Being of Filipino descent, the craving for pork hits hard and often. We take pig seriously, but until someone can tell me how to make lechon in an apartment kitchen, I’ll have to settle for something more manageable.

Whenever squares of pork belly lie in the fridge, my gut instinct tells me to consult the Chinese. Only recently have I realized that our neighbors across the pond revere Wilbur as much as we do. Fergus Henderson’s and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s homages to all animals snouted and hooved are as enjoyable to read as they are to cook from. When they say kill it and use the whole thing, they mean it. Now that’s something I can relate with.

There are no weird or nasty bits here, though. Just the tame stuff that BLTs are made of. The belly is brined with juniper berries, cloves, peppercorns, and bay leaves, presumably to thoroughly season instead of prevent the meat from drying out. Short of dipping the belly in a drum of napalm, you’d be hard-pressed to overcook something that is half lard.

After roasting for two hours, the skin wasn’t as crackly as I wanted it to be. The solution? Grab heatproof gloves and broil inches away from the heating element. Consider wearing protective eyewear as it puffs and sputters.

recipe adapted from Fergus Henderson’s The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating

Crackling Pork Belly Roast

makes 4 to 6 servings

Juniper berries, peppercorns, cloves, and bay leaves for the brine.

Ingredients:

4 to 5 pound piece of skin-on pork belly, preferably including the ribs

For the Brine:

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
10 ounces / 280 grams salt (see notes)
12 juniper berries
12 cloves
12 black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
4 quarts of water

For Roasting the Pork Belly:

2 onions, peeled and chopped
a splash of olive oil
a pinch of salt

Notes:

• Don’t turn your pork belly into a salt lick. The original recipe specifies a volume measurement for the salt (2 1/4 cups of coarse sea salt). Depending on the coarseness and brand of salt you use, the actual weight could vary significantly. Consult this helpful guide on brining (PDF file) to determine the amount of salt you’ll need. I used 2 cups of Diamond Crystal kosher salt for the 4 quarts of water needed in this recipe.

I own a box cutter, but it’s not for opening packages from Amazon.

Directions:

1. Brine the pork belly. Place all of the brine ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour the brine into a non-reactive container (such as food-grade plastic or stainless steel) and allow to cool completely. Place the pork belly in the brine. If necessary, pin the meat down with a small plate to keep it fully immersed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days.
2. Preheat the oven to 375ºF / 190ºC with a rack in the upper third of the oven.
3. Drain the pork belly and pat dry with paper towels. Using a very sharp knife or box cutter, score the rind.
4. Rub the rind with the olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Place the chopped onions in the center of a roasting pan or cast iron skillet and set the pork belly on top.
5. Roast the pork belly at 375ºF / 190ºC for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
6. If the rind is not crisped to your liking, broil the pork belly under high heat. Move the belly around as necessary to evenly crisp the skin.
7. Let the pork belly rest for 15 to 30 minutes before slicing.

Fill in the blank: The secret way to a Filipino’s heart is through his / her ___.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Crackling Pork Belly Roast

Similar Posts:

1. Braised Pork Belly – Hangzhou Dongpo Pork
2. Pork Belly Recipe – Braised in Soy and Dashi
3. Baby-Back Pork Ribs Adobo
4. Pork Shoulder Braised with Oranges – Puerco en Naranja
5. Feed a Crowd: Red Cooked Pork Shoulder
6. Afelia – Pork Braised with Red Wine and Coriander Seeds

I swore that if I failed to post at least one recipe for ramps this season, then I would deport myself to the nearest city with a Chinatown (because a Filipino needs a local source for patis – see blog name). Ramps are the stinky wild leeks after which Chicago was named after all.

The local food-obsessed (or is it food-obsessed locals?) go nuts over the pungent spring seasonals for its unusual blend of familiar flavors. The purplish white bulbs taste sharply of some sort of onion, garlic, and scallion mutant hybrid. The leaves have a peppery bite reminiscent of arugula, but spicier.

My neighbors probably hate me for stinking up the entire building the past few days but I’m okay with that. Ramps have cured my fear of purple and green foods.

A quick saute in the rendered fat of guanciale, Italian cured pork jowls, is my favorite way of preparing ramps. I remember Mario Batali talking about guanciale in an Iron Chef America battle. He had this cheesy look on his face as he whispered sweet-nothings about the Roman specialty, which naturally steered me into thoughts of illicit goings-on between Batali and his house-cured cheeks. With Batali’s o-face in mind, I tried browning a few ounces of guanciale to a crisp in its own fat, just to see what the big deal is. Let’s just say I’m never going back to bacon.

Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Mele Cotte

Sautéed Ramps in Guanciale

makes about 2 servings

Allium tricoccum.

Ingredients:

1 pound ramps, trimmed and cleaned
1/4 pound guanciale, small dice
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (optional)

Pork jowl sounds much cuter than pig face.

Notes:

• To trim and clean the ramps, cut off the root end and submerge in a large bowl of cold water to dislodge trapped dirt, changing the water as many times as necessary. Rub the stalks gently with your fingertips to remove a thin and slippery outer layer, much like cleaning scallions.
• The guanciale may be salty enough to season the ramps sufficiently.

Directions:

1. Slice the ramps where the stalks and leaves meet. The stalks will be cooked a few minutes ahead of time.
2. In a heavy skillet over medium heat, cook the guanciale until light brown and crisp.
3. Add the ramp stalks and cook for a few minutes, just until tender. Add the ramp leaves and cook for about a minute, just until wilted. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper, if necessary.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Sautéed Ramps in Guanciale

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A Croque Madame is a grilled cheese and smoked ham sandwich topped with a sunny side up egg. I used Black Forest ham, Gruyère cheese, and whole wheat sourdough bread because I want to be known as That Guy who makes a mean sandwich.

Within minutes, this mini-sandwich was reduced to traces of errant crumbs and fingertip grease. No egg yolk dribbled and wasted.

Skip on the fried egg you sissy and you end up with a Croque Monsieur. Who knew that eggs can define gender? Oh, nevermind.

The sudden need to make such a sandwich came from an unexpected source. You may have heard that expressing random thoughts in 140 characters or less is what the cool kids are doing right now. You’re not limited to digital words, though. You can also tweet links to photos of all things mundane. Such as dinner.

Which leads to this awe-inspiring photo of Croque Madame served with tempura green beans. Does that look good or what?

Now go make your own or visit the Paramount Room if you’re in the neighborhood.

recipe adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book: The Best Sandwiches Ever
Grilled Cheese Pageant hosted by Kathy

Croque Madame
Grilled Cheese and Ham Sandwich Topped with a Fried Egg

makes 1 sandwich

Ingredients:

2 slices crusty white OR whole wheat bread (preferably sourdough) OR brioche
softened butter
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, thinly sliced
3 to 4 ounces smoked ham, preferably Black Forest, thinly sliced

1 fried egg, sunny side up
kosher salt or coarse sea salt, to taste
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Brush one side of each slice of bread lightly with softened butter. With the buttered side down, evenly cover one slice of bread with cheese and smoked ham. Place the second slice of bread on top, buttered side up.
2. Place the sandwich in a preheated panini-style grill or between a hot cast iron skillet and press. Grill until the bread is sizzling and lightly browned.
3. Top the grilled sandwich with the fried egg. Season with salt and pepper.

A Croque Monsieur about to be emasculated by… laying an egg on top? Alright, then.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Croque Madame – Grilled Cheese, Ham, and Egg Sandwich

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Afelia is a classic Cypriot dish of pork marinated and braised in red wine and coriander seeds. With the short ingredient list (the only other items are olive oil, salt, and pepper), it’s as easy as braising gets.

The coriander seed is a mild spice that adds a sweet citrus note. It is used extensively in traditional Cypriot and Greek fare. Any dish prepared à la grecque (in the greek style) is almost guaranteed to have some.

The braising liquid of red wine and crushed coriander seeds gives the pork a subtle sweetness and sourness. Most afelia recipes call for coarsely ground coriander seeds and no straining. The grittiness may seem distracting at first, but I find that it contrasts nicely against the tenderness of slowly cooked pork.

recipe adapted from Diane Kochilas’ The Food and Wine of Greece
Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Cheryl

Afelia
Pork Braised with Red Wine and Coriander Seeds

makes 4 to 6 servings
start the preparation one day in advance

Coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle.

Ingredients:

2 pounds pork shoulder, sliced into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups dry red wine
2 heaping tablespoons whole coriander seeds
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Notes:

• Crush the coriander seeds right before using. It rapidly loses aroma once ground.

