Recipe

Tacos al Pastor

8 tacos (4 servings) · prep 30 min + 12 h marinade · cook 20 min

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• lunch
• dinner
• mexican

Authored by the maintainer; home adaptation of the trompo (vertical spit) method.

Ingredients

the meat

• 1.2 kg pork shoulder, sliced 5 mm thick across the grain

the marinade

• 4 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed — Mexican dried-chile farm
• 2 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
• 3 tbsp achiote paste
• 5 cloves garlic — Tropea allium farm
• 1 small white onion, quartered (for marinade); plus 1 white onion finely diced (for topping)
• 80 ml white vinegar
• 120 ml fresh orange juice — Sicilian citrus orchard
• 120 ml pineapple juice (reserve the fruit for the grill)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 1 tbsp fine sea salt — Trapani salt pans
• 1 tsp black pepper — Kerala pepper estate

the topping

• 200 g fresh pineapple, sliced 1 cm thick
• 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, leaves picked
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

the build

• 8 small corn tortillas (12 cm), fresh

Method

1. Toast the guajillos and anchos in a dry skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds per side until fragrant. Don't burn. Submerge in hot water for 20 minutes to rehydrate. · 20 min
2. Drain the chiles. In a blender, combine chiles, achiote, garlic, quartered onion, vinegar, citrus juices, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend to a smooth, thick marinade.
3. Pour over the sliced pork. Massage so every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate 12–24 hours. · 720 min
4. Heat the oven to 230°C / 450°F. Stack the marinated pork pieces on a foil-lined baking sheet, pressing down to form a single dense mound. Place a few onion wedges and pineapple slices around the meat.
5. Roast 25 minutes. Turn the broiler on for the last 5 minutes for crust. The edges should char; the centre should be tender. · 30 min
6. While the meat rests, char the remaining pineapple slices on a hot dry skillet, 90 seconds per side. Dice. · 3 min
7. Shave the pork into thin slices. Drop a handful onto two stacked warm tortillas. Top with charred pineapple, diced raw onion, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

Notes

The real al pastor cooks on a trompo — a vertical spit, learned from
Lebanese shawarma cooks who emigrated to Mexico in the early 20th
century — with a pineapple on top dripping juice into the meat. The
home oven version skips the spit but keeps the marinade and the
pineapple, which are the two flavours that make pastor pastor.

Salsa: a quick green salsa of tomatillo, jalapeño, lime, salt is the
classic side. Salsa roja (chipotle-based) works too. Skip the cheese
and the lettuce — neither belongs.