Horizontal Tacos al Pastor
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 6 servings
- Total: 2 hr 40 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Inactive: 2 hr
- Cook: 20 min
Ingredients
1 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for cooking
One 1-ounce package achiote paste
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
4 chipotles in adobo sauce
1 clove garlic
Pinch kosher salt
2 pounds boneless pork butt, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick slices, then into 1/2-inch-wide strips
12 fresh 6-inch white corn tortillas
1 yellow onion, 1/4-inch dice
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, 1/2-inch dice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Cotija cheese, crumbled, for serving
Salsa, for serving
Directions
- Puree 3/4 cup of the pineapple juice, the vegetable oil, achiote paste, adobo sauce, chipotles, garlic and salt in a food processor. Mix the pineapple juice mixture with the pork in a freezer bag and move around to coat. Marinate the pork in the fridge, 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet or grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the skillet and add the tortillas, toasting, about 30 seconds per side. Remove the tortillas and store in a towel to keep warm.
- Raise the heat under the skillet to high and add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Remove the pork from the bag and wipe off any excess pineapple juice mixture. Cook the pork in batches, until charred and cooked through.
- Remove the pork from the skillet. Chop the meat into bite-size pieces. Add half of the onions and the fresh pineapple and quickly cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/4 cup pineapple juice and the chopped pork back to the skillet with the juices.
- Place the pork, pineapple and onion mixture in the tortillas. Top with the remaining onions, cilantro, cotija and salsa. Order a margarita, apply SPF 2 and take a bite.