Tacos al pastor

Ingredients:

3 lbs pork butt, thin sliced

1 pineapple

Marinade:

1 Tbsp oil

3 garlic cloves, smashed

1/4 onion

4-6 dried guajillo chiles, deseeded

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

1/2 brick of achiote paste

1 Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp Mexican oregano

1/2 Tbsp cracked black pepper

1/2 Tbsp all spice

1/2 cup fresh pineapple juice

1 cup low sodium chicken stock

2 dried chile de arbol, deseeded (for spice)

Corn tortillas

Cilantro

Raw chopped white onion

Salsa of your choice

Cojita cheese

Pickled red onions (see recipe)

Directions:

To make slicing the pork easier, place it in the freezer for a couple of hours until it firms up but does not freeze solid. This will help you achieve thin, even slices. If preferred, ask your butcher to slice the pork for you.

Begin preparing the marinade by heating a small amount of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and onion and sauté until they begin to soften and become fragrant.

Add the dried chiles and bay leaves and continue cooking for 3–4 minutes, allowing the chiles to toast slightly and release their flavor.

Pour in the water and apple cider vinegar, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes until the chiles soften.

Transfer the mixture to a blender along with the seasonings, chipotle peppers, chicken stock, and fresh pineapple juice. Blend until completely smooth.

Strain the marinade through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing the mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the remaining solids.

Coat the sliced pork generously with the marinade, making sure each piece is evenly covered. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the flavors to fully penetrate the meat.

When ready to cook, prepare the pineapple. Cut it into thick slices that will serve as the base and top of your al pastor stack.

If you don’t have a traditional trompo, you can create one using a 12-inch cast iron skillet and a wooden skewer. Place a pineapple slice on the bottom, then stack the marinated pork slices one layer at a time, finishing with another pineapple slice on top.

Cook at 300°F for approximately 4 hours, either in a smoker or oven, until the pork is tender, juicy, and fully cooked. The internal temperature should reach at least 145°F, but tenderness and rendered fat are the true indicators of a finished al pastor.

Slice the cooked pork into thin pieces and serve on warm tortillas with your favorite toppings.

Chef Scout Recon Tip: Traditional al pastor is about layers—layers of flavor from the chile marinade, layers of pork, and layers of texture from the charred edges and fresh toppings. If you can’t cook it on a trompo, recreate the concept: stack the meat, roast it vertically, and let time do the work.