The Mexican state of Michoacán is often referred to as “The Soul of Mexico,” partly for its culture, partly for its food.
It’s the world’s largest grower of avocados, but also the birthplace of carnitas, which our Food Guy says are produced with dedication by a family celebrating 50 years in business. They’re marking the occasion by opening their third location, and it’s a big one. NBC Chicago's Steve Dolinsky takes a look inside.
First Pilsen, then Gage Park and now, 50 years after that first store, Carnitas Uruapan has opened its flagship in the Little Village neighborhood. Everything is made in-house, but this new location has also added regional spirits to their menu.
For their third act, the Carbajal family swung for the fences with the new Carnitas Uruapan, located on a busy corner of 26th Street in a former nightclub.
“They call it the Mexican Mag Mile,” owner Marcos Carbajal said of the 26th Street corridor.
They gutted and renovated the interior, creating a warm, family-friendly carnitas shop. If you’re unfamiliar with what carnitas are, exactly:
“It is essentially a slow-cooked pork dish, that is crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. Slow-cooked for two hours in its own fat, that we naturally render out,” Carbajal said.
The skin is crucial. It must be fried until crisp, rendering out all of that fat, which will be used later to cook the meat. But in the meantime, crispy, porky chicharrones are created, looking like an alien Dune sandworm.
“We cook the entire animal; there’s shoulder, ribs, pork belly, pork skin, and unlike a traditional taco, we mostly sell it by the pound. So it’s meant to be served family style, at the center of the table,” he said. To go along with your carnitas and chicharrones: fresh guacamole; a trio of homemade salsas; a crunchy, vibrant salad of peeled and boiled cactus, called nopales, is mixed with tomato, onion, cilantro and queso fresco.
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Refried beans are always on hand, and every tortilla in the building is made from scratch – the masa dough is fed through a machine that cuts and bakes them in just a couple of minutes. They’ll hold plenty, including onions and cilantro, just don’t forget a squeeze of lime. To drink, maybe café de olla, a zesty Michelada or one of a handful of new drinks.
“We created a menu, based on regional Mexican spirits,” said Carbajal.
Michoacán’s beloved charanda – a distillate of sugar cane – is offered alongside mezcal, for a short cocktail lineup.
“And of course, you gotta have a little bit of tequila in there,” he said.
Weekends are the busiest at all locations, so plan accordingly if you're looking to visit.
3801 W. 26th St.
also:
2813 W. 55th St.
1725 W. 18th St. (take out only)
