Al Pastor Recipes

MEXICAN-STYLE PORK TACOS (TACOS AL PASTOR) RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Slice the pork shoulder into about 1-centimeter (¼ in) slices, then transfer to a large dish or bowl. In a medium bowl, combine the achiote paste, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, vinegar, and pineapple juice, mashing and stirring until smooth with no lumps. Pour the marinade over the pork slices, then toss to make sure they are coated on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• Place a slice or two of the pineapple on the baking sheet. Take a wooden skewer and push it directly in the middle of the pineapple. Remove the pork from the fridge and push the slices through the skewer, layering one after the other until there is a 1-inch (2 ½ cm) gap at the top. Push another pineapple slice on top.
• Bake for about 1½ hours, until the pork is slightly charred on the outside and deep red. Rest the meat for about 10 minutes, then carve off thin slices of pork and roasted pineapple.
• To assemble, place some pork on the tortillas, followed by a few pieces of pineapple, a sprinkling of onion, a pinch of cilantro, and a spoonful of salsa, and some diced avocado. Serve with lime wedges.
• Enjoy!

TACOS AL PASTOR

Steps:

• Boil 2 cup water . While water boils, heat a skillet. Cut open the chilies and toast on dry skillet for 1-2 minute to awaken the flavors. Add chilies to hot water and leave aside for 20 minutes or until skin softens.
• In blender jar, add chilies and 1/4 cup of soaking liquid (discard rest of soaking liquid). Add rest of al pastor marinade ingredients with 2 slice of pineapple and 1/4 cup pineapple juice. Blend to make puree. Taste and adjust salt.
• Add marinade with chicken into a container with tight lid. Coat chicken in marinade. Cover with lid. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes (max overnight). When ready to grill, skew chicken on metal skewers. Discard leftover marinade.
• When ready to grill, skew chicken on metal skewers. Discard leftover marinade.
• Oven - Preheat oven at 400 degrees. Bake at 10-12 minutes or until done and slightly charred at edges. Grill - Preheat grill at medium (375-400). Spray with oil and grill for 10-12 minutes. Baste with reserved pineapple juice 1-2 times in last 4-5 minutes.
• Serve on tacos topped with *salsa verde, more chopped pineapple, red onion, **pickled red radish, and drizzle of sour cream. Enjoy!

TACOS AL PASTOR AT HOME

Steps:

• Place the peppers in a saucepan and cover with water. Simmer over a medium heat for about 15 minutes or until they look soft. Let them cool and drain.
• Place peppers, vinegar, pineapple juice with the spices and achiote paste in your blender. Process it until you have a very smooth sauce. Pour the sauce slowly through a fine sieve to get a nice homogenous texture. At this time, taste the sauce just to make sure the salt is enough for your taste.
• Season the meat with salt and pepper. Place the sauce and steaks in a large bowl and marinate the meat or use a pastry brush and apply the sauce to each side of the steaks.
• Marinade for at least 4 hours or overnight of hours (believe me it tastes way better), and then grill the steaks or fry in a skillet. Grilling some pineapple and onion slices along the meat to add to the tacos when serving. When cooking in a skillet, remove any excess adobo sauce since it will stick to the pan.

EASY AL PASTOR MARINADE

Steps:

• Add all listed marinade ingredients to a blender. Season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Blend until combined; the marinade should be thick & smooth. Use immediately, or transfer to a jar or airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• Pour the marinade over your meat or veggies of choice. Marinate for at least 8 hours & up to 3 days.
• as desired. Enjoy!

AL PASTOR RECIPE

Steps:

• Soak the guajillos in a small bowl filled with hot tap water for 15 mins. You can either remove the stems and seeds beforehand, or wait til the peppers are soft and pliable, hold them by the tip, upside down, over the sink, and cut the stems off. The seeds should fall right out.
• Meanwhile, season the pork generously with salt.
• Add guajillos, garlic, chipotle in adobo, sugar, achiote paste, and 1/2 cup pineapple juice to a blender and blend into a smooth marinade.
• Marinate the pork for at least 30 mins and up to 24 hours in the fridge.
• Preheat your oven to 500°F. Arrange the pork in a single layer on another baking sheet. Broil the pork until the edges and corners start to char, about 20 minutes.
• While you wait for your pork to finish, arrange drained pineapple chunks in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet. Remove the pork and broil pineapples until charred, another 15 minutes.
• Slice meats, fry up, and make tacos.

TACOS AL PASTOR

Steps:

• Soak pasilla chiles and guajillo chiles in a bowl with hot water until chiles are softened, about 10 minutes; drain. Mash chiles, garlic, achiote powder, cumin, and cloves in a saucepan with a fork.
• Pour vinegar into sauce pan and bring to a boil; cook and stir until mixture becomes a thick paste. Season with salt. Rub chile paste over sliced pork, stacking meat on a plate. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours to overnight.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir marinated pork and pineapple until pork is browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Divide pork over stacks of two corn tortillas and serve with onion, cilantro, and lime wedges.

