Tacos al pastor

Cook it at home: Tacos al pastor at home

No spit at home, so stack thin marinated pork slices on a skewer through a pineapple base and roast them, or sear them in batches. The adobo of guajillo, ancho and achiote is the flavor.

Pans and tools

• Blender
• Skillet or comal
• Loaf pan or rimmed sheet and a long metal skewer
• Cast-iron pan

You’ll need

• 3 lb (1.4 kg) boneless pork shoulder, sliced 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick (ask the butcher, or freeze 1 hour and slice)
• For the adobo: 4 guajillo and 2 ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
• 3 oz (85 g) achiote paste
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) pineapple juice and 1/4 cup (60 ml) white vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves, 1/2 small onion
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 2 cloves, 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp kosher salt and 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 small ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 24 small corn tortillas
• To serve: 1 white onion finely chopped, 1 bunch cilantro chopped, limes, salsa verde and salsa roja

Steps

1. Toast the dried chilies in a dry skillet over medium heat 20 seconds per side until fragrant and pliable. Soak in hot water 15 minutes, then drain.
2. Blend the chilies with the achiote, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, cloves, pepper, salt and sugar until completely smooth.
3. Toss the pork slices with the adobo until each one is coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Heat the oven to 450F (230C). Set one thick pineapple round in a small loaf pan or on a rimmed sheet as a base, push a long skewer upright into it and stack the pork slices on the skewer tightly to make a mini trompo. Top with another pineapple slice.
5. Roast 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the outside is dark and crusty and the center reads 160F (71C). (Or: sear the slices in batches in a very hot cast-iron pan, 2 minutes per side, then chop.)
6. Grill or broil the remaining pineapple rounds until charred, then chop into small pieces.
7. Slice the pork thinly off the stack, as a taquero would, and give it a quick sear in a hot skillet so the edges crisp.
8. Warm the tortillas on a dry griddle, stacking two per taco. Pile on pork, a bit of pineapple, onion and cilantro, and serve with lime and salsas.

Contains: None.