Al Pastor Pork Belly Tacos
Al Pastor Pork Belly Tacos
Servings: 6 People
Ingredients
- 1 whole skinless pork belly aprx 10lbs
- 3 cups shredded queso fresco
- 1 medium white onion diced
- ½ bunch of cilantro chopped
- Corn tortillas
Marinade
- 6 Tbsp Achiote paste
- 4 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 Tbsp granulated garlic
- 1 Tbsp Mexican dried oregano
- 2 Tbsp cumin
- 2 Tbsp kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp black pepper
- 1 ½ cup white vinegar
- 2 cups pineapple juice
Pineapple Salsa
- 1 whole pineapple core removed, diced into small pieces
- ¼ bunch cilantro finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno finely diced remove the seeds if you want a little less spice
- 1/8 cup finely chopped red onion
- Juice from 1 small lime
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
- Start by assembling your marinade. Add all marinade ingredients into a blender and pulse until thoroughly combined and set aside. Prep your pork belly by drying off the exterior with paper towels. Remove any loose pieces of fat or meat with a sharp knife. Use your knife to score the fat cap about ¼” deep in a cross-hatch pattern. Start in one corner and run your knife at a 45 degree angle about every inch. Then start at the other corner and run your knife in the opposite direction.
- Place the pork belly in a non-reactive container large enough to hold the entire belly. Pour in your marinade and rub it into the fat cap where you scored it. Cover tightly and put in the fridge 4-12 hours. if you exceed 12 hours, you can risk ruining the texture of the meat from the acid in the marinade.
- For the pineapple salsa, making this the day before helps with time management and for the flavors to thoroughly combine. Add all ingredients to a non-reactive bowl and mix well to combine. Refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat your smoker to 250 degrees. Remove the pork belly from the marinade and wipe off the majority of the excess off the surface of the meat. Place on your smoker either fat side up or fat side down depending on where the heat source is in your smoker. Smoke for 4-5 hours uncovered. If you smoke fat side up, there is no need for a spritz. If you are smoking fat side down, I suggest spritzing every 30 mins after the first 2 hours using a mix of 1/3 white vinegar 1/3 pineapple juice 1/3 water mixed in a spray bottle.
- After the first 4-5 hours, remove the belly from the smoker and double wrap in heavy duty foil and place in a disposable foil pan to help reserve juices. Place back into the smoker until the internal temp hits 205 degrees in the thickest part, about 2-3 hours more.
- Once the belly has hit 205 degrees internal temp, remove from the smoker and let it rest on the counter in the foil pan for 20 mins. Then place in a towel lined cooler for 1 hour to continue resting.
- Assemble all of the remaining ingredients for your tacos. Preheat a skillet to medium high heat. Dip each corn tortilla in the reserved juice and lay flat on the skillet. Spread ¼ cup of the queso fresco onto each tortilla and top with aprx 3 oz of the pulled pork belly and the chopped white onion and cilantro. Fold each tortilla in half and cook about 2 mins on each side.
- Top with the pineapple salsa and Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 1550kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 136g | Saturated Fat: 52g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 60g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 205mg | Sodium: 2964mg | Potassium: 1073mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 2312IU | Vitamin C: 88mg | Calcium: 461mg | Iron: 5mg