Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3 – 3 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, partially-frozen and sliced 1/4” inch thick against the grain – or your butcher can do it for you without the partial freezing
- 1 ripe pineapple peeled, cored and sliced into 1/2” thick rings
- ***
- Marinade:
- 2 dried guajillo chiles
- 2 dried ancho chiles
- 1 chipotle from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1/3 cup canned pineapple juice
- 1/3 cup sour orange juice, or combine 1 part fresh orange juice, 1 part fresh grapefruit juice and 2 parts fresh lime juice
- 1/2 onion, peeled
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. achiote paste
- 1 Tbsp. adobo sauce from the chipotle en adobo can
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. freshly-ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp. dried Mexican oregano
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tsp. freshly-ground black peppercorns
- 3 Tbsp. shelled pistachios
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- ***
- Salsa Taquero:
- 1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked, rinsed and chopped
- 3 1/2 ounces cilantro leaves, minced
- 2/3 Tbsp. freshly-squeezed lime juice
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 serrano chili peppers, stems removed and chopped
- 1 Haas avocado, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 small purple onion, chopped
- ***
- For Serving:
- corn tortillas, lightly toasted in a pan on each side and kept warm
- grilled pineapple rings, finely-chopped
- salsa taquero
- guacamole
- sour cream
- your preferred hot sauce(s) of choice
- Freshly-squeezed lime juice
- minced cilantro
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add guajillo and ancho chilies and toast until blistered in spots and fragrant, turning occasionally, about 3 minutes. Transfer peppers to a cutting board.
- Once cool enough to handle, cut tops off chiles, cut in half and remove seeds, taking care not to touch your eyes.
- In a frying pan, toast the torn chilies for 30 seconds until they start to smoke. Transfer to a bowl, cover with hot water and leave to soak for 20 minutes until soft and pliable.
- Add the unpeeled garlic cloves to the pan and toast until they begin to char and have softened slightly (about 8 minutes). Remove from the heat and leave until cool enough to handle, then peel and discard the skins.
- Put the softened chilies in a blender along with all the marinade ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Add pork to a shallow dish or freezer size bag. Add marinade and stir to combine so every piece is evenly coated. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 -24 hours, the longer the better.
- Grease a grill or grill pan and heat to high heat. Add pineapple and grill until lightly charred, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board and chop once cool enough to handle.
- Grease grill once again and heat to high heat. Remove the pork from the marinade and add to grill (you might need to work in batches).
- Grill over high heat until lightly charred and just cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before chopping into bite-sized pieces.
- Serve Al Pastor in warm tortillas with chopped grilled pineapple and suggested toppings.
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
