Slow Roasted Carnitas Pizza

A tantalizing fusion awaits with our Slow Roasted Carnitas Pizza. We’ve married the classic Italian pizza base – a perfectly charred Neapolitan crust – with the bold, vibrant flavors of Mexico. Imagine tender, slow-roasted pork shoulder nestled in a zesty tomatillo garlic sauce, all enveloped by a harmonious blend of Bongards® Mozzarella, Provolone, Cheddar Feather Shred. To elevate the experience, we’ve added a burst of freshness with pickled red onions, sweet cherry tomatoes, and a sprinkle of cilantro. A dollop of homemade cilantro avocado crema and a final touch of salty cotija cheese complete this extraordinary pizza, creating a symphony of textures and tastes in every bite.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 – 10 oz. Neapolitan pizza dough ball (see secondary recipe)
  • 4 oz. tomatillo garlic sauce (see secondary recipe)
  • 6 oz. slow roasted carnitas (see secondary recipe)
  • 6 oz. Bongards® Mozzarella, Provolone, Cheddar Feather Shred
  • 2 oz. cherry tomatoes, sliced
  • 2-3 oz. cilantro avocado crema (see secondary recipe)
  • 2 oz. pickled red onions
  • 6-8 cilantro sprigs
  • 1/2 oz. cotija cheese
  • Flour for dusting

PREPARATION

  1. Heat pizza oven to 790-900 degrees F, or domestic oven to 500 degrees F or as hot as oven allows.
  2. Ensure baking stone or pizza steel is inside the oven; a baking tray turned upside down can be used instead, if needed.
  3. Dust dough ball generously with flour, remove from container, place onto large flat surface with generous covering of flour.
  4. Press down from the center of the dough towards the edges in order to move the air from the middle of the dough to the outside, where it will form a crust. Continue turning the dough as you work the air towards the edges, being careful not to press the edge of the dough down; the air is needed to ensure a well-risen crust.
  5. Turn the dough over, ensuring dough is coated with flour, repeat the process.
  6. Stretch the dough by holding the dough with one hand while gently stretching dough outwards with other hand, remembering not to touch the edge of the dough.
  7. Keep turning the dough and repeat stretching until you have a base about 9-10 inches in diameter.
  8. Top dough with tomatillo garlic sauce, spreading gently across the pizza, stopping before the crust. Avoid pressing dough down too hard as you spread to avoid dough from sticking to counter.
  9. Top with cheese blend and carnitas.
  10. Load pizza straight onto the baking stone/tray inside the oven using a pizza peel, if available.
  11. Bake in a pizza oven for 60-90 seconds, turning every 20-30 seconds, or in a domestic oven for 6-8 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes.
  12. Remove from oven, top with cherry tomatoes, cilantro avocado crema, pickled onions, cilantro leaves, and dusting of cotija cheese.

Secondary Recipes

Neapolitan Pizza Dough

INGREDIENTS
  • 600 grams (21.1 oz.) flour
  • 320 grams (11.3 oz.) water, room temperature
  • 14 grams (.5 oz.) fine salt
  • .5 grams (.02 oz.) instant yeast
PREPARATION
  1. In large bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix all ingredients until you have a shaggy dough. Can also mix by hand or with wooden spoon.
  2. Cover bowl with lid, plastic wrap, or damp cloth; let rest for 1 hour.
  3. Mix on low another 5 minutes; tightly recover the bowl.
  4. Leave the dough to proof for 24-48 hours at room temperature.
  5. Divide dough into 3 equal parts, resulting in 3 – 10 oz. dough balls. Do this 4-6 hours before you intend to bake the pizza.
  6. Place dough ball into a small bowl, cover, allow to proof again for 4-6 hours. Dough balls you don’t intend to use that day can be wrapped and frozen.

Tomatillo Garlic Sauce

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 oz. olive oil
  • 1 shallot, finely minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 3 tomatillos, husk removed, then quartered
PREPARATION
  1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add tomatillos, cook until soft and easy to smash.
  3. Turn heat down to medium, add remaining ingredients.
  4. Cook while stirring 8-10 minutes until a “pizza sauce” consistency.
  5. Remove from heat; use or store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 1 week

Slow Roasted Carnitas

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 – 4-5 Lb. lean boneless pork roast, excess fat trimmed, cut into 3-inch chunks
  • 1 medium white onion, diced
  • 8-10 cilantro sprigs
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 Tbsp. chipotle powder (or 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced)
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1-1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
PREPARATION
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl, stir to combine.
  3. Place pork in large baking dish, cook for 2 hours uncovered.
  4. Cover with foil, cook for another 2 hours.
  5. Test pork to see if it shreds easily with 2 forks. If not, cover and continue cooking, checking every 30 minutes.
  6. Once done, discard half remaining juices, then shred pork.
  7. Place in airtight container, refrigerate until cool.
  8. Once cool, mix pork again to combine meat with fat and juices that had congealed.
  9. Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze in airtight container for up to 3 months.

Cilantro Avocado Crema

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 C. avocado, mashed
  • 1/2 C. Mexican crema
  • 1/4 C. cilantro, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
  • 1 lime
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 Tbsp. water
PREPARATION
  1. Add all ingredients to food processor, blend until smooth.
  2. Add 1 Tbsp. water at a time if a thinner consistency is desired.