Prep List
Slow-cook Carnitas
Pickle Shallots
Salad Ingredients
Churro Ingredients
Carnitas
The key to delicious carnitas is to go low and slow, which is why we’re going to start this well ahead of the class time. If you have a slow cooker, you’re welcome to use that instead of the stovetop, it will just have a longer cooking time.
To make the carnitas, combine all of the ingredients in a large heavy-bottomed pot (or slow cooker), and let barely simmer over low heat until the meat is tender. That is literally it. No searing, no marinating, no nothing. Just everything in the pot and let it go. This typically takes 4-5 hours on the stovetop, and 8-10 hours in a slow cooker on the low heat setting.
Once the meat is tender, just reserve it either on the stove or in the fridge until we’re in class and I’ll give you all the next steps. DO NOT…I repeat….DO NOT discard ANY OF THE COOKING LIQUID.
Or chuck it and ruin everything. You do you.
Pickled Shallots
These don’t technically have to be done ahead of time…or at all…but I like to let them sit overnight as it intensifies their flavor.
Slice shallots thinly either with a knife or mandoline. Combine the sliced shallots with 1 cup of vinegar of your choice in a heat proof bowl. In a small pot, bring any spices you’re using along with 1 cup of water to a boil, and add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Remove the pot from the heat and stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Pour the hot water over the shallots and vinegar, let the mixture cool to room temperature, and refrigerate. These will stay good and tasty for up to six months.
*Note - this recipe yields a little over 2 cups of pickling liquid, so if you’re only using one shallot, cut the recipe in half or by a quarter. Or, grow a pair and pickle some more ?#@&ing shallots!
Salad Ingredients
Definitely not a ton to do here - it will just save us time to have some of these ingredients prepped out ahead of time.
Wash and quarter cherry tomatoes. Or you could halve them. Or slice them….or make tiny tomato sculptures of some kind.
Wash and tear butter lettuce into bite-sized pieces. As a quick note, I am going to be substituting microgreens for lettuce in my salad because I prefer their flavor, color, and texture for this application. Please feel free to substitute or omit any ingredients that suit your preference.
Churro Ingredients
Pretty much the only thing to have prepared for these is to make sure that you have all of your ingredients measured out and ready to go, excluding the frying oil. Don’t worry yourself about measuring that.