Tacos al Pastor
Published June 4, 2019
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich
- Total Time
- 45 minutes, plus marinating
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE ADOBO (MARINADE)
2 dried cascabel chiles
1 dried ancho or guajillo chile
2 plum tomatoes, halved and cored
¼ small white onion
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 to 2 chiles de árbol (depending on how much heat you like), stems removed
3 garlic cloves
1 whole clove or ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground achiote (annatto) seeds
Pinch of ground cumin
Pinch of dried oregano
1 tablespoon kosher salt
FOR THE TACOS
2 pounds pork tenderloin, thinly sliced crosswise then cut into bite-size slices and shreds
Kosher salt
1 cup small chunks fresh pineapple
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
12 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed
Minced white onion and chopped fresh cilantro, in separate bowls, for topping
Hot sauce and lime wedges, for topping
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 to 4 servings)
57 grams carbs; 147 milligrams cholesterol; 716 calories; 19 grams monosaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 32 grams fat; 9 grams fiber; 1308 milligrams sodium; 53 grams protein; 14 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the marinade: Break off the stem ends of the cascabel and ancho (or guajillo) chiles and shake out and discard the seeds. Place chiles in a saucepan and pour over cold water to just cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then turn off the heat and let the chiles soak, 15 minutes.
- Step 2
In a blender, combine tomatoes, onion, oil, citrus juices, stemmed chile de árbol, garlic, clove, achiote seeds, cumin, oregano and salt. Add the soaked chiles and a few tablespoons of the soaking water and purée until smooth. Add more of the soaking water if needed to make a thin paste. Set aside about ½ cup of the marinade for cooking.
- Step 3
Sprinkle the meat with salt. Place in a container, add remaining marinade, and mix until well coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. (The recipe can be made up to this point up to 1 day in advance.) Bring to room temperature before cooking.
- Step 4
Combine the pineapple and sugar in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir often until the sugar is melted and the pineapple is caramelized, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.
- Step 5
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 225 degrees. Prepare a tortilla basket or slightly damp clean dish towel. On a griddle or in a heavy skillet, warm the tortillas on both sides until hot and blistered, stacking them in the basket or wrapped in the towel. Transfer to the oven until ready to serve.
- Step 6
Place a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Drain off all excess liquid from the meat and blot between layers of paper towels. Add the oil to the hot skillet, swirl to heat through, then add 2 tablespoons marinade. Let sizzle for a moment, then add the meat, spreading it out in a single layer. (If your skillet is smaller than 12 inches, cook in batches to avoid crowding the pan.) Let meat cook undisturbed over high heat until browned on the bottom, then sauté over high heat, stirring often, until cooked through but still moist, about 5 minutes. After 3 minutes, taste and stir in more reserved marinade as needed. When cooked, transfer to a serving bowl.
- Step 7
Place everything on the table, including the toppings, and serve at once.
Private Notes
Comments
Like Gyros or Doner Kebab, Al Pastor refers to meat stacked onto a vertical spit, which is then sliced off the outside as it cooks. Put the pork loin in the freezer for 20 minutes or so to firm it up. You'll have an easier time slicing it thin, then put it in the marinade. A dash of liquid smoke in the marinade is a nice cheat, if you like smoky meat.
I think the opposite is correct. First I think "shred" is the wrong term for al pastor. When I hear "shred" I think pulled pork or ropa vieja. Al pastor is all about the crispy bits from the trompo or in this case the griddle/skillet. But in any case, I think you cut the meat before cooking so you can get a more complete "crustification" on the meat. If you slice afterwards, you'll miss a side.
I am also wondering if the meat is cooked first before marinating, and how this should happen, if later does it absorb all the marinade? .
Seems like it would be better to sear/char the meat when it’s dry then add the bit of marinade…
Authentic even without the actual “char of the grill”. We have made this numerous times making changes here and there yet the chilis and spices make this el pastor sing! Brings visceral memories back of el rancho cookouts…
Delicious but a little dry. Next time I’ll add a little more pepper water to the marinade and set aside 3/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup. To make more like what I’m used to at taquerias, I’d use 3/4 cup pineapple instead of 1/2 cup, cut into smaller chunks than shown in the photo (1/3-1/2 the size), and mix in pineapples and reserved marinade after meat has cooked, rather than pineapple and marinade as topping. Used canned pineapple and tomato puree, didn’t salt meat before marinade or pat dry after marinade w paper towels. Still came out great. Agree w other commenter that freezing the meat makes it much easier to thinly slice. I froze mine ~45 min.