Carnitas and Margaritas

It was too hot to get out so we decided to stay in and make Carnitas and Margaritas. Oh my goodness!! I fell in love with my husband all over again. Over MEAT!! LOL This is a very simple recipe but you wouldn't think so by how good it tastes. There are a lot of dishes out there that take extra time to prepare due to so many steps in order for something to turn out perfect. This takes some time but not many steps. Put it on while you go run some errands, clean the house or just lay around and watch tv while drooling. I promise, you WILL salivate while this is cooking as the smell fills your house. It's worth the wait. The Van Doren Margarita recipe is below after the Carnita recipe.

(1) 4-5 lb bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt)
kosher salt
3 c chicken broth or water (or half of each)
1 white or yellow onion, quartered
1 tbsp dried oregano leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp paprika

An hour before you start cooking, remove the meat from the fridge, rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Let it sit.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place pork in a 5-7 quart Dutch oven and add the broth, onion, oregano, cumin and paprika. We used half broth, half water. Add generous pinch of salt. Place over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Spoon some of the hot liquid over hte top of the meat, then cover again and transfer to oven. Cook until meat is literally falling apart, about 4 hours, spooning liquid over meat once or twice during cooking.

Remove pot from oven and place on stove top. Transfer meat to a platter. With a large sppon, push meat off the bone in chunks; discard bone and any large pieces of fat. Put meat back in pot and turn on heat to medium-high heat; cook, stirring to break it up with a sppon, until liquid in pot has almost entirely evaporated and meat begins to sizzle, 5-10 minutes. Ready to serve.

We served on warm tortillas with shredded Monterrey jack cheese and dollop of sour cream. Just the meat by itself would be great on a bun. Other options: Use as filling in enchiladas or tamales or add your favorite BBQ sauce and serve on a bun.



VAN DOREN MARGARITA'S

2 c tequila
1 c sweetened lime juice
1/2 c triple sec

Pour all ingredients into a pitcher. Stir together. You can take a sip and add more of what you need to suit your taste. Serve over ice in salted margarita glasses with a lime. Makes 2 servings. Enjoy!!