Tacos Al Pastor: Prepare Your Grill.
Good day everyone! Today we have an amazing Mexican recipe and you are gonna love it!
If you have come to Mexico, I’m pretty sure you have tried Tacos al Pastor, and if you don’t, this is your chance to do it!
What are Tacos Al Pastor? Traditionally, they’re thin slices of marinated pork that are piled on top of each other. Then, the meat is placed on a large trompo, which literally means “spinning top.” The meat then spins around in front of an open fire until it begins to cook through. When the outer layer of meat is grilled, the taquero (the person preparing the tacos) cuts off layers of meat so that the inner layers cook as well. As he cuts the meat, it falls off the trompo in small pieces directly onto the tortilla with a mandatory slice of pineapple 🙂
Tacos al Pastor were initially developed in Central Mexico, most likely as a result of shawarma spit-grilled meat brought by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico. It’s also similar to the Turkish doner kebab and the Greek gyros. Where the shawarma is usually lamb based, gyros and tacos al pastor are made from pork.
We’re not going to show you how to prepare them using a trompo, but instead, we’re going to use something that we can easily find at our own house, a grill.
So let’s get started! The following recipe is for 15 tacos. For 30, just double the amounts!
What will you need:
- 2-3 pound Pork Loin cut into thin slices
- 4 Guajillo Chile boiled, de-seeded, and cleaned.
- 1 Ancho Chile boiled, de-seeded, and cleaned.
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion (use half, the other half we serve it on the tacos)
- 1/2 cup of orange juice
- 3/4 cup of pineapple juice (fresh is better)
- 1 Tablespoon of Oregano
- 1 Tablespoon of Thyme
- 1 Tablespoon of Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon of Cumin
- 1-2 Tablespoons of Paprika
- 1-2 Tablespoons of Salt
- 3 Cloves
You will also need:
- Corn Tortillas (you can also use flour tortillas if you prefer)
- 1 Bunch of cilantro
- 5 Limes
- A grill
How to prepare it:
- Blend all of the ingredients together until completely combined.
- Strain the liquid over a bowl to end up with a smooth marinade.
- Add one layer of meat in a large bowl or baking dish and cover with the marinade, and then repeat in layers until all of the meat and marinade have been used.
- Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is best)
- Remove from the refrigerator and grill the meat until cooked through.
- Remove from grill and cut into thin slices to serve on the tacos.
To serve, slice the meat, put some of it on the tortilla and sprinkle some thin sliced onions, cilantro and lime juice. We also recommend having some salsa of your choice.
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