Tacos Al Pastor
This is fabulous! I could open a restaurant based on this dish! Next time I might even try making homemade tortillas...
This is fabulous! I could open a restaurant based on this dish! Next time I might even try making homemade tortillas...
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- lime wedges
- corn tortillas
- 1 large white onion halved
- 1 pineapple, peeled cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/4 cup guajillo chile powder
- 3 garlic cloves halved
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably mexican)
- 1 large or 2 small chipotle chiles
- 1 to 2 teaspoons adobo from canned chipotle chiles i
- 1 2 1/2-to 3-pound boneless pork loin cut into 1/2-inch slices
- smoky two-chile salsa
- Carbohydrate 156.010846665636 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 9.45030666650267 g
- Fiber 23.318667222729 g
- Protein 19.8839533331573 g
- Saturated Fat 1.45569999995744 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (628g)
- Sodium 4796.47933333309 mg
- Sugar 132.692179442907 g
- Trans Fat 1.13541533330629 g
- Calories 753 calories
Step-by-step
- Coarsely chop 1 onion half.
- Coarsely chop 2 pineapple rounds, discarding core; cover and chill remaining pineapple.
- Place chopped onion and chopped pineapple in blender.
- Add orange juice and next 7 ingredients; puree marinade until smooth.
- Place pork in large resealable plastic bag.
- Add marinade and seal bag, releasing excess air.
- Turn to coat.
- Chill at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
- Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat).
- Grill remaining pineapple until warm and slightly charred, 4 to 6 minutes per side.
- Grill pork with some marinade still clinging until slightly charred and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side.
- Transfer pineapple and pork to work surface; chop pineapple into 1/2-inch cubes, discarding cores.
- Chop pork.
- Transfer to platter; toss to combine.
- Meanwhile, finely chop remaining onion half and place in medium bowl.
- Add cilantro; toss to combine.
- Grill tortillas until warm and slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side.
- Serve pork-pineapple mixture with onion-cilantro relish, Smoky Two-Chile Salsa, and lime wedges.
Marinating lean pork loin for four to twenty-four hours requires an acidic base strong enough to tenderize muscle fibers without turning the exterior to mush. Distilled white vinegar combined with fresh orange juice provides the necessary pH balance, while guajillo chile powder and chipotle chiles supply earthy depth and heat. Pureeing raw onion and pineapple directly into the marinade introduces natural enzymes that further break down the protein during the resting window.
Grilling over medium-high heat demands careful attention to timing because high sugar content from the pineapple juice and fruit pieces will char quickly. Cook the pork slices for two to four minutes per side until internal doneness is reached, and char the pineapple rounds for four to six minutes per side to caramelize the exterior sugars. Discarding the fibrous pineapple cores prior to chopping ensures proper texture in the final filling.
Substituting boneless pork shoulder for pork loin changes the fat rendering requirements significantly. Shoulder contains intramuscular fat that keeps the meat moist during longer cooking times, whereas loin dries out rapidly if overexposed to direct flame. Adjust slicing thickness to half-inch increments regardless of the cut chosen to maintain uniform cooking rates across every piece.
