch and a more authentic flavor. Much like all sauces, the longer it sits in the fridge, the better it tastes.

I also top my meal with a sprinkle of some feta cheese. All and all, very delicious, very hearty, and will keep you going the rest of the day.

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