Packed full of tasty goodness. A simple “skinny” version of Pork Carnitas that is low fat. Start with a pork tenderloin cut and spice it up. Brown on the stove top and then braise in the oven with a citrus infused liquid. Finish with some browning and you will be the kitchen hero.
I’m fat ad-versed. The traditional carnitas are chicks of fatty spiced up pork shoulder rendered in it owns fat. Most versions use some citrus for taste and spicing is variable. I’m taking away the fat and using pork tenderloin to keep things tender and tasty.
Rating
A solid 5.
Notes: I your ideas of Carnitas revolves around the rendered fat, this is not your carnitas. If you want healthier tasty goodness, this is for you. I have made the traditional version with all the fat and I think it took me 2 hours to clean the messy kitchen. Great taste but not worth the work at home. These are worth the work. To clean up just soak the pan for a few hours and things clean up easily.
Heat 2 T vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat.
Start with about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of pork tenderloin. I used one large but 2 smaller ones would be fine. Just a few more left overs. Rinse and pat dry. Remove silverskin and extra fat. Cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes.
Mince one jalapeno without seeds and two cloves of garlic.
Mixed pork, the jalapeno, the garlic, 1 t kosher salt, 1/2 t pepper, 1 t cumin, and 1 t paprika. Mix well until pork is covered.
Saute the pork over medium high heat until well browned. About 10 minutes.
When pork is browned well, remove from heat. Add 1 1/2 cup chicken broth along with the juice of one orange and one lime. Scrap the bottom of the pan to loosen up the built up fond (browned bits and caramelized drippings on the bottom of the pan).
Place covered in a 325 degree oven (no need to preheat) for 2 hours undisturbed.
After 2 hours, increase oven temperature to 425 degrees and remove lid. Cook another 20 minutes or so until all fluid is gone.
While the carnitas are finishing in the oven, cut up one green pepper, one red pepper and one large onion and saute with 2 t oil over medium high heat until tender and browning.
Remove the carnitas and if there is any fond in the pan, add the veggies and scrap the fond loss with a wooden spoon to get that taste.
Serve on tortillas.
Healthier Pork Carnitas with Pork Tenderloin
by DrDan at 101 Cooking for Two July-7-2013
Packed full of tasty goodness. A simple “skinny” version of Pork Carnitas that is low fat. Start with a pork tenderloin cut and spice it up. Brown on the stove top and then braise in the oven with a citrus infused liquid. Finish with some browning and you will be the kitchen hero.
Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 pounds pork tenderloin
1 jalapeno cored and seeded chopped
2 cloves garlic minced or crushed
1 t cumin
1 t paprika
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t pepper
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 orange
1 lime
Serving
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 large onion
sour cream, tortillas, etc
Instructions
1) Heat 2 T vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat.2) Start with about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of pork tenderloin. I used one large but 2 smaller ones would be fine. Just a few more left overs. Rinse and pat dry. Remove silverskin and extra fat. Cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes. 3) Mince one jalapeno without seeds and two cloves of garlic.4) Mixed pork, the jalapeno, the garlic, 1 t kosher salt, 1/2 t pepper, 1 t cumin, and 1 t paprika. Mix well until pork is covered.5) Saute the pork over medium high heat until well browned. About 10 minutes.6) When pork is browned well, remove from heat. Add 1 1/2 cup chicken broth along with the juice of one orange and one lime. Scrap the bottom of the pan to loosen up the built up fond (browned bits and caramelized drippings on the bottom of the pan). 7) Place covered in a 325 degree oven (no need to preheat) for 2 hours undisturbed. 8) After 2 hours, increase oven temperature to 425 degrees and remove lid. Cook another 20 minutes or so until all fluid is gone.9) While the carnitas are finishing in the oven, cut up one green pepper, one red pepper and one large onion and saute with 2 t oil over medium high heat until tender and browning.10) Remove the carnitas and if there is any fond in the pan, add the veggies and scrap the fond loss with a wooden spoon to get that taste.11) Serve on tortillas.
Details
Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 2 hour 30 mins Total time: 2 hour 35 mins Yield: 4 servings
BBQ at its absolute tastiness. This is the best grill pork tenderloin… period. Moist, tender and the most wonderful spicy taste.
Memphis BBQ Pork Tenderloin is the most common recipe people clam as their all time favorite from my site. It had a special spot on my site for a year and a half as “My One Must Try Recipe”. And I called it the best meal I had ever grilled at the time and it probably still is. It really is that good.
When the local school superintendent mentioned it last weekend, I realize I hadn’t grilled this for over a year and I couldn’t remember the ingredients (which I almost always can). The next morning, I peaked at some site stats and zero page views in the previous 30 hours. I was horrified. It is so time for a re-post.
I start with a well trimmed pork tenderloin. You need to get the silverskin and any other membranes off so the brine and the dry rub can do their thing. Brine for a few hours to make that already moist and tender meat even moister. A dry rub to add flavor for a few hours. Then let rest at room temp for 30 minutes prior to grilling. This allow you get to the correct internal temperature easier without over cooking the spicy crust.
Rating
At the time of the original, I rated it 9.7 which was the highest ever at that time.
Notes: You can skip the brine and suffer a little decrease in moisture
and tenderness. It is not absolutely necessary to rest at room temp but
you will get to the desired internal temp on the grill easier if you can
get some warm up before grilling as the grill preheats.
Great BBQ requires great sauce. Try this one. Link to the wonderful Memphis BBQ Sauce
Start with a simple brine. 4 cups cold water, 4 T table salt, 3 T brown sugar. Mix well in a one gallon food storage bag.
