Tacos al Pastor
By Alli BerkeyPublished on June 12, 2020
Time
2 hours plus 1 hour marinating
Yield
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
1 ½ ounces dried guajillo chiles, stemmed1 ounce dried ancho chiles, stemmed½ cup cider vinegar ½ cup pineapple juice 1 tablespoon table salt 4 garlic cloves, peeled1 tablespoon dried oregano 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 ½ teaspoons pepper ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 (2½-pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed1 pineapple 24 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmedFinely chopped onion Fresh cilantro leaves Lime wedge
Before You Begin
Note that 1½ ounces of guajillos is about six chiles, and 1 ounce of anchos is about two chiles. The pineapple doesn't need to be charred in step 8. Any leftover pork can be used to make sandwiches, stir-fries, or more tacos.
Instructions
- Using kitchen shears, cut guajillos and anchos in half lengthwise and discard seeds and stems. Cut guajillos and anchos into 1-inch pieces. Place guajillos and anchos in 12-inch skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and darkened slightly, about 6 minutes. Immediately transfer guajillos and anchos to bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Using slotted spoon, lift guajillos and anchos from water and transfer to blender; discard soaking water. Add vinegar, pineapple juice, salt, garlic, oregano, cumin, pepper, and cinnamon and process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Set aside ¼ cup marinade.
- Cut pork crosswise into approximate 1½-inch-thick steaks. Transfer pork to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Add remaining marinade to bag with pork. Seal bag and turn to distribute marinade evenly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Using sharp chef's knife, cut top and bottom from pineapple, then peel. Quarter pineapple lengthwise through core. Reserve 3 quarters for another use. Remove and discard core from remaining pineapple quarter; set aside.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Adjust primary burner to medium-high and turn off other burners. (Adjust burner as needed to maintain grill temperature of 350 degrees.)
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Remove pork from marinade and place on cooler side of grill. Cover and cook until pork registers 150 degrees, about 50 minutes for charcoal or 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes for gas.
- Brush tops of steaks with 2 tablespoons reserved marinade. Flip steaks marinade side down onto hotter side of grill. Brush second side of steaks with remaining 2 tablespoons reserved marinade. Place reserved pineapple on hotter side of grill next to steaks.
- Cook, uncovered for charcoal and covered for gas, until pork is well charred and registers 175 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes per side for charcoal or 12 to 15 minutes per side for gas. Cook pineapple until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Transfer pork and pineapple to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Transfer pork and pineapple to carving board and slice thin. Season with salt to taste. Fill tortillas with few slices of pork and pineapple. Top tacos with onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Time
2 hours plus 1 hour marinatingYield
Serves 8 to 10Ingredients
1 ½ ounces dried guajillo chiles, stemmed
1 ounce dried ancho chiles, stemmed
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon table salt
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons pepper
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (2½-pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed
1 pineapple
24 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
Finely chopped onion
Fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedge
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 ½ ounces dried guajillo chiles, stemmed
1 ounce dried ancho chiles, stemmed
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon table salt
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons pepper
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (2½-pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed
1 pineapple
24 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
Finely chopped onion
Fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedge
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 ½ ounces dried guajillo chiles, stemmed
1 ounce dried ancho chiles, stemmed
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon table salt
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons pepper
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (2½-pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed
1 pineapple
24 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
Finely chopped onion
Fresh cilantro leaves
Lime wedge
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
This traditional and historical taco has both Mexican and Lebanese roots. Toasting and soaking the deeply red and smoky guajillo and ancho chiles brought out their natural flavors and color. We blended these chiles with potent raw garlic, sweet pineapple juice, some acidic cider vinegar, and plenty of dried oregano to create a potent paste to marinate our pork. Traditionally, thin slices of marinated pork are layered on a rotating spit and roasted in front of an open flame. For a home cook–friendly recipe, we opted to cook our marinated slabs of pork butt roast on the grill. First, we cooked the pork through slowly, ensuring moist and tender meat, and then we gave the steaks a quick sear over a hot fire to char the outer, marinated edges. Slicing the meat thin made it feel just like it would coming right off the spit and into a warm fresh corn tortilla.
Before You Begin
Note that 1½ ounces of guajillos is about six chiles, and 1 ounce of anchos is about two chiles. The pineapple doesn't need to be charred in step 8. Any leftover pork can be used to make sandwiches, stir-fries, or more tacos.
Instructions
- Using kitchen shears, cut guajillos and anchos in half lengthwise and discard seeds and stems. Cut guajillos and anchos into 1-inch pieces. Place guajillos and anchos in 12-inch skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and darkened slightly, about 6 minutes. Immediately transfer guajillos and anchos to bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Using slotted spoon, lift guajillos and anchos from water and transfer to blender; discard soaking water. Add vinegar, pineapple juice, salt, garlic, oregano, cumin, pepper, and cinnamon and process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Set aside ¼ cup marinade.
- Cut pork crosswise into approximate 1½-inch-thick steaks. Transfer pork to 1-gallon zipper-lock bag. Add remaining marinade to bag with pork. Seal bag and turn to distribute marinade evenly. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
- Using sharp chef's knife, cut top and bottom from pineapple, then peel. Quarter pineapple lengthwise through core. Reserve 3 quarters for another use. Remove and discard core from remaining pineapple quarter; set aside.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Adjust primary burner to medium-high and turn off other burners. (Adjust burner as needed to maintain grill temperature of 350 degrees.)
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Remove pork from marinade and place on cooler side of grill. Cover and cook until pork registers 150 degrees, about 50 minutes for charcoal or 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes for gas.
- Brush tops of steaks with 2 tablespoons reserved marinade. Flip steaks marinade side down onto hotter side of grill. Brush second side of steaks with remaining 2 tablespoons reserved marinade. Place reserved pineapple on hotter side of grill next to steaks.
- Cook, uncovered for charcoal and covered for gas, until pork is well charred and registers 175 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes per side for charcoal or 12 to 15 minutes per side for gas. Cook pineapple until warmed through, about 10 minutes. Transfer pork and pineapple to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Transfer pork and pineapple to carving board and slice thin. Season with salt to taste. Fill tortillas with few slices of pork and pineapple. Top tacos with onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
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