Directions:

1. Marinate the pork. Put the sliced pork in a bowl and add 1 1/2 cups red wine. Coarsely crush 1 heaping tablespoon of coriander seeds and mix with the pork and red wine. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
2. Braise the pork. Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry. Reserve all of the marinade.
3. In a heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Lightly brown the pork on all sides, a few pieces at a time if necessary.
4. Pour the marinade along with the remaining 1/2 cup of red wine and just enough water to barely cover the pork. Season lightly with salt and pepper, keeping in mind that the braising liquid will be reduced. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover and braise for about 2 hours, or until the pork is fork-tender. Add more water during the braise if necessary.
5. About 20 minutes before removing the pork from the heat, coarsely crush the remaining 1 heaping tablespoon of coriander seeds and sprinkle over the pork. Reduce the braising liquid until thick.
6. Serve hot with crusty olive bread. Also try Ivy’s version cooked with potatoes.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Afelia – Pork Braised with Red Wine and Coriander Seeds

Similar Posts:

1. Braised Pork Belly – Hangzhou Dongpo Pork
2. Pork Shoulder Braised with Oranges – Puerco en Naranja
3. Pork Belly Recipe – Braised in Soy and Dashi
4. Baby-Back Pork Ribs Adobo
5. Red Wine Granita
6. Feed a Crowd: Red Cooked Pork Shoulder

Since the Japanese have high life expectancy, it follows that this braised pork belly recipe is health food, doesn’t it? Green vegetables are also involved and a hefty portion of the fat is melted away through slow cooking, so the corollary holds true so far.

A few glasses of Japanese green tea or red wine can help negate the unsavory effects of rich foods anyway, so there’s absolutely no reason to worry. Right?

pork belly braising instructions adapted from Tom Colicchio’s Think Like A Chef
adapted from the Nagasaki-Style Braised Pork recipe in Shizuo Tsuji’s Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art

Pork Belly Braised in Soy and Dashi
Served with Simmered Snow Peas and Pearl Onions

makes 4 servings

Snow peas and pearl onions.

For the Braised Pork Belly:

2 pounds skin-on pork belly, preferably including the ribs, cut into 4 square pieces
kosher salt
vegetable oil

3 1/2 cups dashi
1 cup sake
2 tablespoons mirin
6 tablespoons dark or regular soy sauce
6 tablespoons sugar
6-inch knob of ginger, peeled and crushed

For the Simmered Vegetables:

a handful of pearl onions, peeled
a handful of snow peas, trimmed

1 1/4 cups dashi
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons light or regular soy sauce

For Serving:

2 tablespoons Japanese or Dijon mustard

Notes:

• If using bone-in pork belly, have your butcher cut the pork belly into square serving pieces, unless you like wielding huge meat cleavers.
• Use instant dashi granules, also known as dashi-no-moto or hon-dashi, for convenience. It takes about 1 teaspoon of instant dashi for every 3 cups of water.

To Braise the Pork Belly:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 177ºC. Pat the pork belly dry with paper towels and season lightly with kosher salt.
2. In a large container, mix together the dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a heavy ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Brown the pork belly pieces, skin side down, until well-browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the pork belly pieces from the skillet.
4. Add half of the dashi-soy mixture to the skillet. Stir and scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon or spatula.
5. Return the pork belly pieces to the skillet, skin side up. Add the necessary amount of the leftover dashi-soy mixture to immerse about two-thirds of the pork belly. Add the peeled and crushed ginger.
6. Bring to a boil over high heat. Place the skillet in the 350ºF / 177ºC oven and braise while uncovered for about 2 hours.
7. Allow the pork belly to cool in the braising liquid. Alternatively, you can also cool the pork belly to room temperature and refrigerate overnight.

How to give the impression that you know what you’re doing: use an old cast-iron skillet.

To Serve:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF / 205ºC.
2. Using a small knife, remove the skin by lifting it gently from the layers of fat underneath. Score the fat with a cross-hatch pattern and transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook until the pork is heated through and the fat is browned, about 20 minutes.
3. While the pork belly is in the oven, simmer the vegetables.

Scored fat on the braised pork belly.

To Simmer the Vegetables:

1. Mix together the dashi, mirin, and soy sauce for simmering the vegetables.
2. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
3. Parboil the snow peas in the lightly salted water for about 2 to 3 minutes. Wash the snow peas with cold water to stop the cooking.
4. Parboil the pearl onions in the lightly salted water until slightly translucent. Wash the pearl onions with cold water to stop the cooking.
5. Discard the lightly salted water and replace with the dashi, mirin, and soy sauce mixture. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.
6. Simmer the snow peas and pearl onions until heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Discard the simmering liquid.

