Coca-Cola, Orange Juice, And Milk Are The Unlikely Combo You Need For Carnitas

Do you love cooking Mexican food at home, but you're ready to move beyond the usual Taco Tuesday ground beef? It's time to try out carnitas. Carnitas — which means "little meats" in Spanish — is prepared from budget-friendly pork cuts like pork shoulder and Boston butt, making it a perfect choice for families looking for cost-effective meals that don't skimp on flavor. 

Claudette Zepeda, a Mexican-American chef and two-time Iron Chef winner, wowed visitors of the 40th Annual Food & Wine Festival with her tried-and-true power trio for making amazing carnitas at home: Mexican Coca-Cola, orange juice, and milk. While these ingredients might seem like they do not belong in south-of-the-border cuisine, the braising process infuses the pork's natural fat content with tons of flavor while the sugars caramelize, yielding plenty of yummy, nutty browned bits. Since carnitas are easy to prepare at home and freezer-friendly, they make a welcome addition to the meal rotation when you're craving authentic Mexican flavor.

When preparing carnitas, a Boston butt or pork shoulder is braised in liquid to tenderize the meat and add flavor, then shredded and roasted to add a crisp and crunchy texture that's perfect for using in a wide variety of Mexican dishes. Claudette Zepeda takes carnitas to the next level by first boiling cubed chunks of pork shoulder with a variety of other seasonings and aromatics, then adding Mexican Coca-Cola, orange juice, and milk to the braising liquid before letting the liquid reduce for one hour to allow the carnitas' rich flavor to develop as the pork cooks (via YouTube).

What's the magic in this unusual combo of ingredients? The secret lies in a one-two punch of acid and sugar in all three liquids. The acids — phosphoric acid from Mexican Coca-cola, citric acid from orange juice, and lactic acid from milk – help tenderize and flavor the natural lard in this tougher cut of pork, while the sugars present in all three drinks are essential to the caramelization process. By using Mexican Coca-Cola, Zepeda not only tips her hat to her home country, but also capitalizes on the natural cane sugar that sets the drink apart from American Coca-Cola, which is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup.

While Zepeda's approach to preparing carnitas certainly sounds unusual, all three ingredients have a history of being used when marinating and cooking meat, due to their ability to both tenderize and imbue flavor. For instance, many cultures throughout history have turned to milk for braising —and even canned varieties can produce a delicious caramelization for pork dishes. Orange juice is a common addition to marinades, while its acidic, citrusy flavor can also provide a flavor boost to just about any stew. Some slow-cooker pulled pork recipes call for adding Coca-Cola to the slow-cooker, which is an easy and flavorful way to prepare the meat for pulled pork sandwiches. 

Want to try Zepeda's technique at home? This 60-Minute Carnitas recipe calls for braising bone-in pork butt steaks in a mixture of water and beer. Simply replace 1 ½ cups of the water with one cup of Mexican Coca-Cola, ¼ cup milk, and ¼ cup orange juice for a fun and flavorful twist on this traditional Mexican fare.