Carnitas made simple.

Carnitas are a traditional celebratory food in Mexico, often served at baptismal parties, anniversary celebrations, and birthdays. These occasions can be seen as the excuse to partake in these salty, savory, tender morsels of porcine goodness. They traditionally hail from the state of Michoacán and are cooked in enormous copper cauldrons.  The carnitas are literally boiled in lard, a technique the French refer to as a confit. This technique renders the meat meltingly tender on the inside and savory and crisp on the outside.

I know what you are thinking. 'Zilla, how am I going to confit a whole hog in my modern and tidy kitchen? Well, the answer is baby steps.... Let's begin.

1. You need a large and heavy cast iron pot. I used my trusty jade green Le Creuset bouillabaisse pot.

2. I used approximately 3 lbs of tender boneless Country-Style pork ribs. I cut these into 3 inch chunks and seasoned generously with Lawry's Seasoned Salt.

3. I heat pot on medium high and add 3 TBSP of grapeseed oil into pan and add meat. Don't stir it or move it around much for the first 5-10 minutes. It will begin to render its own fat and juices. At this point, I add half of a head of garlic sliced as above... a coronal slice. The reason for this is so that the garlic is exposed to flavor the meat, but not loose so that it scorches and sticks to the bottom of the pan. That would be a very bad thing. I also add a bay leaf, and a sour orange or in this case a Meyer lemon- sliced in half.

4 Cook over low heat until meat is tender and begins to brown. At this point, I add a couple of ounces of milk to the pot. The milk serves to finish tenderizing the meat, and it also deglazes the pan and coats the meat with all the brown goodness and bits.

5. Uncover the carnitas for the last 5 minutes to completely coat and brown all pieces. Adjust seasoning by adding additional salt to taste.

6. Serve on corn or flour tortillas with assorted salsas and garnish. Please try and resist the urge to eat these pieces as if they were popcorn. Good luck!