Tacos Al Pastor

Tacos Al Pastor

                Al Pastor Tacos are delicious.  Somewhat difficult to duplicate at home due to the cooking method.  Real deal Al Pastor tacos are cooked on a rotating spit (a la Gyros) with a chunk of pineapple on top.  I wouldn’t rule it out for the future, but for now I do not own a trompo, so I had to improvise. 

I used pork shoulder for the meat.  I cut it into half inch or so slices, then marinated it for about 4 hours.  After that, I stacked it, and cooked it over indirect head on the grill.  After it was cooked most of the way, over the coals it went to crisp up.  I also grilled up some onions and pineapple slices.  I was fresh out of olive oil so I had to brush them with lard, which was quite tasty.  After everything came off the grill it was chopped up and added to a hot cast iron pan with a pinch of salt and squeeze of lime to finish it off.  Severed with some roasted tomato and habanero salsa and chopped cilantro on yellow corn tortillas. 

Tacos turned out to be pretty tasty.  Marinade was good, I have some leftover that I think I’ll use on some fish or something.  Meat was tasty, but wasn’t as tender and juicy as I would have liked due my lack of trompo.  I know it’s not traditional, but a pulled pork type preparation could work really well here too.  Salsa was good with a nice slow burn.  I usually get my corn tortillas from the Mexican grocery.  The come in the refrigerated section and I think they’re way better than the ones from the Mexican isle and the grocery.  I’m already looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow. 

Marinade

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup water

Juice of 1 lime

3 cloves garlic

2 pasillia chilis

2 guajilio chilis

3 chipotles in adobo

4 small packets of achiote

1 tbls Mexican oregano

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

¼ oil

Dump everything in a blender and turn it on.  Success!  You made a marinade!

Roasted Tomato and Habanero Salsa

5 roma tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

Juice of ½ lime

½ habanero chili (seeds and membrane remove)

1 small handful of cilantro

Salt to taste

Place the tomatoes and garlic under the broiler until blackened.  Throw everything in the blender and turn it on.  Congratulations!  You made salsa!