Carne salada (carne frita) could be made either with beef or pork meat seasoned with salt, garlic, oregano, and sour orange or lemon juice. The longer the meat is left to marinate, the better. This dish is one of the popular antojitos (cravings) of many Dominicans who live outside their country.
In some street meat markets, you will find seasoned meat hanging under the sun to allow it to dry and to help the meat last longer without any need for refrigeration. This allows enough time for customers to buy it before it goes bad. I skip this step because of many reasons one of them being hygiene. I prefer to use fresh meat and cook it myself at home. No sun is needed to make great-tasting salted pork.
Something of Dominicana
Monumento de la Muñeca sin Rostro,
diseñada por Radhamé Carela del Higüerito, Moca.
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The following recipe is how I cook carne frita at home, it is not too salty, but you could use more salt if you want. I have served mine with fried batatas (boniato).
I prepared about 4.5 pounds of pork, that's why my bag will probably look fuller than yours.
Salted Pork Dominican Style
Ingredients:
2 ½ pounds of pork (1.14 kgs)
½ cup sour orange juice or lemon
1 Tablespoon of salt
1 Tablespoon crushed garlic
½ Tablespoon oregano
Abundant oil for frying
Preparation:
1. Wash and cut the meat into thin strips of the same size.
2. Season with sour orange juice, salt, garlic and oregano. Place in a covered container or in a Ziplock for 1 hour or more, preferably overnight.
3. Fry the beef strips in hot oil, sufficient to cover the meat. Fry strips slightly browned on each side and ready.
4. Serve with tostones, sweet potato fries (batatas fritas), boiled yucca, or rice with stewed beans.
Yield: 4 Servings.
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." ~ Galatians 6:9.
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