Shoulder at 82 degrees: Carnitas · 497

Choose a piece with visible fat seams running through the middle, not just a cap on the outside. Internal temperature has to run well past done: the collagen only surrenders in the nineties, long after the meat is technically safe. Boston butt grades follow the carcass; look for even fat seams rather than a Prime sticker alone.

Colour, sinew, where the fat sits, and thickness are what you check before you pay. Ask for the thickness that matches “Carnitas.” Use 82 degrees and 82 when you cook. Salt after you know the job. Do not play with undercooked meat. Cook Shoulder to 82 degrees and serve it as “Carnitas.” The other figure to watch is 82. Do not time a hard-working muscle like a thin steak. Colour before heat is not doneness. The upper foreleg and neck, a bundle of small muscles held together by generous seams of fat and connective tissue. That structure makes it almost impossible to overcook slowly, which is why every barbecue tradition on e

Cook Shoulder to 82 degrees and serve it as “Carnitas.” The other figure to watch is 82. Do not time a hard-working muscle like a thin steak. Colour before heat is not doneness. The upper foreleg and neck, a bundle of small muscles held together by generous seams of fat and connective tissue. That structure makes it almost impossible to overcook slowly, which is why every barbecue tradition on e