Recipes to use up ~2 cups of carnitas-flavored pork stock?

March 27, 2023 11:01 AM

I made carnitas and ended up with a pint mason jar of gelatinous carnitas-flavored stock. I am having some severe decision paralysis. What should I use it for?

Over the weekend I made carnitas in the crock pot (recipe).

They were delicious, as carnitas are. In the aftermath, I have been left with a pint mason jar of gelatinous carnitas-flavored pork broth and I would like to use it up.

I'm good at following recipes, but not really sure what would go well with the carnitas flavor.

Help?

posted by ArgentCorvid to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Use it to make beans, that’s what I do. Obviously, the beans won’t be vegetarian, but they will be good.
posted by snofoam at 11:03 AM on March 27, 2023 [8 favorites]

Refried beans! Or posole.
posted by mokeydraws at 11:04 AM on March 27, 2023 [3 favorites]

Seconding posole, but if you want to change gears with style, you could try one of the many Asian pork-based soups, eg this one with corn, tomato, potato.
posted by SaltySalticid at 11:07 AM on March 27, 2023 [2 favorites]

Soak two cups of dried beans for a few hours in water to cover. Drain, add the broth, half an onion diced up, a stalk of celery if you have it, 0-3 garlic cloves based on your personal taste and a couple bay leaves if you have them. Add water to cover and cook until the beans are done. Remove the bay leaves, garlic and celery. Enjoy as is or blend and fry (ideally with pork lard that you saved from making the carnitas, but vegetable oil is fine) for refried beans. You can also add some diced jalepeño, more onion, some cooked bacon, chorizo, sliced hot dog, etc when the beans are nearly done if you want to take the beans in a more northern direction. You can also add dried chiles (ideally toasted, simmered in water until soft and then blended until smooth).

If you want to get more involved, the broth will make a great base for a mole or it can be mixed into the masa for tamales with a similar flavour profile.
posted by ssg at 11:25 AM on March 27, 2023 [1 favorite]

When I have food based decision paralysis, I rely on seasonality to make my choice clear. It’s early spring in the northern hemisphere. I would use your delicious stock to braise a whole mess of hardy greens. If you can find super fresh delicate spring greens that don’t take to a long cook, simmer the stock down until it’s concentrated and use it to sauce simply steamed greens. You could also braise new carrots, small turnips, or radishes. See what’s growing locally and traveled the least distance to get to you and use your stock to cook that.
posted by Mizu at 12:18 PM on March 27, 2023 [3 favorites]

this might be an odd ball, atypical suggestion but what about risotto?
posted by mmascolino at 1:14 PM on March 27, 2023 [5 favorites]

Beans would be good, yes, but also maybe a tortilla soup?
posted by cooker girl at 1:53 PM on March 27, 2023 [2 favorites]

I would use some to make flour tortillas and use the rest for refried beans.
posted by xueexueg at 2:13 PM on March 27, 2023 [1 favorite]

Nthing pozole OR... go completely out of left field and make soup dumplings. Or I'll freeze really good stock into cubes so I don't have to think about it right now and it's more versatile as an add-in for dishes.
posted by OhHaieThere at 7:06 PM on March 27, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I went with the majority and made refried beans. I did have some of the lard from the carnitas that floated to the top of the jar when I saved the stock. They turned out great.

thanks for all the ideas, everyone!
posted by ArgentCorvid at 6:35 AM on April 7, 2023 [1 favorite]