PORK CARNITAS WITH PINEAPPLE ADOBO SAUCE

 

There are so many steps involved that you really need to start the day before..... It's a recipe from a cookbook called Cantina from Paul Wilson. I am discovering the more 'real' Mexican recipes, and so far both Rod and I have been very surprised about the complexity of flavours we have encountered. To make today's recipe, I had to start yesterday by making a Chipotle stock and then use it to cook the pork belly, let it cool in the stock and then keep overnight on the fridge, with some weights. The colour of the stock is just amazingly red from the achiote paste. I have now kept the chicken wings to use them later, maybe on a soup. Today I had to make the Mexican pickling brine to put on the pineapple, which was delicious, with a mixture of spices, apple cider vinegar, sugar and orange rind and juice as well as fresh herbs. Then, I had to make the caramel pineapple adobo sauce (luckily I already had the adobo sauce in the freezer) to cook the pork. And last, but not least, the avocado cream and the salad... I had my fingers crossed that the recipe was going to be fantastic, because I would bang my head hard if it wasn't. But yes, it was again an amazing combination of sweetness, acidity, saltiness, hot flavours that made our taste buds to sing..... 😍😋🙃

Ingredients

1kg boneless pork belly

2l chicken stock

100ml vegetable oil for frying

8 large tortillas

guacamole or avocado crema

sliced green chilli to garnish

lime to garnish (optional

Mexican style pickles

2 cloves

1/4 tsp whole black peppercorns

1/4 tsp whole cumin seeds

250ml cider vinegar

220g sugar

zest & juice of 2 oranges

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 cinnamon stick

salt

Pickled Pineapple

500g ripe pineapple, peeled, cut in half, excess core removed and thinly sliced withways, then each slice cut in half

Mexican style pickled solution

Pineapple Adobo sauce

500ml pineapple juice

250ml sherry vinegar

230g brown sugar

15g dry chilli flakes

250ml Adobo sauce

Salad

2 gem lettuce hearts, roughly chopped

1 red onion, very thinly sliced

1 small handful coriander or mint leaves

Chipotle chicken stock

1 onion

1 garlic bulb

2 green jalapeños

1.5l chicken stock

1kg chicken wings

150g chipotle in adobo sauce

50g achiote paste (or a large pinch of saffron threads)

2 cinnamon sticks

2 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin

2 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika

1 Tbsp salt

Method

This is a very complex recipe, and it is better to do some preparation ahead. You could even start a week before by making the Adobo sauce (see recipe here).

The day before prepare the chicken stock. 

Preheat an overhead grill to high.

Cut the onion and garlic in half crossways. Arrange the onion, garlic and jalapeños on a grill tray and grill for 10 minutes or until caramelised and charred.

Combine the onion, garlic and jalapeños with all the remaining ingredients, except the saffron (if using), in a large saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming away any impurities that rise to the surface. Add the saffron, if using, and gently simmer for a further 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Strain into an airtight container. 

Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

The leftover chicken wings can be reused for a great snack or for another recipe.

To prepare the pork belly, generously season it and place it in a large, wide saucepan. Cover with the stock and bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat until simmering , cover and cook for 1 hour, until fork-tender. Allow to cool in the stock. 

Once cooled, remove the pork from the pan and pat dry with paper towel.

Line a deep tray, large enough to fit the pork, with baking paper. Place the pork belly in the tray, skin side down, cover with another sheet of baking paper and a large tray. Press down with a heavy weight, such as tins of beans, so the pork is pressed flat. Refrigerate overnight.

Prepare the Mexican-style pickles.

Dry-fry the cloves, peppercorns and cumin seeds in a small frying pan over low heat, until fragrant, then grind to a fine powder in a pestle and mortar. 

Meanwhile, combine the vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the orange zest and juice, garlic, oregano, cinnamon and ground spices and set aside to cool.

To prepare the pickled pineapple, return the pickling liquid to the boil. Place the pineapple in a small, deep tray, and pour over enough hot pickling solution to cover. Set aside for an hour or until cooled.

When ready to serve, put the pineapple slices in a serving bowl.

To prepare the pineapple adobo sauce, combine the pineapple juice, vinegar, sugar and chilli flakes in a medium saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and simmer until reduced to make a rich caramel. Add the adobo sauce and stir to combine. Set aside.

The day you want to serve the carnitas, cut the pork into 2cm cubes or rectangles.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat, fry the pork pieces, taking care as they might spit when they cook, until crisp and golden brown. Transfer onto paper towel to drain.

Pour the oil out of the frying pan and wipe clean with paper towel. 

add the pineapple adobo sauce to the pan and warm over low heat. Add the crisp pork cubes and baste and coat in the sauce. 

Transfer to a serving dish and keep warm.

To prepare the salad, combine the lettuce, onion, coriander or mint in a medium bowl. Add a little of the pickling liquid and toss to coat

Heat a medium non-stick frying pan over high heat. Lightly spray with oil and briefly fry the tortillas to warm them. Stack the tortillas, wrap in a war4m damp tea towel and set aside to keep warm.

To serve, top the tortillas with guacamole or Avocado crema, salad, slices of pickled pineapple and pork. Garnish with chilli and add a squeeze of lime, if desired.

Serves 4