Homemade Al Pastor Taco Meat

Ingredients

• 2 lb Pork meat (Cut into bite-sized pieces; typically pork shoulder or butt is used)
• Salt (To taste, for seasoning the meat)
• Black pepper (To taste, for seasoning the meat)
• 1 tsp Garlic powder (For seasoning the meat)
• 3 Ancho chilies (Dried, seeds removed)
• 5 Guajillo chilies (Dried, seeds removed)
• 2 heads Garlic (Peeled cloves)
• 4 Whole cloves (Clavo de olor)
• 4 Allspice berries (Pimienta dulce)
• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• 0.5 tsp Black peppercorns (Whole)
• 2 Bay leaves
• 0.5 tsp Cumin seeds
• 0.5 bar Achiote paste (Approximately 50g)
• 2 Orange juice (Freshly squeezed from 2 oranges)
• 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar (A splash)
• 1 cup Pineapple (Fresh, chopped into pieces)
• 1 White onion (Sliced)

Steps

1. 1

   Place the pork meat pieces in a large bowl and season thoroughly with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Mix well to coat.

2. 2

   In a pot of boiling water, add the ancho and guajillo chilies. Boil until they are softened and rehydrated.

3. 3

   In a blender or container, combine the peeled garlic cloves, whole cloves, allspice, oregano, black peppercorns, bay leaves, cumin, and the half bar of achiote paste.

4. 4

   Add the freshly squeezed orange juice, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt to the blender with the spices.

5. 5

   Add the boiled chilies to the blender and process until you have a smooth, thick adobo sauce.

6. 6

   Pour the adobo sauce over the seasoned pork meat.

7. 7

   Add the chopped pineapple and sliced onion to the meat and sauce mixture.

8. 8

   Mix everything together thoroughly (the narrator jokingly suggests using 'bathroom cleaning gloves' for flavor, but use standard food-safe kitchen gloves or a spoon).

9. 9

   Cover and refrigerate to marinate. While the narrator says '42 days' as a joke, a standard marination time is at least 4 hours or ideally overnight (24 hours).

10. 10

    To cook, sauté the meat in a hot skillet or griddle in batches until cooked through and slightly charred on the edges.

Notes

The narrator uses a lot of humor/hyperbole (e.g., '1,299 grains of salt', '42 days of marinating', 'bathroom gloves'). Use standard culinary common sense for these parts. Note from comments: Avoid marinating in aluminum trays as the vinegar in the sauce can react with the metal; use glass, plastic, or stainless steel instead.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• tacos
• pork
• mexican
• dinner
• marinated