Sous Vide Carnitas Recipes

Steps:

• Combine 2 tablespoons salt, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, oregano, and black pepper in a small bowl and mix well.
• Place pork pieces into a large bowl. Rub spice mixture evenly over the pork, pressing until it adheres. Add in onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves.
• Squeeze orange juice into the bowl with the pork and toss in the juiced orange pieces as well; toss to combine.
• Place pork mixture into a sous vide-safe vacuum sealer bag. Seal bag and immerse in a heat-proof container of water with a sous vide cooker. Set temperature to 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) and add the ping pong balls on top. Cook, occasionally re-adding water as it evaporates, 12 to 24 hours.
• Remove pork carefully from the water bath and transfer contents into a large bowl. Pick out the chunks of meat with tongs and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Discard everything else left in the bowl. Let pork cool briefly. Shred using 2 forks or your fingers and spread evenly over the baking sheet. Season with salt.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Place pork under the broiler and cook, flipping halfway through, until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn.
• Place tomatoes and green chiles in a food processor and blend until pureed. Pour into a saucepan; add chicken stock, rice, butter, chili powder, cumin, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until Spanish rice is tender, about 25 minutes.

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with water and place a sous vide immersion cooker into the water. Set temperature to 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) according to manufacturer's directions.
• Combine granulated garlic, cumin, salt, oregano, coriander, and black pepper in a small bowl.
• Cut pork butt into 2 chunks and rub with soup base. Sprinkle with spice mixture and rub until evenly distributed. Place pork into a large vacuum bag. Add orange slices and bay leaves throughout the bag. Seal using a vacuum sealer.
• Place bag into the water and set timer for 24 hours, turning bag over halfway through. When done, remove pork to a platter, reserving some or all of the juices.
• To crisp up carnitas, heat vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking. Add shredded pork and fry until edges are browned and crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Drizzle with reserved juices, if desired. Alternately, you may crisp under an oven broiler for 3 to 4 minutes.

Steps:

• Directions.
• Cooking Temperatures for Sous Vide Carnitas.
• 145°F (63°C) for 24 to 36 hours Very tender and moist; not very shreddable. Better for cubing or searing as slabs.
• 165°F (74°C) for 12 to 24 hours Moist and easy to shred with your hands or forks.
• 185°F (85°C) for 8 to 16 hours Traditional texture that shreds naturally.
• Step 1.
• For better flavor penetration, first cut the pork into thick slabs. About 4 pounds is enough to serve 8 to 12 people once the meat is cooked. You can easily make half a batch, but carnitas freeze extremely well, so think about making the full order!
• Step 2.
• Next, combine pork, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves in a large bowl. Split orange into quarters and squeeze juice into bowl before adding rest of orange. Season generously with kosher salt and toss to combine.
• Step 3.
• When ready to cook, set your Anova to desired temperature according to chart included above or in the Anova Culinary App.
• Step 4.
• Add bag to sous vide bath and cook for recommended time according to chart above. Make sure to top water up occasionally as it evaporates, and keep bag completely submerged. If bag floats, weigh it down by placing a wet kitchen towel on top of it. Alternatively, use a heavy-duty binder clip to attach a metal spoon or knife to bottom of bag as a weight.
• Finishing Steps - Oven.
• Step 1.
• When meat is cooked, remove from water bath and transfer contents of bag to a large bowl. Pick out chunks of meat with a set of tongs and transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet. (Discard aromatics and excess liquid, or reserve liquid and blend it in with salsa.) When it is cool enough to handle, shred meat roughly using 2 forks or your fingers.
• Step 2.
• Spread evenly over baking sheet. Pork can be prepared up to this point and refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 5 days before serving.
• Step 3.
• When ready to serve, adjust an oven rack to 3 inches below the broiler element and preheat broiler to high. Place pork under broiler and cook, using a spoon to flip pieces occasionally, until meat is browned and crisp on most sides, about 10 minutes total. Alternatively, working in batches, heat carnitas in a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes.
• Step 4.
• Serve carnitas with warm tortillas, lime wedges, chopped onion and cilantro, and salsa.
• Enjoy.