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La Piña en la Cocina

Embracing my Mexican heritage and sharing all the wonderful flavors, colors and foods I grew up with. Join me on this journey as I also learn new foods and cooking techniques. Dedicated to my parents Ramiro and Blanca.

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Home » Sauces » Adobo » Adobo For Al Pastor

Adobo For Al Pastor

March 31, 20215 Comments

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Adobo for al pastor, finally! I am working on some new blog post that get right to the point! I will focus on basic recipes that I use over and over and over again. This recipe for adobo for al pastor is one of them.

two jars of adobo for alpastor on the counter

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Do You Have A Recipe For…

That is usually a question I get daily in my inbox. My followers are looking for particular recipes like marinades, salsas, sauces and more. They want to learn techniques and what works better. What kind of cookware? Which are your favorite cuts of meat? Do you have a favorite store bought tortilla? These questions and more are what you all want to know.

Al Pastor Tacos close up
The original recipe for Tacos Con Sabor Al Pastor on my blog. These days, I eliminate adding any pineapple to the actual adobo. I do like to add some grilled pineapple as a garnish for my tacos though! Tacos Con Sabor Al Pastor

More Al Pastor Recipes!

Including the photo above, these are all recipes on my blog that I used the adobo for al pastor. All the recipes were prepared in different ways. I still need to develop one using chicken. How did I miss that? Lol!

tacos al pastor plated
Al Pastor Al Horno. Oven roasted pork marinated in al pastor adobo. This is al pastor for a crowd! Al Pastor Al Horno
Brochetas Al Pastor. Pork Skewers Al Pastor
Brochetas Al Pastor. Giant kabobs with marinated pork in adobo for al pastor! My favorite! Brochetas Al Pastor
chuletas marinated in adobo for al pastor cooked and plated
Chuletas Al Pastor! Super delicious stove top version of pork chops marinated in adobo and served with charred pineapple chunks! Chuletas!
shrimp al pastor on a tostada
Camarones Al Pastor. Shrimp marinated in adobo for al pastor! Camarones Al Pastor
al pastor tower
Oven Roasted Tower Of Al Pastor! This was bit of a challenge, but I would definitely do it again! Oven Roasted Tower Of al Pastor
Ingredients for adobo on cutting board

Dried Chiles

I store my dried chiles in a resealable plastic bag. Avoid setting them in direct sunlight and warms areas. If it is too warm, I store them in the refrigerator to avoid any unwanted critters, lol! Look for chiles that are soft when you purchase them. If it’s lack of space to store them, then you can grind them down to a powder. I have a coffee grinder I use specially for spices and chiles.

close up of dried chiles on cutting board

Achiote

Achiote comes from grinding annatto seeds with other spices, crushed chiles, vinegar and salt. It’s much easier to purchase a brick of achiote than preparing it from scratch. The annatto seeds are very hard to grind. That has been my experience in the past. Achiote is popular in recipes from the region of Yucatan, like cochinita pibil and more! It has an earthy flavor, not spicy, in my opinion.

close up of achiote in small bowl

Chipotles In Adobo

This is one of the few canned food ingredients that is a staple in my pantry. I love chipotles in adobo! Canned chipotles are smoked jalapeños in a tangy tomato base. One day real soon I am going to challenge myself and prepare a batch from scratch. Why not? I am not stuck on one particular brand, but they do vary slightly depending on the brand. Perfect for quick salsa, dressing, sauces and more!

chipotles in adobo in small bowl close up

Why Saute or Fry?

Do you prefer the flavor of a fried onion or a boiled onion? If you don’t like onions, than skip to the next question, lol! Fried ingredients add so much more flavor to your recipes.

frying onions and garlic in skillet for adobo recipe

Bring Out The Flavors!

Take the extra time and toast or fry the dried chiles before using them in your recipes. I confess that I don’t always do that, but it’s worth it. Toasting or frying will bring out the natural oils in the chiles. Just be careful not to burn them or they will become too bitter.

adding dried chiles to skillet with onions and garlic

Opt For Fresh Water Or Broth When Possible.

Just to be on the safe side, I avoid using the water I used to soften my dried chiles. Not always though. If I feel like the chiles are fairly new and not old, I will use the cooking water in my recipes. Old chiles can be very bitter when used and no amount of anything can take it away. I have been there, trust me.

adding water to skillet with chiles, onion and garlic
close up of softened chiles in skillet

What Kitchen Tools Are The Most Valuable?

