Take Carnitas Up A Notch With Sweetened Condensed Milk

Sweetened condensed milk: If it's not a pantry staple for you already, you might want to add it to your grocery list. This thick, caramel-like sauce can enhance anything from a birthday cake to a lackluster cup of coffee. You may be surprised to learn this versatile ingredient can benefit savory food, too — especially meat. From beef to chicken, condensed milk plays a role in helping to augment these dishes. One meal it really helps to elevate: carnitas.

While sweetened condensed milk is typically used to sweeten desserts and drinks, the ingredient serves a different purpose in a carnitas recipe: Helping the pork caramelize. The high sugar content in sweetened condensed milk is the key to this process. Sugar browns easily when heated and is the main component of caramelization. For this reason, adding sweetened condensed milk to carnitas makes for an extra flavorful meal, as the caramelization process soaks up all the extra flavors that would otherwise be left behind in the pan. This hack works to help caramelize other savory dishes too, so don't be afraid to try it out with other meals.

Without caramelization, meat dishes end up tasting underwhelming and bland. To prevent this sad state of affairs, you should always use sugar of some type to lift as much flavor from the pan as possible while cooking these meals. 

Caramelization cannot happen without sugar, so even if it feels counterintuitive, you will need a bit of sweetness if you want your savory meals to shine. Onions pack in natural sugar, so adding this into carnitas is a good way to elevate the meat — but sweetened condensed milk could be even better.

Compared to other foods full of natural sugars, sweetened condensed milk packs in a lot more sweetness. This means the carnitas will experience some extra caramelization with the added sugars. Plus, other strong flavors in a carnitas dish will balance out when sugar is added to the mix. So if you want some perfectly delicious caramelized pork, look no further than in your pantry for a can of sweetened condensed milk.

Now that you've got your caramelization provider picked out, it's time to focus on other ways to make carnitas the best it can be. Since the caramelization process is meant to infuse this dish with extra flavor, it's best to use plenty of spices and herbs that you can pull up off the pan. Using lots of onion and garlic is key here, as well as any other seasonings you feel passionate about. Cumin, oregano, and chili powder are some other popular options for pulled pork dishes.

With all the spices added, ensuring that the meat stays moist is essential, so don't forget to use oil or lard to help enrich those carnitas with juice. Lastly, don't forget to add some color and extra freshness to this dish with toppings like cilantro and lime.

The next time you plan on cooking up some pork carnitas tacos for dinner, you'll hopefully end up with a perfectly balanced end product. Just don't forget the sweetened condensed milk.