Place the snow peas and pearl onions in a shallow bowl. Place the heated pork belly on top with a few tablespoons of the braising liquid. The braising liquid will be strongly flavored — a little goes a long way.

Serve with a dab of Japanese or Dijon mustard.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Pork Belly Recipe – Braised in Soy and Dashi

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2. Crackling Pork Belly Roast
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5. Baby-Back Pork Ribs Adobo
6. Feed a Crowd: Red Cooked Pork Shoulder

Dongpo Pork is a minimalist recipe for braised pork belly that needs only a few Chinese pantry staples — ginger, scallions, soy sauce, and Shaoxing rice wine. Ever ordered anything “drunken” at your local Chinese restaurant? Odds are you’ve had Shaoxing. It is the most widely used rice wine in Chinese cookery so invest in a good quality bottle if you plan to fire up the wok often.

Hangzhou braised pork belly shamelessly celebrates fat as the main ingredient. There is no browning or searing in this version, a step usually called for when braising meats, presumably to prevent the fat and skin from taking on any texture other than gelatinous. As the meat simmers underneath the ebony liquid to produce a rich broth, the fat on top steams into wobbly silkiness that is neither solid nor liquid.

I realize that wasn’t the most appetizing description for something you’re supposed to put in your mouth. This is one of those “try it, you’ll like it” recipes.

It takes at least 4 hours to get the best results when making Dongpo Pork. Throw the ingredients in a pot, run errands, do laundry, work out, and come home to a kitchen redolent of ginger and soy sauce. It’s done when the fat, skin, and meat are easily pierced with blunt chopsticks.

recipe adapted from Eileen Yin-fei Lo’s The Chinese Kitchen

東坡肉 (Dong Po Rou)
Hangzhou Braised Pork Belly

makes 8 servings

3 pounds skin-on pork belly, preferably including the ribs
1/4 pound dark brown sugar (about 1/2 cup firmly packed)
7 cups cold water
1/2 cup Shaoxing wine
1-inch piece of ginger, smashed
6 scallions, trimmed and cut into 3 to 4-inch segments
2/3 cup dark soy sauce

Equipment:

• Food-safe string (or banana leaves if you’re a resourceful Filipino)

Notes:

• It’s perfectly fine to braise the pork belly in one piece but where’s the fun in that? Tying up the small pieces keeps the pork belly from falling apart while braising.
• Seek out the more refined Shaoxing wine marked “Hua Tiao Chiew” or “Hua Diao Jiu.” it will have an alcohol content of 16 to 20 percent. Avoid bottles labeled “Shaoxing wine for cooking” — it is low quality, laced with salt, and jarring to the palate.

Instructions:

Politely ask your butcher to cut the pork belly into 2 1/2-inch squares, especially if it still has the ribs intact. Tell your butcher to go easy on the nipple.

Tie each piece of pork belly as tightly as possible with your binding implement of choice. The pork belly will shrink considerably while cooking as its fat is rendered.

In a pan wide enough to hold the pork belly pieces in one layer, mix the dark brown sugar, cold water, Shaoxing wine, smashed ginger, scallions, and soy sauce. Add the pork belly, skin side down, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover the pan, and braise for 30 minutes.

Porky parcels.

Turn the pork belly pieces so that the skin side is up, cover, and braise for another 3 hours. The pork should be immersed about halfway. The liquid will be reduced by about half towards the end of cooking.

To Serve:

Serve with plain rice or steamed buns. Since the banana leaves don’t count, do yourself a favor and serve the pork belly with simply-cooked vegetables. It’s always a good idea to have some greens on the table, but in this case, it’s mandatory.

X marks the spot.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Braised Pork Belly – Hangzhou Dongpo Pork

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5. Feed a Crowd: Red Cooked Pork Shoulder
6. Baby-Back Pork Ribs Adobo

The pork adobo of choice in our quaint little household in Quezon City was made with liempo, the cut also known as pork belly, source of wonderful things such as bacon and high blood pressure. Unabashedly lardy from slowly simmering pork in soy sauce and vinegar, pork adobo requires ungodly amounts of steamed rice, lest my menacing older brothers pilfer my share and make me wait for the next batch.