Right off the top of my head, my blender, knives, cutting board, prep bowls, wooden spoons and much more! I have a variety of pots and pans. Nothing fancy, just basic pots and pans that work for me. I use the Mexican blue enamelware pots, pans and spoons. They are not nonstick, but they are lightweight and easy to wash. I reserve my nonstick skillet for cooking eggs mostly.

close up of ingredients in the blender for adobo
blended al pastor adobo
open blender with adobo
adding more salt to adobo
adobo in glass jars

That’s The Adobo For Al Pastor Recipe!

adobo in glass jars

Now You Are Ready To Cook With It!

You can use any of the Al Pastor links I left above to start cooking. Below is the start of yet another recipe. I start with 1 1/2 pounds pork butt chopped small.

chopped pork butt meat on cutting board

Pour in about 1/2 cup of adobo.

adding some adobo to chopped pork meat with measuring cup

Mix in 1 cup onion sliced thin.

adding sliced onions to pork with adobo

Mix Well!

mixed adobo with pork and onions

Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours!

pork with adobo covered with plastic wrap

To Be Continued! Lol!

I will add taco photos once I cook them later today!

Here We Go! Tacos! Finally!

collage of stove top al pastor meat for tacos

I start with a very hot extra large skillet at medium/high heat with no oil. Let the pork cook until most of the liquid evaporates. Drizzle in some oil(high heat oil) and continue stir frying for 6-8 minutes or until you have some caramelization on the meat. Ready!

Collage of al pastor tacos step by step garnishes
My typical garnishes for al pastor tacos are grilled pineapple, onion, cilantro, salsa verde and lime!
two jars of adobo for al pastor

Adobo For Al Pastor

A basic recipe for an adobo that is popular to use for pork al pastor!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Marinade
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 3 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/2 onion sliced
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic smashed
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 4 dried chile guajillo stems and seeds removed
  • 2 dried chile ancho stems and seeds removed
  • 4 cups water 2 cups to soften chiles, 2 cups to blend adobo
  • 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
  • 2 oz achiote paste
  • 3-4 chipotles in adobo
  • 2 tbsp adobo from chipotles
  • 1/4 c apple cider or white distilled vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • To a medium skillet, add the onion, garlic and 1 tsp. of oil. Heat to medium.
  • Saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes and then add in the torn pieces of the dried chiles. Saute for another 3 minutes, stirring now and then.
  • To the skillet, pour in 2 cups of water. Continue cooking for 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and let everything soak and soften for 10 minutes.
  • Drain the water from the chiles in skillet and transfer everything to the blender.
  • Also the blender, 2 cups of reserved water, bouillon, achiote, chipotles in adobo, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Blend on high until very smooth. Taste for salt. It should be on the salty side in order for it to season the meat well.
  • Pour adobo into glass jars and store refrigerated for a few weeks or in the freezer for a few months.

Notes

In my original adobo for al pastor I added pineapple. Most times the pineapple was fresh, but I decided to eliminate that in my revised recipe above. I still use pineapple grilled or to cook along with the pork, depending on the recipe. As you will read in some of the other al pastor post, the fresh pineapple caused the pork meat to break down too much! The texture is not pleasing, lol! That’s all I have to say! Trial and error! That’s how we learn.
Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

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Filed Under: Adobo, Pork~Cerdo, Sauces, Tacos, Traditional Mexican Recipes Tagged With: Adobo, Al Pastor, Marinades, Pork, tacos al pastor

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Richard Rongve

    March 31, 2021 at 10:08 pm

    Can hardly wait to see the recipe for the finished product. AMAZING…..

    Reply
    • Sonia

      April 1, 2021 at 10:01 am

      Hi Richard! I just added the final pictures to the post so you can check them out. I loved the tacos, of course, but might consider adding a little more heat to the adobo next time. I love spicy food! Lol!

      Reply
  2. Guadalupe Guerra

    September 7, 2021 at 9:02 am

    Hi! Oooks like an amazing recipe. Your ingredients call for 4 cups of water, but use only 2 cups in description for soaking. Are we to add another 2 cups to the blender? Thank you…

    Reply
    • Sonia

      September 7, 2021 at 1:13 pm

      Guadalupe, I use four cups to soften the peppers, but then use 2 cups of fresh water to blend the adobo. I prefer using fresh water most times, just in case the cooking water is bitter.

      Reply
    • Sonia

      September 7, 2021 at 1:25 pm

      Hi Guadalupe, I revised the text on the recipe so it’s easier to understand. Sorry about that. I drain the cooking water and then add 2 cups of fresh water to blend the adobo.

      Reply

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Welcome!

Hi, my name is Sonia Mendez Garcia. My parents Ramiro and Blanca Mendez moved to the United States from Monterrey, Mexico in 1963. I am first generation Mexican American born in Los Angeles, California. Cooking has always been one of my passions in life. This is my journey and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Read More…

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