Mexico Tacos al Pastor
Tacos al pastor (shepherd’s style tacos) is a dish from Central Mexico that reveals the influence of the nation's immigrants. Some claim the Greek gyro, Middle Eastern shawarma, or Turkish döner kebab has influenced this Mexican dish. Maybe the similarity lies in the fact that all are products of Ottoman Empire cuisine.
Recipe Servings: 6 to 8
Prep Time
1 minute
+ 6 hours resting
+ 6 hours resting
Cook Time
5 hours
Total Time
11 hours 1 minute
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
- 2 whole ancho chiles, seeds and stems removed
- 2 whole pasilla or guajillo chilies, seeds and stems removed
- ½ cup (120 ml) chicken stock
- 2 tsp (10 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tsp (5 ml) dried ground cumin seed
- 1 tsp (5 ml) dried Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp (5 ml) achiote powder or paste
- 1 chipotle pepper packed in adobo sauce, plus 2 tsp (10 ml) sauce from can
- 3 whole cloves garlic
- ¼ cup (60 ml) distilled white vinegar
- 2½ tsp (12.5 ml) kosher salt
- 2 tsp (10 ml) sugar
- 2 lbs (900 g) boneless blade-end loin or sirloin pork roast
- 8 oz (230 g) sliced bacon
- 1 small pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into quarters lengthwise
- 32–48 corn tortillas, warmed
- 1 medium white onion, finely diced
- ½ cup finely minced fresh cilantro leaves and stems
- 1 cup (240 ml) salsa
- 3 to 4 limes, cut into wedges, for serving
Directions
- Add both kinds of chilies to a large saucepan and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.
- Add chicken stock. When stock is boiling, transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- Using the same saucepan, warm the oil. Add cumin, oregano, and achiote and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add chipotle and adobo sauce and cook for about 30 more seconds.
- Add vinegar, salt, and sugar. Remove from heat.
- Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender.
- Add the chilies with their soaking liquid. Blend until smooth. Set sauce aside.
- Cut the pork roast into very thin pieces. Pound each slice with a meat pounder until ¼-in (6 mm) thick.
- In a large bowl, place the pieces of meat and the chile marinade. Make sure every piece of meat is coated in the marinade.
- Cover the bottom of an aluminum pan with bacon. Add a layer of meat and cover with a layer of bacon. Continue until you have used all the slices of meat.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 275º F (140º C).
- Uncover the aluminum pan and put on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 4 hours, until the meat is tender.
- When it is done, pour off bacon fat and set aside. Let the meat cool; then cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate, along with reserved bacon fat, for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C).
- Remove meat from the aluminum tray and cut it into very thin slices. Transfer to a bowl.
- Warm up bacon fat. Then place pineapple pieces on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, brush with fat, and roast for about 25 minutes or until tender.
- Remove from oven and let cool.
- In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, place meat and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) bacon fat. Stir occasionally, until meat is crisp and brown. Then transfer to a bowl.
- Chop the pineapple pieces into big chunks and serve with the meat, warm tortillas, onions, cilantro, salsa, and lime wedges.
Notes
In parts of Northern Mexico, this dish is called tacos de trompo when served on corn tortillas and gringas when served with cheese on flour tortillas. Tacos árabes, served in Puebla, are cut from a spit and served with pita bread. This variety has migrated to the United States with Mexican immigration and has become quite popular.
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