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Good Carnitas


hensley

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Today we went to Hector's Carnitas out on the west side just past the old military checkpoint topes on the lake side, it is only open on Saturday and Sunday, don't know the hours. We got there at 12:45pm and the place was packed but there was a table for us.

Boy was it good, we got 1 single plate and it came with all the fixins guac, beans, 3 kinds of salsas, nopal, cucumber salsa, Salsa Mexicana, and the hot onions and limes of course came with corn tortillas the thick good kind.

We didn't think 1 plate would be enough but we left very full and ordered one to go for manana.

$85p a plate

Ice cold beer and a nice variety $19p

We will go back again, maybe next Saturday.

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I've seen that place before and figured they must have something going on, but alas, I don't understand Carnitas. I like food, I like pork, I have nothing against things being fried, etc. But I've never figured out how to enjoy them. :(

So how do you like to "build" your favorite version of Carnitas? Sounds silly, but it's a sincere question.

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Yes, pepez. I understand that, thanks. I'm just asking people how they like to create "their version" (or yours, in this case) so I can experiment. I suppose I should just attack it like a taco bar, but for some reason in my head, I feel like Carnitas are different.

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Gosh, I guess I don't understand the question either.

There are different kinds of meat you can order--maciza, costillas, carne jugosa, surtida, etc--all carnitas, but different consistencies and different cuts. My wife and I like costillas and carne jugosa, with a little maciza if it looks relatively juicy. We both like the meat in fairly good-size hunks, not chopped to a fare-thee-well. Put some meat on a tortilla. Squeeze some limón onto the meat, add whatever salsa you like, if any. Sprinkle everything with cilantro and minced onion, to taste. Add salt, if you care to. Down the hatch.

Some people try to make their own carnitas. I never have and probably never will. I don't own a cazo (the big cauldron to cook in), I couldn't boil (in lard) the amount of meat necessary, and recipes I've seen and actually eaten for home preparation are a poor version of the real thing.

The best carnitas I've ever eaten are in Zamora, Michoacán. Next best at a street stand in Quiroga, also Michoacán. We just found a place not far from us in the DF that makes quite good carnitas--the owner, El Güero, is from Cotija, Michoacán. Next time you're over this way, we'll go.

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While I agree that their Carnitas and their spicier salsas are quite nice, I just cannot take the road noise. I have learned to just get it "para llevar" and enjoy it at home. Really nice people, clean, tasty but the noise is just too much for me.

Valerie :)

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I think they are very best right when they are served--I'm never able to fully recapture them when I take them home. The taco place in the Guadalajara airport food court has very good carnitas tacos. Try them the next time you're waiting to catch a plane.

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Travis put the beans on the tortilla first, then the meat then the other toppings. Be careful some of those salsas were hot.

I've eaten carnitas in a lot of carnitas joints and I can't think of one where beans were offered to add to a taco. I'd eat them on the side, but on the taco itself? Not so much.

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Hensley, thanks for the great tip on the carnitas. However, once again we are left with directions that are less than optimal for many. :-/ Sorry but "just past the old military checkpoint topes" means nada to me, and I suspect to many others. Could you or someone else please provide us with some *current* landmarks that might help steer us in? Some of us have no clue where the old military checkpoint was. :-/ La buena vida, you gave excellent directions for finding Arielo's, and you seem to know where Hector's is located. Could you perhaps guide us in?

Muchos Gracias!

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Dude, most people eat carnitas just like it was a big taco. You pick the salsa you like, that's all. Some, like my Mom, eat the chunks with fork, because she never liked tortillas that much.

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I've eaten carnitas in a lot of carnitas joints and I can't think of one where beans were offered to add to a taco. I'd eat them on the side, but on the taco itself? Not so much.

agreed and carnitis is one of my all time favorite foods. Never ever had it with beans. tortilla carnitis lime if you like salsa cilantro and onion. Yummy. Liana what is the little town on the way to patzcuaro that is carnitis capital of mexico . Stopped there ..is it one of the places you mentioned have tried a few places there all were yummy.

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agreed and carnitis is one of my all time favorite foods. Never ever had it with beans. tortilla carnitis lime if you like salsa cilantro and onion. Yummy. Liana what is the little town on the way to patzcuaro that is carnitis capital of mexico . Stopped there ..is it one of the places you mentioned have tried a few places there all were yummy.

Yes, it is Quiroga, Michoacán. The place you want is the street cart under the traffic light--as you face the plaza principal. NOT Carnitas Carmelo, which are good but not as good as this other spot. Order what you want (a quarter kilo, half, etc) and you get tortillas, chiles, and salsa to go with your meat. Sit down, order soft drinks from one of the women who attend the tables, and the carnitas guy's helper will bring your meat to you. The photo is of ONE taco that the vendor gave me as a 'taste'. OMG.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/62477123@N05/14769559374/

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agreed and carnitis is one of my all time favorite foods. Never ever had it with beans. tortilla carnitis lime if you like salsa cilantro and onion. Yummy. Liana what is the little town on the way to patzcuaro that is carnitis capital of mexico . Stopped there ..is it one of the places you mentioned have tried a few places there all were yummy.

I like my carnitas with lime, cilantro, onion, and a little salsa, wrapped in a corn tortilla.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I've certainly never had Carnitas that looked anything like More Liana's photo above! I think that's the problem. They've always been pretty dry and nasty.

I noticed Hector's Carnitas was packed as I drove by it this afternoon, so I want to try it next weekend. I glanced at the menu board and the various meats. But which kind do I order? Much of the terminology is new to me. Do the costillas include bone? Carne jugosa sounds good, but what is it?

I just want some juicy tasty meat that doesn't involve any challenges (bones) or offer unpleasant surprises (identifiable anatomy).

The phone #, by the way, is 33 13 05 33 56.

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I just want some juicy tasty meat that doesn't involved any challenges (bones) or offer an unpleasant surprise (identifiable anatomy).

In that case you might want to order half carnaza and half cachete or pancita.

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Cachete and pancita are for more advanced eaters. Cachete is meat from the cheeks and pancita is from the stomach. Try carne jugosa and the costillas first. Maciza iis also delicious but can often be dry.

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I say eat your carnitas however you want. If you want beans in the tortilla with them, do it (I personally like sour cream.) If you want to eat cheeks and stomach, do it (I personally don't eat an "inside" meat.) If you want ot put cilantro on them, do it (I don't really care for cilantro.) If you want to eat them with a fork, do it. If you want flour tortillas instead of flour ones, do it. I don't think there is any wrong way to eat carnitas. I do advise avoiding the restaurant called "El Rey de Carnitas" in Quiroga, La Capital de Carnitas. Really dry carnitas there.

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I say eat your carnitas however you want. If you want beans in the tortilla with them, do it (I personally like sour cream.) If you want to eat cheeks and stomach, do it (I personally don't eat an "inside" meat

Just for the record,pancita,is pork belly,you know,what they make bacon out of,not an "inside meat",it's succulent,tasty and is gaining popularity in restaurants NoB.
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