Growing up I ate my fair share of Mexican food, or more accurately Mexican American food. Whether it was my mom’s enchiladas, (daily!) after school nachos and salsa at Nana’s, Friday night dinners out with my grandparents at the local cantina, or heading over to my friend’s house in college for his mom’s real-deal frijoles and tamales, Mexican flavors are woven into the tapestry of my youth. While my menu was pretty limited in those really early years–lots of cheese enchiladas and quesadillas–thankfully the strong foundation lead to more exploration and a deeper appreciation for Mexican cuisine.
While I still don’t like menudo (sorry, I’ve tried!) and I’m not daring enough to try escamoles like my husband (Google them!), there are so many other flavors I am exploring. From asados to moles, our neighbors to the south have so many amazing dishes on offer.
With Cinco de Mayo rolling around yesterday, I felt like I needed to serve up something to celebrate our southern friends and their culture. Asking my husband if he had any ideas or if tacos were ok, he tossed out Tacos al Pastor, which sounded pretty good to me! Yum!
My husband grew up far from Mexico and it’s flavors (on the other side of the world to be exact). However, he is slowly finding a taste for Mexican cuisine the more time he is in the United States and the more trips he makes to Mexico on business. So for him to be so specific in his request was exciting! I don’t pass up a chance to have Mexican food. And al pastor?! Yes, please!
The thing I love about a good al pastor is that if you close your eyes, you can picture yourself at the beach when you eat it. It just has this Caribbean vibe to it. It feels and tastes beach-y, in the way that a good fish taco would. Which is funny given that the name “al pastor” is said to mean “shepherd style.” Which got me scratching my head. Why is this traditional street food “shepherd style.” I dug deeper.
According to ye ol’ Internet, Lebanese immigrants brought their cooking techniques to Mexico. When they did, their way of preparing lamb on a vertical rotisserie spit (think shawarma, doner kebab or gyro) really caught on and Mexicans–specifically Mexican shepherds–began preparing al pastor this way. The dish evolved into a street food. The street food became very popular, and soon spread to the United States. Nobody knows for sure why pineapple is placed on top of the meat while cooking al pastor. There is a lot of speculation, but nothing that can be substantiated. I just know it adds to the beach-y vibe and creates some seriously good eats.
So, that leaves me to recreating a beloved street food at home. Unless you have the counter and storage space for a vertical rotisserie–I do not!–I had to come up with a way to get the semi-crispy deliciousness with tools I already had. Enter a cast iron grill pan, although a regular cast iron skillet would also work if you don’t have a grill pan.
Tools weren’t the only challenge. I also had to recreate the flavors without the luxury of a running to a mercado or tienda Mexicana for supplies–my little beach town of 2,000 people lacks a Mexican market–so I was limited to what the grocery store had on hand, which wasn’t much. Trust me. So I had to figure out substitutions for traditional al pastor ingredients.
While I did have to make some ingredient swaps and cooking method changes, I found that I didn’t have to compromise on flavor. The result was still a pretty damn good taco, and one that if I closed my eyes, I felt like I was eating while sitting on a beach in Cozumel or Cabo San Lucas. I was transported with each bite, and that is a win in my book…
Tacos al Pastor at Home
Course: Dinner, PorkCuisine: MexicanDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes30
minutes4
HoursTacos al Pastor is the perfect fusion food. Inspired by shawarma and gyros, this street food is normally cooked on a vertical rotisserie and served with grilled pineapple. We’ve brought the recipe home–literally–and found a way to recreate the flavors of this street food classic in your kitchen. Now you can feel like you are on the Mexican Riviera anytime you want without ever leaving your house, and it comes together faster than takeout! For a complete dinner, try it with a side of our Restaurant Style Mexican Rice.
Ingredients
2/3 cup pineapple juice (use from can of pineapple rings below)
5 tbs white vinegar
1 1-ounce package ground pasilla chili pepper
1 1/2 tbs smoked paprika
1 3/4 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp ground cumin
4 garlic cloves
1/8 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 – 2 pounds of pork butt (shoulder roast)
1 20-ounce can of pineapple rings
1 large onion, sliced (but do not separate rings)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Oil or cooking spray
Tortillas
Salsa (optional)
Angel cut green cabbage (optional)
Directions
- In a blender or food processor, combine first 10 ingredients: pineapple juice through salt. Pulse until a smooth sauce forms. Set aside.
- Take pork butt and trim away fat cap or any large chunks of fat. Cut roast in to VERY thin strips, going against the grain of the meat. Once meat is completely sliced, place it in a large bowl and cover with sauce. Toss to completely cover the meat. Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate at least 4 hours. Overnight preferred.
- Turn on oven to 200F. Place a cast iron grill pan (preferred) or skillet on medium to medium-high heat. Oil or spray pan with cooking spray. When hot, fill half the pan with pineapple rings and half with onion slices. Cook until grill marks appear (if using grill pan) or a sear begins, about 2-3 minutes, then flip. Cook second side for 2-3 minutes. Then move to an oven-safe dish or platter and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining pineapple and onions until all are cooked.
- Once pineapple and onions are cooked, re-oil/spray pan if needed and add a single layer of pork to the pan. Again going for a grill mark or sear, cook 1-3 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your slice. Remove from pan, place in an oven-safe dish, cover with foil and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat until all pork is cooked.
- To serve, fill a warm tortilla with pork and top with grilled onion, pineapple, cabbage and cilantro. Close your eyes, picture yourself on a warm, sunny beach, enjoy!
Notes
- You can also top your tacos with radishes, cheese, salsa, guacamole or any other condiments you enjoy. The possibilities are endless. I will often give mine a little squeeze of fresh lime too. I prefer corn tortillas for tacos al pastor, but flour are also a great option. Customize them to fit your taste buds. Choose your own Mexican adventure!