TACOS AL PASTOR USING A GRILL ROTISSERIE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except the pork butt and the reserved onion and half pineapple that go on the rotisserie. Add all ingredients to the food processor and pulse until you have a uniform consistency.
• Slice the pork into thin slices and marinate the meat for NO MORE THAN 30 minutes. Because Pineapples have enzymes, while they add flavor they can also make meat mushy. So don't over marinate.
• Skewer the meat, pineapple and onions on the rotisserie, starting with half the onion and then finishing with an onion, dispersing the pineapple slice on the rotisserie to add flavor to the meat.
• Using the rotisserie attachment of the Green Mountain Grill Pellet Smoker or any other grill rotisserie, set the grill to 365 degrees and let the meat/pineapple/onions cook until the internal temp of the pork has reached 145 degrees with an internal read thermometer such a the Thermapen or even the built in thermometer on the Green Mountain Grill.

CHICKEN AL PASTOR

Steps:

• to 425 degrees F, arranging the oven racks such that one is in the center of the oven & one is 6-8 inches under the broil. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean up, as desired, and set aside.

TACOS AL PASTOR

Steps:

• Make the marinade: Soak the dried chiles in warm water until softened, about 15 minutes; drain. Discard the stems and seeds. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chiles, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and add the pineapple juice, orange juice, apple juice, beer, vinegar, oregano, paprika, annatto, cloves, 2 tablespoons salt and 1 tablespoon pepper; puree until smooth.
• Make the tacos: Place the pork in a large roasting pan and pour the marinade on top; cover with foil and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Transfer the pork to the oven and roast, covered, 3 hours. Remove the pork from the braising liquid and transfer to a cutting board; let rest at least 10 minutes. Reserve the braising liquid. Cut the pork into 1/4-inch pieces and return to the braising liquid, tossing to coat.
• Assemble the tacos: Arrange the pork on the tortillas and top with the pineapple-serrano salsa and tomatillo salsa. Top with cotija, chicharrónes, cilantro and radishes. Serve with lime wedges.
• Soak 20 dried guajillo chiles in warm water at least 30 minutes; drain. Remove the stems and seeds. Transfer the chiles to a blender and add 4 cups water, 5 garlic cloves, 1 diced onion, 2 teaspoons each chicken stock and kosher salt, 1 teaspoon each pepper and dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon cumin; puree. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dip a tortilla in the chile mixture, then add to the skillet and cook until lightly browned, 1 minute per side. Remove and sprinkle with cotija cheese. Repeat to make about 30 tortillas.
• Heat a grill to medium high. Peel 2 pineapples and cut into 1/4-inch-thick planks; grill until marked, about 3 minutes per side. Finely chop the pineapple, removing the core. Soak 2 to 3 thinly sliced serrano chiles in ice water, 10 minutes, then drain. Combine the pineapple, serranos, 2 diced small red onions, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl; toss. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

AL PASTOR MARINATED PORK

Steps:

• Drain the guajillos, add them to a blender and blend with 4 to 6 ounces water. Strain the puree. Add the guajillo puree, garlic, apple juice, orange juice, vinegar, onion, achiote, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, 1 ounce salt and 1/2 ounce pepper to the blender and blend to make the marinade.
• Combine the marinade and the pork in a large resealable plastic bag and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Dice the marinated pork into small pieces.
• Heat a large pan over medium-high heat with a squirt of oil. Add the pork and bacon and cook. When the meat is cooked through, add some diced pineapple if using.

AUTHENTIC TACOS AL PASTOR

Steps:

• Cook tomato on a ridged grill pan over medium-high heat until slightly blackened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool until easily handled. Peel off skin and remove seeds.
• Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add guajillo and ancho chile peppers; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain.
• Combine tomato flesh, softened chile peppers, 2 slices pineapple, orange juice, quartered onion, vinegar, chipotle peppers, salt, garlic, cloves, cumin seeds, and oregano in a blender; blend until smooth.
• Arrange pork slices in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Pour blended mixture over pork, ensuring all sides are evenly coated. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap.
• Marinate pork in the refrigerator, 4 hours to overnight.
• Cook remaining pineapple slices on a ridged grill pan over medium-high heat until slightly blackened and soft, about 5 minutes per side. Chop into small pieces.
• Wipe out grill pan and preheat over medium-high heat. Cook marinated pork in the hot pan, turning once, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Chop pork coarsely into small pieces against the grain. Serve with pineapple, chopped onion, and cilantro.

AL PASTOR

Steps:

• Slice the pork shoulder into about 1/3 inch slices, then transfer to a large dish or bowl.
• In a bowl, combine the achiote powder, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, vinegar, and pineapple juice, mashing and stirring until smooth with no lumps.
• Pour the marinade over the pork, then toss the pork slices to make sure that they are all coated on all sides. Wrap the dish/bowl in cling film, then marinate the pork for at least 2 hours, up to 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
• Skin the pineapple and cut three thick slices of pineapple. Cut the rest and save for eating later. Preheat oven to 350°F
• On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil, place a slice or two of the pineapple. Take a wooden skewer and push it directly in the middle of the pineapple
• Remove the pork from the fridge and push the slices through the skewer, layering one after the other until there is a 1-inch gap at the top. Push another pineapple slice on top.
• Bake for about 90 minutes until slightly charred on the outside and deep red.
• Rest the meat for about 10 minutes, then carve off thin slices of the pork. Slice off thin pieces of the roasted pineapples as well.
• To assemble and serve, place some pork on the tortillas, followed by a few pieces of pineapple, a sprinkle of onions, a pinch of cilantro, then a small spoonful of the salsa.