Use for sparerib trimmings - Carnitas

[adam clyde]

so, I have a freezer full of trimmings from spareribs that I've smoked recently (I don't like to cook them with the normal ribs) and I was debating what to do with them. Then I had the epiphany... Carnitas.

Carnitas, in my opinion, is everything that is good in the world. Slowly deep-fried pork in a taco. Life just doesn't get better.

All you do is add your trimmings into a big ole' pot (probably need to cut so it is in manageable sizes), then throw in the peel of an orange, then put in enough real lard so it covers the pork. Then you bring it up to a simmer and let it cook in the lard for an hour or two... you don't want it to crisp - you want it to slowly cook in the lard. Think duck confit.

Anyhow, once you've let it cook slowly in the lard for a few hours, you turn up the heat for just a few minutes so the pork gets a very mild slight crisp on the outside. Then you drain it, salt it, and chop it up (don't remove all the fat) and you have the greatest filling for tacos ever.

 

[Shawn W]

That sounds really good Adam, thanks. My never ending list of things to try just grew again.

I bet this would be good with beef chuck (blade) too.

Maybe smoke the meat in WSM for a few hours first?

I have a recipe for Beef Chilupas (little canoes) that I have always wanted to try where you use corn meal to make the canoes and deep fry them. I think this would make a fantastic filling.

 

[John Heutz]

wow...that sounds pretty good!!! Being a newbie, I've only done 1 rib cook. After trimming up the ribs, I cooked the skirt and ends along with the rib slabs. The skirt meat was ready in just a couple hours but the ends took a bit longer. I took them off after about 4-5 hours or so. Cut all the meat away from the bone, coarsely chopped it and put in all in a pyrex dish with some of the BBQ sauce and let them sit for 2 days in the fridge. The ribs were excellent but the now boneless ends were the real treat!!! Took it to work and there was nothing left but an empty dish and questions on when I was going to bring more in.

 

[K Kruger]

Great idea. And good idea as a chalupa filling too.

 

[Nick P.]

Couple of weeks ago I took all of my uncooked spare rib trimmings and seasoned with bbq rub and grilled. Had them on sandwiches and they tasted great, like a boneless rib sandwich!

 

[Jim Babek]

I take the trimmings, throw them in a foodsaver and mark the weight on the lip of the bag. Save them up and make sausage when I have enough.

 

[Peter O.]

I debone the trimmings, and then separate them into stips and skewer them. I season and smoke them for 3 hours and then serve them to the hungry mobs threatening my smoker. They are fabulous. If I can, I steal them away to prevent having to share them.

 

[Shawn W]

Originally posted by Peter O.:
I debone the trimmings, and then separate them into stips and skewer them. I season and smoke them for 3 hours and then serve them to the hungry mobs threatening my smoker. They are fabulous. If I can, I steal them away to prevent having to share them.

I did the exact same thing with trimmed skirt meat from my last 12 racks of spares. In this manner, the skewers did fine IMHO with the same cooking duration as the ribs, which was a concern.

 

[Alan D]

Ok, add another one to the list of things to do with sparerib trimmings...curry.

My wife made the most excellent curry tonight using the trimmings from yesterday's spareribs.

 

[Dustin_J]

I will second that Carnitas are everything that is right with food. I make them frequently by just boiling down 1-1/2" cubes of pork with just enough water (and a bit of lemon peel) to cover them and then frying them in their own rendered fat until brown and slightly crispy once all of the water boils away. A little salt and maybe some pepper and you've got some mighty fine eating.