Pork Carnitas with Spicy Satsuma Jam

by Chef Nadia Ogbor

Ingredients:

• 5# boneless pork butt
  
• 1# pig feet (optional!) 
  
• 2 cups fresh “manteca” lard 
  
• 1 bottle of modelo
  
• 1 jar of Jamboree Jams Spicy Satsuma Jam 
  
• 1 cup orange juice 
  
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar 
  
• 1 big yellow onion 
  
• 1 head of garlic (or more!) lol
  
• 1 jalapeño
  
• 2 or 3 bay leaves
  
• carnita spice mix (see recipe)

Carnitas Spice Mix:

Combine equal parts of the following spices. Consider starting with 1 tablespoon each. Adjust to your taste!

• smoked paprika 
  
• ground chiles (any kind, guajillo, chipotle, ancho etc…) 
  
• black pepper
  
• garlic powder
  
• onion powder
  
• ginger powder 
  
• ground cumin
  
• ground cinnamon 
  
• dried oregano 
  
• dried thyme
  
• cayenne or dried habanero(optional)
  
• kosher or sea salt
  
• sugar
  

Notes:

Fresh lard or “manteca” can be found at most latin food stores. as can a wide selection of ground chillies. 

If you don’t have modelo, any kind of lager (or even an IPA if you feeling fancy!) is good. try using a few cups of white wine if you’d like to make the recipe gluten free.

Apple cider vinegar can be replaced with white vinegar or fresh squeezed lime juice. 

The carnita spice mix can be made with any combination of dried spices that you like. if you don’t have every ingredient listed here, that’s all good. the carnitas will still be poppin’!

Method:

Cut the pork butt into smaller chunks. If using pig feet, add them now. I add pig feet when using boneless meat to provide a little bit of bone in flavor to the final product. Place meat in a large oven proof pot. Coat pork in the spice mix generously and rub into the meat. Let this spice mix sit on the meat for 30 minutes - 1 hour. If you have the time, coat the meat in this spice mix the day before you cook and let sit overnight in the fridge.

Roughly chop the onions & jalapenos, smash the whole garlic cloves and sauteé in a little lard on high heat. season with some of the carnitas spice mix that you will surely have left over (if you don’t have any left over, don’t sweat it – just put a little salt & pepper). When the onions are translucent & fragrant add to the seasoned pork. Add the bay leaves. 

Add the orange juice, modelo, Jamboree Jam Spicy Satsuma Jam, and apple cider vinegar to the pork. Mix well and heat on the stove until it is heated through and bubbling. If your pork is exposed, add more orange juice / lard / beer until the meat is covered in the cooking liquid.

Cover the pot (either with a lid or tin foil) and place in a 350 degree oven. Let that baby cook! Check the pork after 2.5 hours for tenderness. You want it to be fork tender. If necessary, cook for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve several cups of the cooking liquid. Be sure to get a balanced mix of both the lard on the top and the seasoned liquid underneath.  

Put your broiler on high. if you have the pig feet in there, remove them and break up the meat onto a lined baking tray. It should fall apart easily with tongs. Take some of the reserved cooking liquid and pour it over the meat to keep it moist and flavorful. This is a great time to taste and adjust your salt/sugar/acid levels! Crisp the meat under the broiler until golden brown, checking and moving regularly to get a nice crisp throughout. A little char is DELICIOUS, if that’s your kind of thing. 

Serve on warm tortillas with your favorite taco fixings. I like shredded cabbage, pickled red onions, habanero salsa & cilantro! But it can really go with whatever you like.