Adobo is always served with rice and it’s unimaginable to have it any other way. We get nervous when our rice supply dwindles so we always kept several 50-kilogram sacks in the kitchen. Having all of those rice sacks on hand seemed to serve a dual purpose — sustenance, first and foremost, and breakwater for typhoons, in case of emergency.

Countless meals of thick-cut pork belly with a meat-to-fat ratio of 1:1 defined my childhood but it doesn’t sound as good an idea now as it was back then. Baby-back ribs adobo is not diet food by any means, but this recipe improves the ratio to, oh I don’t know, 3:1. Braising collagen-rich ribs produces a lip-smacking sauce like no other cut and it goes great with, you guessed it, steamed white rice.

World Food Day hosted by More than Burnt Toast

recipe adapted from Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan’s Memories of Philippine Kitchens

Pork Baby-Back Ribs Adobo
Adobong Tadyang ng Baboy

makes 4 to 6 servings

For the Marinade:

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons rock or kosher salt
3 bay leaves
12 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
whole fresh chiles, to taste (optional)

1 side baby-back ribs, about 2 pounds

Notes:

• Keep the baby-back ribs whole and let it cool completely in the braising liquid, preferably refrigerated overnight, before grilling or broiling to serve. It may seem unnecessary but it does make a big difference in improving the taste and texture of this adobo.

Instructions:

Mix all of the marinade ingredients in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Add the baby-back ribs and turn in the marinade to coat. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 250ºF / 121ºC. Pour enough boiling water in the baking dish such that the ribs are halfway immersed in liquid. Cover the baking dish tightly with the aluminum foil. Braise the baby-back ribs in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone.

If serving the next day, let cool to room temperature in the braising liquid while uncovered before storing in the refrigerator.

Braised baby-back ribs adobo.

To Serve:

Prepare a grill or preheat a broiler. Slice the baby-back ribs into 1 or 2-rib portions. Grill or broil until browned on both sides and thoroughly heated through, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Strain the braising liquid to remove the whole peppercorns and bay leaves. Heat the sauce over high heat and reduce until slightly thickened. Pour over the grilled or broiled baby-back ribs and serve with rice.

Tagalog 101: Nasaan ang kanin? (Where is the rice?)

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Baby-Back Pork Ribs Adobo

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Cooking for a small crowd can be really stressful for the budding Michael Chiarello. However, it can be one of the most fun things you can do for friends and family. There is something perversely satisfying with making something delicious and sharing it with people you really really care about. A lot of things can go wrong but there are a few things I always do when having a few guests over:

1. Have lots of booze. If the food sucks, a good buzz makes it better.
2. Make most of the food ahead of time.
3. Hope and pray that there are no vegetarians.

This Shanghai recipe for slowly cooked pork starts off with a quick sear in copious amounts of hot oil. There is a lot of potential for an unintentional burn ward visit so use a really hot oven to brown if uncomfortable with the idea of lowering a hunk of pig in hot oil.

Red cooked pork shoulder, like most braised and slow-cooked meats, is much better made a day ahead. The sauce is slightly sweet and rendered aromatic from the use of eight-star anise, cinnamon sticks, and ginger.

recipe adapted from Eileen Yin-fei Lo’s The Chinese Kitchen

Red Cooked Pork Shoulder
Jau Yau Tai Pong

5 to 6 pound skin-on pork shoulder
1 cup + 2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 1/2 cups peanut oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 pieces eight-star anise
2 three-inch cinnamon sticks
4 scallions, trimmed and cut into thirds
2 one-inch slices ginger, peeled
10 cups cold water
1/3 cup Shao-Hsing wine
1 1/2 teaspoons powdered red rice (optional)

Notes:

• The powdered red rice can be difficult to find but doesn’t really add anything other than that authentic shade of red. For a more vibrant reddish tint, add the red rice towards the last half hour of cooking.

Red rice, inexplicably labeled “yeast”

Wash the pork shoulder with cold water while scraping the skin with a knife. Dry thoroughly with paper towels. Rub the pork shoulder with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and let rest for at least 15 minutes.

Heat the peanut oil in a hot wok over high heat. The oil temperature should be around 375ºF.

