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You too can have slow-braised carnitas flavor in an hour, flat!

Let’s hear it for Butcher Babe, the Southern chef who treats meat like the belle of the ball. Fusing classic French technique with the bountiful larder of the American South (and a heavy-handed dose of rebellion), Loreal Gavin’s cookbook is a pleasure to read and cook your way through. This 60 minute carnitas will become your go-to recipe for taco night. 

When I hear the words “cilantro,” “beer” and “lime,” I get hungry. Even if I wasn’t hungry before, I can’t help myself. If you take these South-of-the-border fixin’s and add some spicy chipotles and pork, 60 minutes later it’ll be dinner time. It’s a misconception that cooking pork butt has to take several hours. I cut the cooking time in thirds by using pork butt steaks that are thinly cut versus one big piece that weighs up to 10 pounds (4.6 kg) whole. You can use this method for various other types of meat also.

Butcher Babe Tips

✴ You can reduce the braising liquid and turn it into a sauce for your carnitas.

✴ The pork butt isn’t actually a butt at all. Did you know it’s actually the shoulder of the animal? The bone in the pork butt is actually part of its shoulder blade. Another term for this cut of meat is “Boston butt.”

Reprinted with permission from The Butcher Babe Cookbook