Homemade Tacos al Pastor

Ingredients

• 1 kg pork leg or shoulder (cut into small cubes; leg, pork collar, or shoulder blade)
• 4 guajillo chiles (seeded)
• 2 ancho chiles (seeded)
• 0.5 white onion (for the marinade)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 0.25 cup white vinegar
• 0.5 cup pineapple juice (can be substituted with orange juice)
• 50 g achiote paste
• salt (to taste)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (for frying)
• 1 tbsp lard (pork lard)
• 1 cup fresh pineapple (cut into small cubes)
• 12 corn tortillas
• cilantro (finely chopped for garnish)
• onion (finely diced for garnish)
• hot salsa (of your choice)

Steps

1. 1

   Chop the pork (leg, collar, or shoulder) into small bite-sized cubes.

2. 2

   Place the guajillo and ancho chiles in a pot of water and bring to a boil until softened.

3. 3

   In a blender, combine the softened chiles, onion, garlic, white vinegar, pineapple juice (or orange juice), achiote paste, and salt.

4. 4

   Blend the mixture until completely smooth to create the adobo sauce.

5. 5

   Pour the adobo over the chopped meat, ensuring all pieces are well coated.

6. 6

   Cover and refrigerate the meat to marinate for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight for better flavor absorption.

7. 7

   Heat a large skillet with a little oil and add the marinated meat.

8. 8

   Cook the meat until all the released juices have evaporated.

9. 9

   Add a tablespoon of lard to the skillet and continue frying until the meat is deeply browned and crispy on the edges.

10. 10

    In a separate pan, cook the diced pineapple over medium-high heat until it becomes caramelized.

11. 11

    Warm the corn tortillas in the same skillet used for the meat to absorb the flavorful drippings.

12. 12

    Assemble the tacos by placing a generous portion of meat on each tortilla, followed by the caramelized pineapple.

13. 13

    Top with chopped onion, cilantro, and your favorite spicy salsa.

Notes

The chef recommends marinating the meat for at least 2 hours, but overnight is much better for flavor. Using lard at the end of the cooking process is the secret to achieving that authentic 'trompo' style golden crust in a pan.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• tacos
• pork
• mexican
• dinner
• pan-fried
• achiote