Sous Vide Beef Carnitas with Tangerine-Chipotle Sauce

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Written by Jason Logsdon

When I want shredded beef I turn to either brisket or chuck roast due to the extensive marbling. In order to fully break down the fat, you will want to cook it at a higher temperature, usually above 155°F (68.3°C). Brisket and chuck cooked for lower temperatures for several days are great but they have the texture of steak and aren't nearly as shreddable.

My favorite time and temperature combination is probably 150°F (65°C) for around 18 to 36 hours, it's shreddable but not too tender. Some other popular combinations are 165°F (73.9) for 18 to 24 hours or 176°F (80°C) for 12 hours.

I also have more information if you want to learn more about how to sous vide brisket or how to smoke sous vide brisket.

I turn the shredded beef into flavorful carnitas covered in a sweet and spicy tangerine-chipotle sauce. Then I serve them with corn tortillas and avocado so they are easy to pick up and eat.

Beef carnitas tangerine chipotle sauce

Modernist Tools, Ingredients, and Techniques Used

If you would like more information about the modernist techniques, ingredients, and equipment used in the sous vide beef carnitas with tangerine-chipotle sauce recipe you can check out the following.

If you like this recipe you can get it and more than 85 other inspiring recipes to get you on your way to sous vide success. It's all in my best selling book Modernist Cooking Made Easy: Sous Vide - Get Your Copy Today!

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Sous Vide Beef Carnitas with Tangerine-Chipotle Sauce

  • Published: July 29, 2015
  • By Jason Logsdon
  • Prep Time: 30 Minutes
  • Total Time: 2 Hours
  • Cooks: 150°F (65°C) for 18 to 36 hours
  • Serves: 6 to 12

Sous Vide Beef Carnitas with Tangerine-Chipotle Sauce Ingredients

For the Carnitas

2 pounds chuck roast (900g)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon1 ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Salt and pepper

For the Tangerine-Chipotle Sauce

2 tangerines, deseeded and diced
1/2 cup sous vide juices
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon oregano leaves
1 tablespoon honey

To Assemble

Corn tortillas
Avocado, cut into slices

Sous Vide Beef Carnitas with Tangerine-Chipotle Sauce Instructions

For the Carnitas

At least 18 to 24 hours before serving

Preheat a water bath to 150°F (65°C).

Mix together the spices in a bowl. Lightly salt and pepper the roast then coat with the spices. Place the roast in a sous vide bag then seal. Cook the roast for at least 18 to 36 hours.

For the Tangerine-Chipotle Sauce

At least 20 minutes before serving

Combine all the ingredients in a pot. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 10 minutes then blend well. The sauce can be made several hours ahead of time, just blend in the sous vide juices when they are ready.

To Assemble

Remove the roast from the sous vide bag. Shred the beef and set aside.

Place a tortilla on a plate and add some of the shredded beef. Top with the tangerine-chipotle sauce and avocados then serve.

Modernist Notes

For a more upscale presentation the tangerine-chipotle sauce can be turned into fluid gel pudding which greatly adds to the mouthfeel of the sauce. When you combine the ingredients for the sauce in the pot blend in 0.6% agar. After it is done simmering pour the sauce into a container so it can set completely. Once set, puree well with an immersion or standing blender. The sauce can still be made several hours ahead of time.

Because they use modernist ingredients, the amounts for this component are given in metric by weight. Learn more about how to measure modernist ingredients in this article.

If you like this recipe you can get it and more than 85 other inspiring recipes to get you on your way to sous vide success. It's all in my best selling book Modernist Cooking Made Easy: Sous Vide - Get Your Copy Today!

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All tags for this article: Agar Agar, Agar Fluid Gel Recipes, Beef, Brisket, Chuck Roast, Fluid Gel, Roast, Sous Vide, Sous Vide Beef , Sous Vide Brisket , Sous Vide Chuck Roast, Sous Vide Mexican , Sous Vide Recipes, Sous Vide Roast

Jason logsdon headshot This article is by me, Jason Logsdon. I'm an adventurous home cook and professional blogger who loves to try new things, especially when it comes to cooking. I've explored everything from sous vide and whipping siphons to pressure cookers and blow torches; created foams, gels and spheres; made barrel aged cocktails and brewed beer. I have also written 10 cookbooks on modernist cooking and sous vide and I run the AmazingFoodMadeEasy.com website.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Some links on this site might be affiliate links that if used to purchased products I might receive money. I like money but I will not endorse something I don't believe in. Please feel free to directly go to any products I link to and bypass the referral link if you feel uncomfortable with me receiving funds.
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