Bay leaves, beer, thyme, tequila...
Lemon, orange, and Coca-Cola, too, are components of the liquid in which El Atoradero's carnitas are cooked. At this Pueblan grocery, the platform for pork was a broader-than-usual picadita ($3), made of corn dough sandwiching a thin layer of black bean. Its name denotes the "pinched" edge that corrals the toppings.
As the picadita was griddled it was brushed with lard (optional, but traditional), then puddled with hot sauce. I chose the most interesting-looking, hand-ground sauce (and could've stood another half-ladle, but maybe not more). Onion, shredded cheese, and cream helped set in place the heaped carnitas, which had been briefly seared to add a few crisp edges.
El Atoradero
800 East 149th St. (Tinton-Wales Sts.), Mott Haven, Bronx
718-292-7949
Cooked food available Saturday and Sunday only, 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
I don't think I've ever had picaditas. They look like sopes.
Posted by: Ike | July 05, 2011 at 02:23 PM