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    Home » Recipes » Puerto Rican Inspirations

    Carne Frita, Pork Version

    Published: Aug 11, 2021 · Modified: Mar 7, 2023 by Zoe Morman

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    a bowl of carne frita with pickled green bananas this Recipe!

    What can I say about carne frita other than I love it. I prefer to make it with pork, but beef and or lamb will also work as well as chicken breast (but then you have chicken nuggets, lol). Carne Frita is one of those dishes that you will find through out the island's many eateries. Mostly accompanied by our delicious mofongo. In the above image, I am serving my carne frita with guineos en escabeche, another delicious side dish. But if you would like a low-carb/ketogenic alternative try zucchini en escabeche.

    Table of contents

    • What is carne frita?
    • Best cuts of meats for carne frita
    • How do I like my carne frita?
    • Let's begin!

    What is carne frita?

    golden carne frita

    Best cuts of meats for carne frita

    country style pork ribs

    How do I like my carne frita?

    Because carne frita is a deep-fried dish, it is not something I cook on a regular basis. So, when I do cook this dish, it has become a super special and anticipated, at least by me, event. This was one of my father's favorite dishes too. He liked it with VIANDAS~vee-an-dahs (which is our word for tubers or root vegetables). I prefer to accompany my carne frita with cooked green bananas in a pickled onion sauce called ESCABECHE~eis-kah-bei-chai. Recipe for escabeche will follow soon.

    So, Carne frita can be made as simple as the name suggests. Dice your meat in bite-size pieces and pan-fry it. But, I like to give my choice of protein a dusting of seasoned flour before deep frying. It creates a barrier of protection around the meat. This barrier helps to maintain moisture in the protein and keeps the meat from becoming dry and crispy. I also, do not cook the meat fully in the oil, I remove it from the oil halfway and finish it with onions later.

    Let's begin!

    Carne Frita

    Now, you can use any type of meat for this dish, but pork is always my favorite. I also have tried different cuts of meat, but for ease of time, I prefer the country-style pork ribs. Here is a page explaining more on where the ribs come from and other ways to cook them. I do make these ribs on occasion as ribs, but I find they have just the right amount of fat and the meat is tender as is, plus the cut helps in making a bite-size quicker and easier.

    I take the ribs and dice them into thirds or quarters. Season flour with salt, pepper, and powdered garlic. Dust the pork pieces with a flour mixture. Heat a pan with oil. Begin frying the pork pieces in batches. Do not fry the pork all the way. Only cook the pork halfway. Once the pork is golden, pull off of the oil and continue frying the rest of the pork in batches.

    While the pork fries slice a yellow onion into thin strips or julienne. Once all pork pieces are cooked to a golden brown, remove excess oil from the pan and begin frying the yellow onions. Cook the onions until golden brown and soft. Add the pork pieces and any rendered liquid the pork drain out to the pan. Also, add about a tablespoon of already made adobo. Cook for another five to ten minutes. Serve with a side of rice or sweet potatoes.

    📖 Recipe

    A bowl of Carne Frita with a side of cooked green bananas

    Carne Frita

    Zoe Morman
    Carne Frita is one of those dishes that you will find through out the island's many eateries.  Mostly accompanied by our delicious, mofongo.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    • One package of country style pork ribs
    • 2 cups of flour
    • Peanut Oil enough to have a bout an inch deep in the pan.
    • Salt and Pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Take country style pork ribs and dice them into thirds or quarters.
    • Season flour with salt, pepper, and powdered garlic.
    • Dust the pork pieces with flour mixture.
    • Heat a pan with oil.  Begin frying the pork pieces in batches. Do not fry the pork all the way. Only cook the pork half way. Once the pork is golden, pull off of the oil and continue frying the rest of the pork in batches.
    • While the pork fries slice a yellow onion into thin strips, or julienne.
    • Once all pork pieces are cook to golden brown, remove excess oil from the pan and begin frying the yellow onions. Cook the onions until golden brown and soft.
    • Add the pork pieces and any rendered liquid the pork drain out to the pan.
    • Add about a tablespoon of already made adobo
    • Cook for another five to ten minutes. Serve with a side of rice or sweet potatoes.

    Notes

    Now, you can use any type of meat for this dish, but pork is always my favorite. I also have tried in different cuts of meat, but for ease of time I prefer the country style pork ribs.
    adobo.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Zoe standin in the kitchen smiling

    Hola! I'm Zoe. I love all things food and enjoy cooking. I created this site to reconnect with my Puerto Rican heritage while living in the United States. This is a great place to reconnect if you are floating in the diaspora. I would love to hear from you!

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