tacos al pastor: looking for recipe and technique

This should help.

Tacos, Pork, Al Pastor

Tacos al pastorAuthentic tacos al pastor consist of marinated pork slices cooked on a vertical rotisserie with a big chunk of pineapple on top. The cooked outside is shaved off and served in tortillas with salsa and fresh vegetables. Below is an adaptation for backyard cookers.


INGREDIENTS:
3 guijillo chilies
3 pasilla negro chilies
1/2 med onion chopped
3-5 cloves garlic smashed
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp blk pepper or to taste
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbs achiote paste
1 Tbs brown sugar or pilloncillo
2 lbs boneless, country style pork ribs. Try to get the leaner ones that are not sliced from a pork butt.
1 fresh pineapple
1 or more whole onions, optional




Procedure:
1 Wash and toast chilies. Stem. De-vein and seed if desired. Soak in hot water until soft. Blend all except the pork, pineapple, and optional onions. Fry the mixture in a little oil for a few minutes to develop the flavors. This is your adobado. Cut pork into lg 1 1/2" chunks. Put into a ziploc and pour in adobado. Toss around to coat and marinate in the frig 24-72 hours. Turn and mix daily. Prep the pineapple and cut unto lg chunks the same size as the pork. Alternately thread the pork and pineapple onto large kabob skewers. You may want to add optional chunks of onions. Salt and pepper.
2 Sear over a hot direct fire turning to brown all sides and move to indirect to finish cooking. Baste w/ left over adobado after boiling. You want a good sear on the outside. Chop up and mix to make a taco filling.
3 Serve w/ wm tortillas, chopped lettuce, onions, and grated cheese. Fresh salsa, a red chili sauce, and a fresh hab salsa are the classic sauces.


Recipe Type
Main Dish, Meat

Recipe Source
Source: BGE Forum, DTM, 2007/09/28

I have lived in Mexico for a total of 10 years and I think that recipe sounds excellent! I have copied it to my file -- thanks!

The one change I would suggest is to use thin slices (say 1/4") of pork instead of the pork chunks. This gives more surface area for the marinade and also more surface for the cooking flavors. I would cook the pineapple separately and bring them together on the tacos

If the recipe puts you off, you can buy prepared adobado in Mexican grocery stores.

For what it's worth, Tacos Al Pastor are also known as Tacos Al Trompo. A trompo is a childs top -- the kind that is shaped a lot like a concrete truck, which is why they (concrete trucks) are called trompos -- at least in some parts of Mexico.