I don’t indulge in beers too much these days. Let’s face it—without my college metabolism, it just doesn’t sit that well with me (or my hips!) anymore. But I do make exceptions for an occasional New Castle® or Fat Tire® from time to time.
So you can imagine my delight when, as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I was challenged to create a dish that featured and paired with a New Belgium Brewing Company beer. Which includes Fat Tire®! 🙂
I immediately knew that I wanted to incorporate the “hoppy” amber ale into a slow braise pork—ultimately to create Carnitas. By adapting David Lebovitz’ recipe, I was able to achieve tender, flavorful pork that was beautifully crispy on the outside. O…M…G.
Wrapped in warm tortillas and topped with a few spoonfuls of pico de gallo, salsa negra and a squeeze of lime—the Carnitas were Delicioso!!!
I confess, I turned to the local mercado for the fresh tortillas and salsas. I had every intention of making them myself but when I went to the mercado for some ingredients, I encountered these fabulous women making it all from scratch for a fraction of the cost it would take me to make.
Yep. I opted for the shortcut this time. But for the record……this gal can fix up some yummy salsas. 🙂
To wash it all down, I whipped up an homage to Taqueria Tlaquepaque’s Chavelas. Tlaquepaque was one of my beloved taquerias in San Jose that served up AMAZINGLY fresh and delish food. But the food was only 1/2 of the reason why my dear gal friends and I would congregate there. The other half was for the Chavelas —Mexican beer mixed with fresh lime juice and salt. Very few things in life are more refreshing than a frosty goblet of Chavela. True Story.
Turns out that Fat Tire® in a Chavela is PDA. (Translation: Pretty. Darn. Amazing.)
Incorporating Fat Tire® in a dish? Not as difficult as one would think 🙂
And as luck would have it—just in time for Cinco de Mayo!!!
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Fat Tire® Braised Carnitas
Adapted from David Lebovitz
Ingredients:
5 Pounds Boneless Pork Shoulder, cut into 5-inch chunks, trimmed of excess fat
2-3 Tablespoon Sea Salt
2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
2 Bottles Fat Tire® Ale (24 ounces)
1 Cup White Onion, diced
1 Tablespoon Fresh Garlic, finely diced
1 Teaspoon Chile Powder
¼ Teaspoon Paprika
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Powder
¼ Teaspoon Ground Cumin
2 Bay Leaves
Using paper towels, dry off the pork and generously season with salt.
Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the pieces of pork in a single layer until very well-browned, turning them as little as possible so they get nice and dark before flipping them around. If your cooking vessel is too small to cook them in a single-layer, cook them in two batches. Be sure to take your time to get a deep brown color as it enhances the flavor. This usually takes me about 30 minutes to properly brown all the meat.
Once all the pork is browned, remove them from the pot and blot away any excess fat with a paper towel. Discard all but one tablespoon of the grease that remains in the pot. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions to the pot and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional one to two minutes. Then pour in the beer, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release all the brown bits.
Heat the oven to 350F degrees.
Add the pork back to the pot and add the remaining of the seasonings and spices. Braise in the oven uncovered for 3-3½ hours, turning the pork a few times during cooking, until much of the liquid is evaporated and the pork is falling apart. Remove the pan from the oven and lift the pork pieces out of the liquid and set them on a platter.
Once the pork pieces are cool enough to handle, shred them into bite-sized pieces discarding any big chunks of fat. Return the pork pieces back to the roasting pan and cook in the oven, turning occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the pork is crispy and caramelized.
Serve with corn tortillas and your choice of salsas and toppings.
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Fat Tire® Chavelas
Serves One
Ingredients:
1 Bottle Fat Tire® Ale (12 ounces)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
Sea Salt
Lime Wedges
Chill glass in the freezer for 15 minutes. Rim the glass using a lime wedge and dip into sea salt. Pour the lime juice in the bottom of the glass and pour well chilled Fat Tire® Ale over it. Serve and garnish with lime wedges. Enjoy!
theculinarychronicles.com 
Oh my goodness…. these tacos look DELICIOUS!!!!!!!! Look at the braised pulled pork…A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!!! Now I got a huge craving for Mexican food… I’m saving this recipe for our next taco night! Thank you for sharing this great looking recipe Nam!
Thanks Nami!!! These were really fun to make!
Hi Nam! I cooked this morning and we had it for my brother-in-law’s b-day dinner. Everyone (including kids) LOVED it. I took the final pictures in hurry (as they were waiting at the table), so I’m not sure if they come out well (still in camera). But I’d love to share with my friends and they will appreciate this recipe, so I’ll write a post one day, near soon. I’ll link back to you and will let you know. THANK YOU!!!!! p.s. The liquid in the pot lasted only 2.5 hour for me. But it was just perfect. Can’t thank u enough. 😉
Love Fat Tire, Love Carnitas! This is the perfect melding of the two! Love it!
Thank You!
Oh my goodness does this look wonderful! So simple, delicious, and something I know my husband and I would both love. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the kind words Georgia!
These look amazing!!!! Carnitas and beer is always a perfect pairing in my book!
Thanks Krystal!!! 🙂
What an AMAZING creation!!! Now I want tacos for dinner! 🙂
Thanks so much Andrea!!! Loved the way you used the beers 🙂 Hugs to you and Andy!
I have to have some Fat Tire whenever I go west! The carnitas looks mouthwatering.
Thanks Shirley!!!
wish i was there to eat it
Wish you were too!
This looks wonderful!
Thank You Ellie!
Could this also be cooked in a crock pot?
Absolutely! I use the crock pot all the time to cook my pork for bbq pulled pork and for kalua pig! But since you won’t be losing too much liquid to evaporation, you may not need both bottles of beer. Also, once you finish shredding the pork, I suggest spreading it out on a large baking sheet and place it underneath your oven broiler for a few minutes to get that nice crispy texture.
I wish I had seen this before Cinco de Mayo! These look amazing!
Thanks so much Mike!
Your recipe was shared with me in a foodie/cooking group I belong to. I made these tacos for Cinco de Mayo, and they were absolutely the most delicious carnitas I have ever eaten! Between my husband and I, and our 3 kids, there was NOTHING left!! I will definitely be making these again.
So glad these worked out well for you, Karen! Thanks for stopping by!
I love the recipe and like Fat Tire beer, too.
Just hopped from Nami’s blog! This looks wonderful, great photos, and awesome recipe!!
Making this right now. The smell is so good it is torture..
I’m usually more of a meat on the grill guy but I tried this recipe and it turned out amazing. Probably my favorite carnitas I’ve ever eaten!!!
I made these this past weekend. The grocery store did not carry Fat Tire, so I substituted Shiner Bock Blonde (pale amber) – FREAKING AMAZING!!!
hi Nam,
I believe Viet is making this tomorrow for taco night. I can’t wait to help shred (my favorite step) and especially taste! This looks awesome!! thanks for the inspiration 🙂
SOO fun!!!! Wish I was there with you guys for Taco Saturday!!! Hugs! ❤
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