Carnitas (literally translated as 'little meats') are also found in every part of Mexico. Even the smallest villages will usually have someone that makes Carnitas- at least on the weekends. As a main dish with a fresh Salsa Mexicana or Salsa Verde topped with come chopped cilantro, or chopped or shredded as a filling for Tacos or Quesadillas, Carnitas are wonderfull. You can find lots of recipes for Carnitas in cookbooks but if you have ever eaten really good Carnitas all of these recipes will be a disappointment. "Why?", you ask. Well, I'm gonna tell you why. Carnitas are simply deep fried pork - crispy on the outside and fallin' off the bone tender and juicy on the inside. I love them and tried for years to make Carnitas for my restaurant that were as good as they served in the big Carnitas restaurants..... not possible. The reason is that all the big Carnitas places have huge cauldrons, big enough to fry pieces of pork the size of a turkey. The result is that by the time the outside is beautifully browned and crispy the inside is cooked just right. When you try to cook small amounts to order by the time the outside is brown and crispy the inside is overcooked and dry. Hey, it's still good and if you've never had the real thing you'll probably like it a lot. I think I've finally got it. It's not original, though. I stole this recipe from an old guy in Rosarita Beach - and while it's not exactly the same as the big guys, it's really good... and you don't have to deep fry a whole pig. It's not exactly health food ... but what the hey! This version is wonderful for summertime cookouts, way easier than ribs or chicken and most of the work is done in advance.

PARTS LIST

A big chunk of pork (I'd say 6 or 7 pounds minimum). Bone in or boneless? - doesn't matter, get whatever is cheapest. Lean or fatty? - fatty is probably better. Cheap or expensive? - the cheaper the better (the more expensive cuts such as loin is probably too lean and will tend to dry out).

1 or 2 onions Cut in quarters. You don't even have to peel them/it.

1 bunch of cilantro You don't even have to chop it.

a handful of fresh chiles Jalapeno or serranos will be just fine.

Coke or Pepsi - No diet stuff please.

water

LET'S DO IT !

Put everything into a large covered pan and cover it with a 50/50 mix of water and cola -- I know, I know, but trust me. The cola has something in it that does something really nice to the meat. Bring it to a boil then turn it down to a simmer - put the cover on and simmer slowly 'til the meat is really, really tender. Probably a minimum of an hour and a half maybe more... check it. If the liquid boils away add more coke/water. Take the pork out and let it cool. If you wrap it and keep it in the fridge it lasts for a long time. So now that you have this big chunk of tender pork, how do you turn it into Carnitas? There's a couple of ways. My favorite way is to just throw it on the BBQ - when it's all crispy and brown on one side turn it over and brown the other. Since it's already cooked it takes very little time. You want it real crispy on the outside. Chop it up and serve it with some hot corn and flour tortillas and some fresh Salsas and Guacamole and maybe some beans (recipe coming up next issue) some green onions that you've thrown on the barby and some radishes and ---- hey, baby you've got a real Mexican cookout going. The other way is to cut the pork into billiard ball size pieces and deep fry them 'til they're real crispy on the outside --- chop them into bite size pieces and serve them.