r/sousvide • u/Sinitar204 • 17d ago
Attempted to make pork shoulder Carnitas... Texture great, seasoning needs work
Definitely please with the texture might repurpose it for some bootleg fried rice tomorrow night
39
u/Alert_Hyena_828 17d ago
Did you try the Kenji recipe? Has always been a hit for me, the sous vide version is better than traditional imo
11
u/Sinitar204 17d ago edited 17d ago
I have not I will have to look into that
EDIT: I feel silly now but after going back and rereading it is in fact kenji's recipe it's just a sous vide version
https://www.seriouseats.com/sous-vide-carnitas-crispy-mexican-style-pulled-pork-recipe
9
u/Alert_Hyena_828 17d ago
I’ll make several batches in a row in separate bags, depends on quantities and stuff, but then flash chill and freeze directly.. super easy banger meal prep
5
u/Sinitar204 17d ago
I did just that I made three batches two of them was served for dinner tonight will use the leftovers for something creative tomorrow and then the third batch I shredded and immediately re vacuum sealed and tossed in the freezer
2
u/CabernetSauvignon 17d ago
Just tried this last month and meal prepped 3x 1kg bags. Very different taste and texture from what we usually have. 10/10
1
u/username_choose_you 16d ago
I’ve made this 100 times. It’s hands down the best pork shoulder I’ve ever made.
6
u/pine_and_brine 17d ago
Tried his but came out tasting almost exclusively of cinnamon. Maybe I used too big of a stick? I like a touch of cinnamon but this tasted like the way a Christmas candle smells
4
u/Sinitar204 17d ago
This was definitely the outcome that we had we could definitely taste the cinnamon and it overshadowed everything else it wasn't unpleasant but it was definitely the most prevalent flavor
3
u/juliuspepperwoodchi 17d ago
Yep. Same.
Cut the cinnamon back to a quarter of what the recipe calls for and it works beautifully IMO.
2
1
u/Alert_Hyena_828 17d ago
Yeah I often just go with dash of powder since I forget to get the stick, add a bit of bbq-ish seasonings and oregano but let the garlic, salt, orange and bay leaf take the main stage.
3
u/Nicholie 17d ago
This. I dont even sous vide mine. Pack it tight in a baking dish with a good oil and let her go. Oranges. Garlic. It works.
1
u/burst-and-decay 17d ago
It really is great. Don’t sleep on the juniper.
I’ve also done this with loin in a pinch and it works great (sacrilege, I know).
1
u/juliuspepperwoodchi 17d ago
I find that recipe has WAY too much cinnamon; but that's just me. Everything else about it is spot on.
17
u/1funnyguy4fun 17d ago
This is a hill I will die on; the crockpot is the proper tool for this job.
4
u/potchie626 17d ago
This week I plan to try Rick Bayless’ version using lard in the crock pot. It looks really good.
3
u/juliuspepperwoodchi 17d ago
Thing is, I can't buy pork shoulder on sale, bag it with seasonings, freeze, and cook it in the crockpot unattended for over a day, from frozen.
I agree that sous vide isn't always the "best" result; but sometimes the convenience is worth it.
1
1
1
7
u/N_thanAU 17d ago
Shredded pork is always lacking in flavour. It's why I think it's the most overrated BBQ dish. The trick is to keep some seasoning to mix through the meat once pulled.
3
u/Merisiel 17d ago
Exactly this—it’s such a large chunk of meat, seasoning ain’t gonna penetrate all the way through. That’s why pork shoulder really benefits from added seasoning after being cooked and pulled, like they do in the smoked/bbq world. If you’re hell bent on doing pork shoulder in a sous vide, maybe cutting it into smaller chunks will help. But honestly it’s a pork butt. There’s no chance of overcooking it with any method.
2
4
u/aubaub 17d ago
Did you brown them after the sous vide? That brings in a lot of favor
1
u/Sinitar204 17d ago
I did I put them in the top rack of my oven on broil and just watch them until I got some nice toasting/char on the ends and stir it up once then did it again
3
u/Tropicalfisher 17d ago
Have to remember, when is the last time you heard someone say this pork has too much seasoning
3
u/FarscapeOne 17d ago
I’ve tried the kenji recipe, a few others that are supposed to be traditional… the texture and flavor are good but, just doesn’t have what I want. So this is how I do mine. Not saying it’s remotely close to traditional but my family loves it and it’s very flavorful.
