Platter of Carnitas with Heart and a plate of butterleaf lettuce tacos with Carnitas
This past spring, I bought a half pig from a local farm. My friend McCullough helped me break it down into cuts for my family. Since then, we’ve eaten our way through the chest freezer and only a single heart remained from that little pig. In gratitude to all that made this possible, I made Carnitas with Heart as the last dish from that slaughter.
For weeks I had been wondering, ‘What could I do with that last heart?’ Heart needs to be prepared rare, or slow and low. I didn’t want to go rare with the pork heart, so knew I needed to go slow and low to break down all the connective tissue. Yet, I wanted to add a bit more to the meal. So I picked another one of our favorite pork dishes, added the heart, and prepared it all together. It worked well.
The County Fair
Admittedly, the idea of buying the whole animal isn’t foreign to me. When I was growing up, every year our family bought a 4H-raised animal from the county fair. My mom could choose the cuts and how much sausage she wanted made. (Yet, I don’t remember any organs. I’m sure my mom instructed the butcher to toss them!) She didn’t have an interest in butchering, but I’m sure my grandparents knew how.
So we did that pretty much every year. Except for the year that a teary-eyed boy called and asked for his calf back. My parents said as long as it hadn’t already walked down to the processor, they’d be happy to give it back. So our chest freezer probably sat mostly empty that year.
Feeding a growing family
Meanwhile, as my own family has grown, the practical size of cuts for our family has also grown. It’s hard to find roasts to feed a family of six and still provide a decent amount of leftovers – a whole second meal later in the week and ideally enough for lunches too.
Plus, pastured and grass-fed, grass-finished animals are not cheap, but are less expensive in bulk. So it seems the only thing to do is to move toward buying the whole animal. Of course, I’m also happy to take all the organs and then some.
I get by with a little help from my friends
Katie from Timberfeast Farms delivered the half pig to the loading dock of my condo building after a long day. McCullough from the Chicago Meat Collective came by to show me what to do.
And at the last minute, my friend (and photographer) Eileen said she could swing by, too. I hadn’t asked other friends earlier because I knew they were vegetarians; I didn’t realize she was, too! (Though she says in Ireland, where she’s from, all this is very common. She told us about many typical Irish dishes!)
In the end, McCullough guided me through the process. Mindful of anatomy and by learning to pay attention to the seams, I feel confident I could do it again. And with the opportunity to choose my cuts and bring down the cost – I definitely will.
Carnitas with Heart
I prepared the pork shoulder and heart by soaking in acid for 24 hours to break down proteins. This is a traditional preparation that, along with curing, changes how our blood is affected by eating pork. Any acid or vinegar will do; for Carnitas with Heart, lime juice is best.
Marinated pork heart and picnic cut after 24 hours in lime juice
This recipe is adapted from the Carnitas recipe in Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food.
Notice I cut the heart pieces much smaller than the pork shoulder. The pork shoulder will fall apart with little effort; however, the heart will not. But don’t worry, it will be super tender. Just make sure you start by cutting the heart down to bite size pieces to start. Also, I cut the meat into pieces after soaking, but next time I would do it before and I’ve made that modification to the recipe below. Technically, either way will work.
Pork heart and pork shoulder covered with water to start braising
And so with gratitude, we enjoyed this meal. A deliberate recognition of how connected and interconnected we are to everything around us. So many helping hands and so much love and care – not just in this meal – but in every meal.
Simple Carnitas with Heart
Notes
Prep meat and marinade a day in advance. More than half the cooking time is hands off.
Ingredients
- 2.5-3 lb boneless pork shoulder
- 1 pork heart
- 1 c fresh-squeezed lime juice
- salt
Instructions
- Dry pork shoulder and heart. Cut shoulder into 1-inch cubes and heart into half-inch cubes.
- Place pork shoulder and heart in a dish that comfortably fits in your fridge so that it can marinate. Pour fresh squeezed lime juice over the pork and let rest in juices. Marinate for 24 hours, mixing the meat in the marinade at least once.
- Add meat to a large pot so that the cubes generally fit in one layer. Add water to barely but completely cover the meat and add one teaspoon salt. Stir in salt and place on high heat. As the water comes to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cover pot. Simmer, covered, for at least an hour or so.
- After an hour, remove lid from pot, increase heat to high and allow water to evaporate. When you can start to hear the sizzles in the pot and the water has mostly evaporated, turn down the heat to medium, stir occasionally and fry the meat in the rendered fat remaining in the pan until some pieces have browned. Taste and add more salt if needed. Build your favorite tacos or eat with your fingers straight out of your pan.
Yum!