Sweetened Condensed Milk in Carnitas - What Does it Do?
I plan to make carnitas soon with a lovely pork shoulder that wants out of my freezer. I've made carnitas many times before; what's not to love about Mexican pulled pork? I've never used sweetened condensed milk though, and I see that's a very common ingredient. What does the milk add? The recipes that use it only call for a small amount, a tablespoon or so.
Best Answer
This is a bit of a guess - I've only made carnitas without it - but it probably help helps promote nice browning. The tiny bit of sweetness wouldn't hurt either.
Of course, you'll be fine without it too; I didn't know it was a common ingredient and never noticed something was missing. Still could be good though!
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Quick Answer about "Sweetened Condensed Milk in Carnitas - What Does it Do?"
A fragrant blend of dried herbs, spices, and garlic flavors this slow-cooked pork, which gets a touch of balancing sweetness and acidity from fresh orange juice. A surprising ingredient here, sweetened condensed milk, helps the pork caramelize during cooking.What is the purpose of sweetened condensed milk?
It provides a concentrated creaminess and sweet, milky flavor to whatever you put it in, without all the excess moisture that you get from regular old milk. That makes it perfect for creamy things that you want to set to a near-solid, like key lime pie, fudge, frozen margarita pie, or caramel.What does cooking condensed milk do?
Dulce de leche (cooked condensed milk) is a thickened caramel-like sauce that's made out of milk and sugar. In other words, it's sweetened condensed milk heated until it thickens and caramelizes. It's thick and gooey confection, with a nutty brown color and a taste that's not quite like anything else.Why do you use evaporated milk in carnitas?
Not only do these ingredients give the carnitas their distinctive golden-brownish color, but they also help tenderize the meat. However, if you follow a simple traditional recipe of rendering down the meat until all the liquid evaporates, you'll still have golden brown pieces of meat.How do you keep carnitas from drying out?
So the key to great carnitas (and French confit, for that matter) is to heat the meat to a specific temperature, and try and keep it there long enough for the collagen to break down, while minimizing the amount of moisture lost.Authentic Mexican Carnitas / Easy Recipe
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Images: Alexey Demidov, cottonbro, cottonbro, Pavel Danilyuk