Like many another chef, I’ve recently fallen head over heels for pork. What took me so long? Maybe it’s because my mom never cooked pork when I was growing up (except for bacon). Maybe it’s because when I actually started eating pork, it was at the height (or depth) of the National Pork Board’s campaign to reposition the product as “the other white meat.” Or maybe it’s simply because I’d never been properly introduced to Latin-style pork: fattier cuts, like pork shoulder, combined with savory seasonings, then cooked slow and low.

Take carnitas, for example. “Carnitas, literally ’little meats,’ are one of the splendid specialties of central Mexico, especially the state of Michoacan,” writes Marilyn Tausend in Cocina de La Familia. “Pieces of pork are boiled in seasoned oil until tender on the inside and with a crispy exterior. They are usually shredded, daubed with salsa, and crammed into a freshly made tortilla. It is a dish that gives strength to weary spirits.”

The depth of feeling expressed in that description reminds me of an episode of The Simpsons in which Homer waxes rhapsodic about pork after Lisa announces she’s going to become a vegetarian.

Homer: Are you saying you’re never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?

Lisa: No.

Homer: Ham?

Lisa: No.

Homer: Pork chops?

Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.

Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. “A wonderful, magical animal.”

The only labor-intensive parts of this recipe are cutting the meat into 1-inch cubes and, if you so choose, making homemade tortillas. The rest of the prep is simple. I cooked up a huge batch of it for a recent family reunion. None of my relatives is Hispanic and none of them has ever before reminded me of Homer Simpson. But they all dug into their carnitas with gusto.