Tacos Al Pastor

5 from 2 votes

This showstopper of a taco recipe features marinated pork and an infusion of fresh flavors from the chile-pineapple marinade and homemade jalapeno salsa.

Prep Time4 30

Cook Time4

Total Time8 30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Author: Derek Wolf

Ingredients

Pork + Tacos:

2 Boneless Pork Shoulders sliced thin
Corn Tortillas
Chopped Cilantro
Chopped Red Onions
Chopped Pineapple

Al Pastor Marinade:

1 cup of Pineapples cubed
6-8 Garlic Cloves
½ White Onion sliced
½ cup Water
¼ cup of White Vinegar
3 Ancho Chiles
2 Guajillo Chiles
2 tbsp FYR RED Hot Sauce
2 tbsp of Chipotle in Adobo
2 tbsp of Achiote Paste
1.5 tbsp of Dried Oregano
1 tbsp of Ground Cumin
2 tsp of Black Pepper
2 tsp of Kosher Salt
3 Limes juiced

Avocado Jalapeño Salsa:

2 Jalapeños
2 Avocado
1 cup Water
½ cup Cilantro
½ White Onion
4-5 Garlic Cloves
3 medium Limes juiced
Kosher Salt to taste

Instructions

In the skillet, add some neutral oil, ancho chiles, guajillo chiles, sliced white onions & minced garlic cloves to cook for 2 minutes.
Next add the cumin, oregano, black pepper, & kosher salt to cook for 1 minute.
Stir in chipotles in adobo, cubed pineapple, white vinegar & achiote paste and cook until it begins to simmer.
Pull from the heat & let cool.
Using a very sharp knife, carefully slice your pork shoulder into thin ¼ inch pieces. Place in the fridge.
Using a blender, add marinade & blend until smooth. Pour the marinade through a strainer to get rid of any big pieces if you desire.
In a food safe container, place your largest pork slice and cover with a little marinade. Repeat this process until all the pork slices are in the container.
Place the pork into the fridge to marinate for 4 hours but ideally overnight.
Preheat your fire for a three-zone at medium-high temperature (around 350F).
Grab a pineapple and cut off the top crown & base.
Slice half of the pineapple into cubes to be used for the marinade, and the rest diced into small cubes for the garnish on the tacos.
Using a trompo skewer, carefully push up through the bottom of the base of the pineapple.
Take out the marinating pork and layer one slice on top of another through the skewers over the base of the pineapple until all meat is on.
Once done, add the crown of the pineapple to the top.
Place the trompo skewer in the middle of the two fires on the grill. Close the lid & cook for 3-3.5 hours or until the middle of the meat registers at 165F. Rotate the skillet in order to cook all sides of the meat evenly. Add more charcoal or wood chunks to maintain temperature as needed.
While the meat cooks, add your jalapenos and white onion to the coals to roast.
Once charred, pull off and scrap the skin off the jalapenos.
Add the charred veggies and the rest of the ingredients for the Avocado Jalapeno Salsa to a blender and blend until smooth.
Set to the side until ready to serve.
Once meat is done, pull off the grill & let rest for 10 minutes.
Slice the meat off the trompo, and if you desire, add back to a skillet with onions and pineapples to saute until well caramelized.
To serve, place the meat on a warm tortilla with diced onions, chopped cilantro & chopped pineapples. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Hot Chili Peppers 101

Ancho Chiles are dried poblano peppers with a mild to moderate heat level and a sweet, fruity flavor. Guajillo chiles are dried mirasol peppers with a bright red color. Their heat level is moderate. They are tangy and slightly sweet. Chipotle peppers are smoked-dried jalapeno peppers known for their smoky, earthy, moderately spicy flavor.

Nutrition