Trim a pork tenderloin of any silverskin, loose fat and membranes.
Add the tenderloin to the brine and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours.
Mix the Memphis dry rub: 2 T paprika, 1 T brown sugar, 1 t black pepper, 1/2 t chili powder, 1/4 to 1/2 t cayenne pepper, 1/2 t dry mustard, 1/2 t garlic powder, 1/2 t onion powder, 1 T kosher salt – only add if not brining
When the tenderloin is done brining, rinse under running water and pat dry with a paper towel. This will remove the brining salt from the surface.
Place on a piece of plastic wrap about 6 inches longer than the tenderloin. Rub all sides of the loin well with the rub reserving about 1/4 of the rub for later.
Roll the tenderloin tightly in the plastic wrap, seal the ends and refrigerate for 1 -2 hours. Longer is OK.
Remove from refrigerator, unwrap and rub with
the remainder of the rub on all sides and allow to rest at room temp for
20-30 minutes. Preheat grill. You want a surface temp of about 500 degrees. That is medium high on my super duper Weber. High on lesser grills. Clean and oil the grill well. This last step is important or it will stick.
Grill for 5-6 minutes per side and then decrease heat a little
and continue to flip about every 5-6 minutes until internal temp of 150.
About 25 minutes total. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting.
Serve with Memphis BBQ sauce.
My Best Grilled Pork Tenderloin – Memphis Style
by DrDan at 101 Cooking for Two May-2-2013
BBQ at its absolute tastiness. This is the best grill pork tenderloin… period. Moist, tender and the most wonderful spicy taste.
Memphis BBQ Pork Tenderloin is the most common recipe people clam as their all time favorite from my site. It had a special spot on my site for a year and a half as “My One Must Try Recipe”. And I called it the best meal I had ever grilled at the time and it probably still is. It really is that good.
Ingredients
1 pork tenderloin
Brine
4 cups water
4 T table salt
3 T brown sugar
Dry Rub
2 T paprika
1 T brown sugar
1 t black pepper
1/2 t chili powder
1/4 to 1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1 T kosher salt – only add if not brining
Instructions
1) Start with a simple brine. 4 cups cold water, 4 T table salt, 3 T brown sugar. Mix well in a one gallon food storage bag.2) Trim a pork tenderloin of any silverskin, loose fat and membranes. Add the tenderloin to the brine and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours.3) Mix the Memphis dry rub: 2 T paprika, 1 T brown sugar, 1 t black pepper, 1/2 t chili powder, 1/4-1/2 t cayenne pepper, 1/2 t dry mustard, 1/2 t garlic powder, 1/2 t onion powder, 1 T kosher salt- only add if you do not brine4) When the tenderloin is done brining, rinse under running water and pat dry with a paper towel. This will remove the brining salt from the surface.5) Place on a piece of plastic wrap about 6 inches longer than the tenderloin. Rub all sides of the loin well with the rub reserving about 1/4 of the rub for later.6) Roll the tenderloin tightly in the plastic wrap, seal the ends and refrigerate for 1 -2 hours. Longer is OK.7) Remove from refrigerator, unwrap and rub with the remainder of the rub on all sides and allow to rest at room temp for 20-30 minutes. 8) Preheat grill. You want a surface temp of about 500 degrees. That is medium high on my super duper Weber. High on lesser grills. Clean and oil the grill well. This last step is important or it will stick.9) Grill for 5-6 minutes per side and then decrease heat a little and continue to flip about every 5-6 minutes until internal temp of 150. About 25 minutes total. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting. 10) Let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4 servings
I am all about crispy potatoes. They are probably my favorite way to eat potatoes, second only to those covered in a cheese sauce… I’ve found that too often I am faced with potatoes that are cooked just until fork tender rather than to the point of crisping their edges. I don’t like potatoes in general that much so if I am going to eat them, I would like for them to at least be good.
My Husband loooooves potatoes so I end up making them a lot as a side for dinner. He will eat them any way I serve them, as long as they are plain without any cheese or anything on them (which makes me sad). Since I have a preference though, I always try and crisp up our oven roasted potatoes. So that is what I am going to share with you. And it isn’t so much of a recipe that I have but a technique. I used to just dice up some potatoes, place them on a sheet pan, toss them with oil and seasonings, then put them in the oven. While most of that has remained the same, I’ve learned a few things.
#1- Avoid russet potatoes. Not all together, just for our purposes here. Russets are a starchy potato, best used for anything that doesn’t need to hold its shape such as mashed potatoes. New potatoes or “waxy” potatoes like the tiny red ones, fingerlings, etc. fall into this category. They hold their shape really well and are great for roasting. I used Yukon Gold potatoes for these wedges since they are large and can be cut into the best wedge shape, but you can use any of the new potatoes with the same technique and have wonderful results. Yukon Golds are actually a medium starch variety and can be used well for both mashing and roasting.
#2- Preheat your baking sheet. This allows the potatoes to start cooking almost immediately once they touch the pan. This speeds up the cooking process and creates a crispier exterior.
#3- Oil is your friend. Pleassssse don’t be afraid to use the oil here. Obviously they shouldn’t be swimming in an inch of oil, but the more oil you put on the potatoes, the greater “frying” effect it will have on them and thus- a crispier crust! I usually toss everything, including the oil, in a large bowl before putting on a hot sheet tray and that tends to yield good results.
#4- Be patient! Potatoes take a little while to cook in general, but if you want them to be crispy, they take that much longer. Just keep an eye on them in the oven, toss them after 20 minutes, then just let them go until they are as crisp as you’d like them.
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