Shepherd-Style Spicy Pork Tacos (Tacos al Pastor)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 23, 2009
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Pork
3 ancho chiles, brushed clean2 dried chipotle chiles, brushed clean1 (6-ounce can) pineapple juice 4 medium garlic cloves, peeled2 slices pineapple (fresh or canned)1 ½ teaspoons salt ¼ teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves 1 3-pound boneless pork shoulder roast (Boston butt)2 tablespoons white vinegarTacos
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmedsprigs fresh cilantro Minced white or red onion Sour cream Lime wedgeBefore You Begin
These small tacos are made with soft corn tortillas and a modest amount of shredded meat. This meat also tastes great in place of the chicken in Chicken Tamales (see related recipe). The bulk of this sauce is made of chiles, so substituting dried chili powder will not work here. We recommend wearing gloves when handling the toasted chiles as they are very spicy and might make your skin burn. We use a small baking dish here to prevent the roast pork drippings from burning; if using a larger dish, you may need to add water during roasting.
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the ancho and chipotle chiles on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant and puffed, about 6 minutes. Remove the chiles from the oven and cool (leave the oven on). When cool enough to handle, seed and stem the chiles, then transfer to a medium bowl. Cover with hot tap water (about 3 cups) and soak, stirring occasionally, until softened, but not mushy, about 20 minutes.
- Drain the chiles and transfer to a blender, discarding the water. Add the pineapple juice, garlic, salt, cumin, pepper, and cloves, and puree until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds (you should have about 1 cup).
- Lay the pineapple slices in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Place the pork roast on top of the pineapple slices, and coat evenly with 1/2 cup of the pureed chile mixture. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and roast in the oven until the pork is tender and falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 1/2 hours.
- Remove the pork from the oven, loosen the foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. Using two forks, shred the pork and pineapple in the dish, discarding any large pieces of fat or gristle. Stir the vinegar into the remaining 1/2 cup pureed chile mixture, then stir into the shredded pork to taste.
- Spoon a small amount of the shredded pork into the center of each warm tortilla and serve with any remaining chile mixture, cilantro, onion, sour cream, and lime wedges.
for the pork
for the tacos
Yield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Pork
Tacos
Ingredients
Pork
Tacos
Ingredients
Pork
Tacos
Why This Recipe Works
We chose pork shoulder for our tacos al pastor recipe because with long cooking it turns succulent and tender, and is easy to shred into bits for filling tacos. In lieu of spit-roasting, we decided to cook the pork in the oven at 350 degrees, a temperature high enough to allow some browning and the formation of a surface crust. To season the pork, we weeded through a long list of possible ingredients and found the earthiness and spiciness that we were after by using only two common types of dried chiles, ancho and chipotle. Pineapple is a key ingredient in any tacos al pastor recipe, so we spiked our pork seasonings with some pineapple juice and liked its sweet, bright effect. We worked actual pineapple into the mix by placing a couple of pineapple slices beneath the pork before roasting.
Before You Begin
These small tacos are made with soft corn tortillas and a modest amount of shredded meat. This meat also tastes great in place of the chicken in Chicken Tamales (see related recipe). The bulk of this sauce is made of chiles, so substituting dried chili powder will not work here. We recommend wearing gloves when handling the toasted chiles as they are very spicy and might make your skin burn. We use a small baking dish here to prevent the roast pork drippings from burning; if using a larger dish, you may need to add water during roasting.
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the ancho and chipotle chiles on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant and puffed, about 6 minutes. Remove the chiles from the oven and cool (leave the oven on). When cool enough to handle, seed and stem the chiles, then transfer to a medium bowl. Cover with hot tap water (about 3 cups) and soak, stirring occasionally, until softened, but not mushy, about 20 minutes.
- Drain the chiles and transfer to a blender, discarding the water. Add the pineapple juice, garlic, salt, cumin, pepper, and cloves, and puree until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds (you should have about 1 cup).
- Lay the pineapple slices in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. Place the pork roast on top of the pineapple slices, and coat evenly with 1/2 cup of the pureed chile mixture. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and roast in the oven until the pork is tender and falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 1/2 hours.
- Remove the pork from the oven, loosen the foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. Using two forks, shred the pork and pineapple in the dish, discarding any large pieces of fat or gristle. Stir the vinegar into the remaining 1/2 cup pureed chile mixture, then stir into the shredded pork to taste.
- Spoon a small amount of the shredded pork into the center of each warm tortilla and serve with any remaining chile mixture, cilantro, onion, sour cream, and lime wedges.
for the pork
for the tacos
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