Tomorrow I'm making carnitas for guests. Can I combine the Kennedy method with the "cook in lard" method for the best of both?

SKK added over 1 year ago

In Diana Kennedy's notes - Step 4 - she says "Notes: The meat will get more evenly cooked if the dish is rather large and shallow. Do not add too much water at the beginning or the meat will fall apart at the frying stage. If the meat is still fairly hard when the water has evaporated, then add a little more water and continue cooking. Choose pork that has a fair amount of fat or you will have to add some lard for it to brown properly"

If you need to add lard, do it at the final browning if you need to.

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bigpan added over 1 year ago

Ask your butcher for some extra slabs of fat.

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pierino is a trusted source on General Cooking and Tough Love.

added over 1 year ago

Myself, I would brown the meat in lard at the beginning before adding liquid. By the way, lard is good! It will make your kitchen smell like a taco truck.

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Midge added over 1 year ago

Definitely size up your pork shoulder before adding any more lard. I made this with one I bought at WF and I was surprised to find it had plenty of fat already, almost too much.

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I've made this many times and I'd be careful about adding more lard. With the Kennedy method, the fat from the shoulder doesn't get drained off like it would if you cooked them in lard. Instead, it becomes part of the wonderful sauce and flavor of the meat. Adding more lard might make it... yucky is the only word I can think of. And don't get me wrong; I love me some lard. I haven't had a problem of not having enough fat in my meat.

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