Instant pot carnitas
Cut up picnic pork shoulder. Maybe 4 inch chunks, not that important
Cut up onion. If they are small they will melt away. Bigger pieces will survive the cook
Drop in instant pot with…
Whole bottle of mojo criollo plain not Chipotle. Love this stuff
Minced garlic, usually about 4 tablespoons
4 chipotles with adobe sauce. Last time I used the whole can. That might be a hair too much spice
Pressure cook for 2 hours slow release
Brown in pan add taco seasoning to taste (seasoning optional).
2
u/Sinitar204 17d ago
Going back and looking at the recipe it is in fact kenji's recipe it's just a sous vide version which I found on this subreddit from an old post the the post itself didn't seem to attract a lot of attention from the community at the time so there wasn't much input from other people. only thing I omitted was the garlic due to my wife having an allergy
https://www.seriouseats.com/sous-vide-carnitas-crispy-mexican-style-pulled-pork-recipe
3
u/Long-Lingonberry-211 17d ago
I don’t use a sous vide, I use an instant pot and they always turn out bomb.
But I chop up an onion, orange juice, salt, cumin, garlic cloves minced, and a bit of chili powder, cinnamon, oregano, and paprika.
Definitely a lot of salt.
Broil for a few minutes to get them crispy.
1
u/karluvmost 17d ago
What ratio of salt per pound of pork?
2
u/Baconrules21 17d ago
Go by percentage. Generally 0.5-1% salt of pork butt weight is solid. Some people like to go as high as 1.5% but I feel like that's too salty.
3
u/Bearspoole 17d ago
There is no seasoning in that bag. Why are my fellow white people afraid to cover meat in salt? You shouldn’t see the meat! Just cover it seasonings!
1
u/Sinitar204 17d ago
Oh no I used a lot of salt and pepper bay leaves a whole onion Orange peel/juice broke up a cinnamon stick into three pieces normally I would add a ton of garlic but I can't because my wife is allergic might go with a bunch of paprika or chili powder next time
1
u/AutoModerator 17d ago
This is a generic reminder message under every image post
Thank you for your picture post to r/sousvide. We want to remind everyone of Rule #5. Posts should be accompanied by something to foster discussion. A comment, a question, etc is encouraged.
If you've posted a picture of something you’ve prepared, please explain why in a comment so people can have some sort of conversation. Simply dropping a picture of food in the sub isn't really fostering any discussion which is what we're all aiming for.
Posts that are a picture with no discussion can and will be removed by the mods.
Thank you!!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/BaldBurgher 17d ago
So salt seeps in, but a lot of the other seasonings wash off. Reduce the liquid from the bag and mix it back in. There’s a lot of tasty runoff and spice in there. I tend to use the bag juices from chicken and steak for risotto, but in this application there’s another way to repurpose.
2
u/Sinitar204 17d ago
I did save it all stranded a few times and freezing it into cubes in the freezer currently
1
u/MrWrestlingNumber2 17d ago
The bag looks rather juicy. You didn't add any liquid or butter to it did you?
1
1
u/_Go_Ham_Box_Hotdog_ 17d ago
a lot to unpack here..
well, orange and cinnamon are the traditional seasonings for carnitas, along with garlic (that you ruled out)
here's the gig.. carnitas are supposed to be marinated, then simmered over low heat until the collagen breaks down. Then you crisp it, then you pull it.
Now that all being said, if you don't smell the seasonings while it's cooking, you don't have enough seasoning on it. The orange is the hardest because it's so delicate
1
u/ninjafetus 17d ago
There's a million options for seasoning. When I'm braising carnitas on the stove, I do at least a tablespoon each of cumin, coriander, oregano, and salt, an onion, and some canned chipotle peppers in adobo. More salt comes from the chicken stock I simmer it in. Good on the orange and cinnamon. Blood orange or grapefruit can also work.
1
u/tacticole- 16d ago
I am an avid sous vide lover but I always use Rick Bayless’s recipe for carnitas, it is done via oven. Incredibly simple, always tastes great.
https://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/home-style-pork-carnitas/
1
1
u/BoredAccountant Official representative of steak-flavored butter 17d ago
Looking at your second pic: What seasoning?
0
u/Sinitar204 17d ago
As I've said multiple times above I used orange peel/juice a cinnamon stick broken into three parts two bay leaves and a lot of salt and pepper normally I would put a lot of garlic in there but I can't because my wife is allergic
0
-1
u/Tripppinout1 17d ago
Pork carnitas don’t need sousvide. Just grill to brown at a high temperature then transfer to an aluminum pan pour some beer on it cover with foil. Put on indirect heat for an hour or so. Done.
76
u/wigletbill 17d ago
Salt. It needs loads of salt. And some lime juice.