Tacos. Everyone has a favorite style of taco, perhaps two or three. Some enjoy a simple crunchy-shelled fast food style. Others enjoy something traditional with a few ingredients. A few enjoy tacos with a little fusion of another culture’s culinary influence. One of my favorites – of which there are many – is a specific taqueria or street-style taco. It is the featured recipe this week, and with a little adaptation from how it is commonly made, is quite easy to replicate at home.
One of my favorite tacos is “Tacos al Pastor,” also known as pastor-style tacos. These are made from flavorful pork, caramelized onion and most importantly, grilled pineapple. The flavor of pastor-style tacos is a unique sweet and earthy savory. I find the combination of sweet and savory very addictive.
Most pastor-style tacos have a very unique cooking method. Once the meat is marinated, it is layered onto a spit and placed into a vertical rotisserie. As it turns and cooks, the delicious, slightly charred pork is sliced off and placed onto a corn tortilla.
Until recently, I never considered making my own pastor-style tacos. I began my search for a full flavor method to guide me, which did not require any special tools or equipment. I found a fantastic recipe in the tried-and-true teachings of Mexican cuisine expert, Rick Bayless.
I made some adaptations that are not reflected in the recipe as written: I cut the marinade recipe to 1/3 to eliminate leftovers and used a large can of pineapple instead of fresh so that I could use the juice in place of the water. Two cloves of peeled garlic were also added. Instead of pork shoulder, I used a 2-pound pork sirloin roast. There is plenty of marinade for the extra half pound of meat. I discovered more than a minute per side is needed when grilling the pork. I finish assembly with a squeeze of lime juice, a touch of chili-based salsa, cilantro and a small slice of avocado.
Grilled Pork Tacos, Pastor Style
From Rick Bayless
Makes 20 tacos
Ingredients
• A 3 1/2-ounce package achiote paste
• Three canned chipotle chiles in adobo, plus four tablespoons of the canning sauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil, plus a little more for the onion and pineapple
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 pounds thin-sliced pork shoulder (1/4-inch-thick slices are ideal – the kind Mexican butchers sell for making tacos al pastor)
• One medium red onion, sliced 1/4- inch thick
• Salt
• 1/4 of a medium pineapple, sliced 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 20 warm corn tortillas
Step 1: In a blender, combine the achiote paste, chiles, canning sauce, oil and 3/4 cup water. Blend until smooth. Use 1/3 of the marinade to smear over both sides of each piece of meat (refrigerate the rest of the marinade to use on other meat or fish). Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Step 2: Light a charcoal fire and let the coals burn until covered with gray ash but still very hot; bank the coals to one side and set the grill grate in place. Or, heat one side of a gas grill to high.
Step 3: Brush both sides of the onions slices with oil and sprinkle with salt. Lay in a single layer on the hot side of the grill. When richly browned – usually just about a minute – flip and brown the other side; move to the cool side of the grill to finish softening to grilled-onion sweetness. Oil and grill the pineapple in the same way.
Step 4: In batches, grill the meat: It will take about a minute per side as well. As the meat is done, transfer it to a cutting board and chop it up (between 1/4- and 1/2-inch pieces). Scoop into a skillet and set over the grill to keep the meat warm. Chop the onion and pineapple into small pieces as well, and add them to the skillet and toss everything together. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. Serve with the tortillas and toppings.
Mitch L. Mariani II is a self-taught amateur chef. Questions, comments and suggestions can be directed to him through e-mail at [email protected].
