Al Pastor

3h 15m
Serves 1
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Directions

  1. 1Fry some onions and garlic in a skillet until fragrant.
  2. 2Add guajillo and chile ancho to the skillet and toast for a few minutes, being careful not to burn them.
  3. 3Add 2 cups of water, lower the heat, and cover for 10 to 15 minutes until softened.
  4. 4Carefully transfer the softened ingredients to a blender.
  5. 5Add bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, oregano, cumin, half a bar of achiote powder, a third of a cup of pineapple juice, some pineapple chunks, salt, a splash of vinegar, and a little bit of oil to the blender.
  6. 6Blend until the mixture is smooth.
  7. 7Pour the blended marinade over thinly sliced pork butt or pork shoulder.
  8. 8Mix the marinade well with the pork.
  9. 9Cover the marinated pork and place it in the fridge until the next day to marinate.
  10. 10Place two skewers into a pineapple base.
  11. 11Start layering the marinated meat onto the skewers, adding some onion slices in between if desired.
  12. 12Top the meat stack with a slice of pineapple.
  13. 13Bake the Al Pastor at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for two and a half to three hours.
  14. 14During the last 30 minutes of baking, baste the meat with its own juices.
  15. 15Slice the cooked Al Pastor meat.
  16. 16Finish the sliced Al Pastor in a pan with some oil to get a nice crust.
  17. 17Serve the Al Pastor as tacos with sauce, cilantro, and lime.

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs pork butt/shoulder
  • 6 guajillo (deseeded)
  • 2 ancho (deseeded)
  • 0.5 bar of achiote
  • 0.33 cup pineapple juice
  • 0.33 cup pineapple chunks
  • 0.25 tsp cumin
  • 0.5 tsp oregano
  • splash vinegar
  • 0.5 onion
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 3 cloves
  • 3 peppercorn
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 0.5 tbsp oil
  • 2 skewer
  • foil
  • whole pineapple

Equipment

SkilletBlenderBaking dishOvenPanSpoonKnife

Tips

  • Don't burn the chiles and onions.
  • Baste the meat with its own juices during the last 30 minutes of baking.