The pork shoulder I used weighed 15 pounds and won’t fit in my largest pot so I had to cut off the shank. I used it for a searing test run:

The skin immediately started getting small white bubbles and the smell reminded me of chicharrón. Sear the pork shoulder on all sides. Ladle hot oil over the meat for 1 to 2 minutes or turn if necessary. Remove the pork shoulder from the wok.

Place the pork shoulder in a large pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Add as much liquid as needed to completely immerse the pork shoulder.

Bring to a boil then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Try to keep the liquid at 185ºF. Cook for anywhere from 6-12 hours, depending on the size of the pork shoulder. It’s ready when the meat pulls away easily from the bone.

Cool to room temperature and refrigerate overnight. Reheat gently before serving.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Feed a Crowd: Red Cooked Pork Shoulder

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2. Braised Pork Belly – Hangzhou Dongpo Pork
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5. Baby-Back Pork Ribs Adobo
6. Crackling Pork Belly Roast

I’m always looking for flavor combinations I’ve never tried before. The less ingredients there are, the more appealing it is because tasting how the different components complement each other can help inspire ideas and creativity in the kitchen. In this recipe, pork shoulder is slowly braised in orange juice, oregano, and garlic resulting in a savory combination of sweet, salty, and a hint of sourness.

recipe adapted from Diana Kennedy’s Essential Cuisines of Mexico

Puerco en Naranja
Pork Cooked in Orange Juice

5 pounds pork shoulder butt
5 garlic cloves, crushed
salt, to taste
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
12 peppercorns
zest of 1 orange (optional)
3 oranges

Notes:

• In the original recipe, the pork is roasted in an oven but I prefer adding a little water and braising on the stovetop.
• The braising liquid will be reduced to create a sauce so use a light hand when seasoning the pork.

Crush the garlic, salt, oregano, and peppercorns. Moisten with the juice and zest of 1 orange then rub the mixture into the pork. Set aside for 1 hour or leave in the refrigerator overnight.

Place the pork in a dutch oven or heavy casserole and moisten with the juice of a second orange. Include the orange rinds in the pot. Add enough water to immerse half of the pork. Bring to a boil over high heat on the stovetop, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer while covered with a tight lid. Braise for 2 to 3 hours. Let cool to room temperature.

To Serve:

Reduce the braising liquid over high heat until thickened. Feel free to add more fresh orange juice to the liquid to freshen the sauce. While the sauce is reducing, thinly slice the meat then broil until slightly charred to help develop more flavor. Drizzle the sauce over the meat and add thinly sliced oranges if desired. The sweetness of the sliced oranges seems to play well with its more savory cousin in the reduced sauce.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Pork Shoulder Braised with Oranges – Puerco en Naranja

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2. Braised Pork Belly – Hangzhou Dongpo Pork
3. Afelia – Pork Braised with Red Wine and Coriander Seeds
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5. Flan de Naranja – Orange Custard
6. Baby-Back Pork Ribs Adobo

This simple recipe for making succulent morsels of carnitas requires nothing more than pork, salt, and water. Whereas braising usually calls for searing the meat before cooking slowly in liquid, this method is the exact opposite. The pieces of pork shoulder are slowly simmered first then browned in its own rendered fat.

recipe adapted from Diana Kennedy’s Essential Cuisines of Mexico

Carnitas
Little Pieces of Browned Pork

3 pounds skinless and boneless pork shoulder
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

Notes:

• Make carnitas on your not-so-well-maintained cast iron skillet and it will be perfectly seasoned after a few times.

Cut the meat into small pieces. In a heavy pan, arrange the pieces of pork in a single layer and cover with water. It’s fine to crowd the pan initially –  the pieces of meat will shrink after some of the fat is rendered.

Bring to a boil then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer while uncovered. It may take around 2 hours for the liquid to completely evaporate.

Once all of the water has evaporated, turn the pieces of meat until lightly crusty and browned all over. Serve immediately.

It doesn’t have to be served with guacamole, fresh salsa, and tacos. Since this carnitas is simply seasoned with salt, try adding it to anything that could use fork-tender bits of pork.

This is a post from Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Carnitas

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1. Feed a Crowd: Red Cooked Pork Shoulder
2. Pork Shoulder Braised with Oranges – Puerco en Naranja
3. Baby-Back Pork Ribs Adobo
4. Afelia – Pork Braised with Red Wine and Coriander Seeds
5. Braised Pork Belly – Hangzhou Dongpo Pork
6. Pork Belly Recipe – Braised in Soy and Dashi