Roast me!
I would say winter is the perfect time to roast some meats, but honestly, any time of year will do!
I'm not much of a storyteller when it comes to recipes, but maybe that's a skill developed over time. What I will say about these recipes is that they were both made after careful research and crafted with love and care.
The short ribs are a recipe I've made several times over the years and I think this was my best version yet! Admittedly I still have to Google the best kind of red wine for cooking (cabernet BTW) but this recipe is always worth getting the best ingredients and taking time to do it right. Check it out!
Braised Short Ribs
Short ribs (get ‘em meaty)
A bottle of cooking red wine, cabernet sauvignon (don’t go cheap, get something decent!)
Beef broth (4 cups)
Onion (small, diced)
Garlic (minced)
Mushrooms (get your favorite kind, you can also add in celery or carrots if you want more veggies)
Salt
Cracked black pepper
Cooking oil
Rinse your meat (always)!
Season your ribs with salt and cracked black pepper - be generous!
Heat up a few tablespoons of cooking oil in a Durch oven pot, brown meat on all sides, and remove.
Cook onions, garlic, and mushrooms then add the entire bottle of red and let it simmer!
When the wine reduces to a cup, add the ribs back to the pot along with with beef broth.
Place in the oven at 325 for three hours.
Remove from the over and place on the top of the stove to skim the fat.
Bring to a high simmer for half an hour until the contents brown.
Serve with your favorite sides!
Now, on to the carnitas! Let me tell you, I am someone who has had their fair share of carnitas in various types:chopped, shredded, chunked, beer-braised, cola-cooked, you name it! When I looked up various recipes the carnitas were always cooked in lard, and I needed a bit of a substitute so I used shortening. Another swap is using beer instead of Mexican Coca-Cola which is typically utilized. (Side note: Mexican Coca-Cola is specific because it is made with real sugar and not high fructose corn syrup, so subbing with our Coke is not the same.) Honestly, I just wanted the beer flavor to cook into my pork (and to have some beer to drink afterwards!) Whatever you choose, keep the amounts consistent, here is the recipe!
Carnitas con cerveza
Pork butt
Shortening or lard
Beer or Mexican Coca-Cola
Oranges
Onion
Garlic
Mojo marinade
Adobo seasoning
Black pepper
Clove
Cumin
Bay leaves
Clean your meat (always!)
Marinate in the mojo seasoning overnight.
Drain marinade and cut pork into chunks. Season with adobo, black pepper, cumin, and some clove.
Melt the lard or shortening in a large pot. Make sure it is enough grease to cover the pork.
Cook the pork enough to brown it, then add halved onions and several whole cloves of garlic.
Squeeze oranges and put in the fruit along with a few large bay leaves.
Add 1-1.5 cups of beer or Coke, and equal parts water.
Cook at a high simmer for roughly 2.5 hours stirring every 15-20 minutes to prevent pork from sticking and burning.
When the fluid is sufficiently reduced and pork is browned, turn off and remove from heat.
Serve with tortillas or rice.
Hopefully you can take these recipes and make them your own by adding your own special touches. Please share your pictures with us at Where Are The Webbs? Or share some recipes you would like us to recreate or try!