Cuban Fried Pork Chunks – ChatterRecipe July 2013

Masitas de Puerco or Cuban Fried Pork Chunks

Masitas de Puerco/Cuban Fried Pork Chunks © Steve Giralt

For this month’s recipe I asked last year’s July ChatterArtist and food photographer Steve Giralt to share both a recipe and an image with us. And the timing was perfect since his brand new and very own First Generation Cuban-American Cookbook will be available from July 15, 2013! And the tasty recipe that Steve shared with us from the book is Masitas de Puerco, or Cuban Fried Pork Chunks, which serves six. Ironically (or not) when I asked Atlanta-based food photographer and another Cancer, Iain Bagwell to do the same thing last July, he too gave us a dish with “pork” as the main ingredient! Coincidence… Or not…

Steve says, “Many cookbooks are written by very talented and passionate chefs who live, breathe, and eat food day in and day out. Their knowledge of ingredients, spices, flavors, and culinary techniques is unparalleled, and the food they create can be unlike anything you’ve ever tasted. I am not a famous chef nor do I even aspire to be a famous chef! I don’t cook food for a living, nor do I even cook dinner every night. Oh yea, I’m not even really Cuban; I was born in Miami to Cuban parents making me a first generation Cuban American. So how am I qualified to write a Cuban cookbook?

…I have the unusual job of photographing food for a living. Making food look mouth-wateringly delicious and tasty in photographs is what I do; it’s my art, and I understand it. I feel I have the same passion for photographing food as many chefs have for cooking food. It is that passion which was the catalyst for me making this cookbook. Beyond my passion for photographing food, I love cooking and eating Cuban food! It’s part of my being…

…This is not a cookbook with hundreds of recipes, it’s a small selection of just 20 recipes that are at the heart of Cuban food and you can’t go wrong making any of them. If I can make these, so can you! These are delicious, foolproof recipes that are guaranteed to make everyone at the dinner table happy. Beyond the recipes, this book was photographed and designed to be a work of art. It was printed by a printer that does lots of art books for museums, on the very best paper stock, in order to make the images look amazing.”

Ingredients:

2 ½ pounds fresh Boneless Country Style Pork Ribs or Boneless Pork Shoulder

¼ cup Lemon Juice

¼ cup Lime Juice

½ cup Orange Juice

10 Garlic Cloves (minced)

1 large Spanish Onion (diced)

1 cup Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Oregano

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

2 cups Water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Recipe:

1.     Cut Pork Ribs into 2” chunks and put in bowl.

2.     Mix together Marinade by combining Lemon JuiceLime JuiceOrange JuiceGarlicChopped Onion, ½ cup Olive OilOreganoGround CuminGarlic PowderOnion Powder, and 1 teaspoon Saltand pour over Pork chunks.

3.     Cover and marinate for at least 3 hours or ideally overnight in the refrigerator.

4.     Remove Meat from Marinade, reserve 1/2 of the Marinade for use later.

5.     In a large wide pot or Dutch oven place 2 cups of Water, ½ cup Olive Oil, the Pork chunks and the reserved Marinade. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let the Water evaporate out until you are left with just the Oil. This should take about 30 minutes.

6.    You must be careful once most of the Water is gone because the Meat can burn quickly if you’re not careful. Turn the Meat so it browns on all sides, and then remove from pot.

7.     Season with Salt and Pepper and serve warm with a squeeze of Lime on top.

8.     Serve with Rice and Black Beans.

2 thoughts on “Cuban Fried Pork Chunks – ChatterRecipe July 2013

  1. Ive been boiling it out for almost 1.5 hrs now and the meat is still slightly dry. For the first 30 mins I left the pot covered.. ooops.. but then after realizing I had to uncover I removed the top. I have it at low med heat… any recommendations? It doesn’t seem overcooked but it’s just taking a while to boil off.

    • The recipe tells you to “marinate” for several hours, not cook it for that long! Please read the recipe again. Thanks.

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