Tacos Con Sabor Al Pastor
When you are hungry for tacos al pastor and there is no trompo for thousands of miles! A homecook's version of al pastor.
Servings 8 Servings
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds pork butt fat trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces (boneless pork)
- 1 tablespoon chile ancho powder
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoons oregano crushed
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 4 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
For Al Pastor Marinade
- 2 oz achiote paste
- 4 chile guajillo stems and seeds removed
- 2 chile ancho stems and seeds removed
- 2 chipotles in adobo optional
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder, optional
- 1 cup canned pineapple juice OPTIONAL!
- 3-4 tablespoons white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
You will also need
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup finely diced fresh pineapple to be added later
Instructions
Directions:
- Combine all the dry spices and season the pork evenly. In a large pan, heat the oil to medium/high heat, add the seasoned pork to the hot oil, and cook until all sides of the meat are seared well. I think that searing the pork just with the spices add a lot of flavor.
- If you choose to marinate the pork overnight with the chile sauce, DO NOT add any fresh pineapple when blending the sauce. The pineapple will break down the meat giving it a chalky texture when cooked. I learned this the hard way.
- Transfer the dried peppers to a sauce pan of boiling water. Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, set aside. Once chiles are soft and slightly cool, combine all of the ingredients(see list above) for the marinade into the blender. Blend on high until smooth, taste for salt.
- Add the reserved cup of fresh pineapple and sauce from the blender to the pork. Stir well to combine. Add in the chicken broth. Stir to combine. Once it come to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook, stirring often, for a good 2 to 2½ hours or until pork is tender. Taste for salt and add a little water if it gets too dry.
- Serve as is, with rice and beans, and warm tortillas. If preparing tacos, I like to chop the pork small and quickly sear it before serving. You can saute more fresh pineapple with the pork to warm, or on the side. Garnish with grilled or sauteed pineapple, salsa verde, diced onions,cilantro and lime.
Notes
Tips~ One of the best tips! Pork butt/shoulder too big to handle? Purchase some boneless country style ribs or pork tips for this recipe. I substitute them all the time.
In the past, I have blended fresh pineapple in my marinade. I would suggest leaving it out when preparing a basic al pastor marinade. Cooking the pineapple on top of the meat or mixed in is tasty and no worries of it affecting the meat in a bad way.