Name: Tacos al Pastor
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT1H0M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT4H0M0.000S
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Cuisine: mexican
Ingredients: 8 dried guajillo chile peppers; 2 dried ancho chile peppers; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 large white onion, diced; 3 cloves garlic, chopped; 2 cups pineapple juice; 1 cup fresh orange juice; 5 tablespoons apple juice; 1 cup Mexican beer (such as Tecate); 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar; 1 tablespoon dried oregano; 1 tablespoon paprika; 1 tablespoon ground annatto; 1 teaspoon ground cloves; Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; 6 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch-thick slabs; Borracho Tortillas, for serving (recipe follows); Pineapple-Serrano Salsa, for topping (recipe follows); Tomatillo salsa, crumbled cotija cheese, crushed chicharrónes (fried pork rinds), fresh cilantro and sliced radishes, for topping; Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

Make the marinade: Soak the dried chiles in warm water until softened, about 15 minutes; drain. Discard the stems and seeds. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chiles, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and add the pineapple juice, orange juice, apple juice, beer, vinegar, oregano, paprika, annatto, cloves, 2 tablespoons salt and 1 tablespoon pepper; puree until smooth.
Make the tacos: Place the pork in a large roasting pan and pour the marinade on top; cover with foil and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Transfer the pork to the oven and roast, covered, 3 hours. Remove the pork from the braising liquid and transfer to a cutting board; let rest at least 10 minutes. Reserve the braising liquid. Cut the pork into 1/4-inch pieces and return to the braising liquid, tossing to coat.
Assemble the tacos: Arrange the pork on the tortillas and top with the pineapple-serrano salsa and tomatillo salsa. Top with cotija, chicharrónes, cilantro and radishes. Serve with lime wedges.

Borracho Tortillas

Soak 20 dried guajillo chiles in warm water at least 30 minutes; drain. Remove the stems and seeds. Transfer the chiles to a blender and add 4 cups water, 5 garlic cloves, 1 diced onion, 2 teaspoons each chicken stock and kosher salt, 1 teaspoon each pepper and dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon cumin; puree. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dip a tortilla in the chile mixture, then add to the skillet and cook until lightly browned, 1 minute per side. Remove and sprinkle with cotija cheese. Repeat to make about 30 tortillas.

Pineapple-Serrano Salsa

Heat a grill to medium high. Peel 2 pineapples and cut into 1/4-inch-thick planks; grill until marked, about 3 minutes per side. Finely chop the pineapple, removing the core. Soak 2 to 3 thinly sliced serrano chiles in ice water, 10 minutes, then drain. Combine the pineapple, serranos, 2 diced small red onions, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl; toss. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Photograph by Ralph Smith

Tacos al Pastor

Ingredients

For the Marinade:

For the Tacos:

Directions

Borracho Tortillas

Pineapple-Serrano Salsa

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