Fiest Datenight: Al Pastor
It was an (early) Cinco de Mayo party at our house this weekend. Queue the tequila cocktails + Mexican beer + Nacho Libre on the tube (we actually did watch Nacho Libre). But the real highlight of our at-home fiesta - Al Pastor Tacos. That juicy pork weaved with flavors of pineapple, orange, and a definitive hint of spice. Too die!
So far, my kitchen experiments around al pastor have been centered around al-pastor burgers - a fun marriage of my favorite food (burgers) + one of my favorite taco meats. A delish twist on al pastor, but far from the traditional thing. & the real deal is so good! When we’re out to dinner drinking margs & ordering tacos, al pastor is always a go to for me, so having it be the primary dish of our 2020 Cinco fiesta was a no brainer. Also, I’ve been on this quest to recreate some of my Mexican-restaurant faves at home. We’ve done carnitas & beef barbacoa, & it was about damn time al pastor came into the mix (it’s like the big 3 of Mexican meats!). & let me say - my husband and I both are now thrilled to have it in the repertoire.
I’m going to preface this recipe by just stating that this is my version of al pastor, and it’s very quarantine influenced. I did my homework, looked up a few recipes, located the common threads, specifically paying attention to those marinades + cooking instructions, and then went for it. The quarantine influence comes into play in the sense that I was making one grocery stop at Whole Foods, and going to make whatever ingredients they had available work - substitutions & all (ie. I was on the hunt for guajillo peppers, couldn’t find them, & thus dried red chiles were going to do). So an al pastor connoisseur may have some critiques about my recipe, but this shizz was amazing. & al-pastor-y enough for us! My husband and I have now had two at-home dinners centered around this al pastor deliciousness, & both times we were tempted to make another taco because we were so sad when our plates were empty. I’m proud to report that we resisted this urge, but point being this juicy, flavorful pork has that “oh so good I want to stuff my face with it” effect.
Two big keys to making a delicious al pastor (& nailing this recipe) - a long marinade + a slow & low roast. Marinading is as simple as throwing everything in a food processor, transferring it all to a large roasting pan with the meat, & letting it ride. Cooking is just as easy - same roasting pan & all of its contents sitting in a 350 degree oven for just about 4 hours. Easier than cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving - you just let that baby go. No checking on it, mixing it, nothing. Leave it covered the entire cook time and let the juices, low heat, & slow roast do the job.
Your end result - a roast that’s fall off the bone tender. Literally - the bone of our roast just pulled right out of meat after cooking. No struggle & clean as a whistle…..like magic! The juices of the pork mix in with the marinade, and that’s your flavorful sauce. Proceed with shredding the meat right in the roasting pan, which can be done easily with two forks. Literally each piece of pork just fell apart by lightly raking the chunks with a dinner fork. The shredded meat stays in the pan, gets sort of re-immersed with the marinade, cools & soaks up even more of that spicy-pineapple flavor. I highly encourage a couple al pastor samples during this stage of the process - it’s juicy as all hell and almost buttery. Just delish treat for the cook!
Not much else is needed to really enjoy this meal. Some crunchy veggies (radish, scallion, & onion), fresh cilantro, and all wrapped up in a soft flour tortilla. So damn good I swear I could eat this every night & be totally content. The meat is so juicy, and you kind of can’t avoid some of it’s juice running out of the tortilla + down the side of your hand. I mean a messy meal is a sign of a delicious meal (in my experience), & we loved every drip & dribble of these juicy al pastor tacos.
The real heat comes from the pineapple salsa. Y’all - Jordan & I were SWEATING eating this stuff. I mean, not like profuse sweat, but more of a little bit of a dewy forehead. & why? Those serrano peppers are no joke! These little miniature jalapeno looking peppers are HOT. & truth be told I love the heavy dose of heat they add to the whole thing. In the salsa itself, the spicy-ness goes so well with the sweet pineapple, & that juicy, fruity sweetness is the underlying flavor, & pretty much what you taste first. The heat hits you at the end & just lingers. So on top of a juicy, meaty taco, this pineapple salsa is both soothing + refreshing, but also pretty damn spicy. This meal was just for Jordan & me, but as we were eating this & sweat was forming on my forehead, I was running through the list of family members & friends who would NOT be able to handle the heat. You can always tone it down by removing the seeds & the rinds, using less pepper, or even a milder pepper (like a jalapeno).
The 3 things to remember about this fiesta datenight:
Embrace the mess. Getting your hands dirty is kind of the joy & fun of the meal. & the extra juicy al pastor is what makes this taco party so delicious. So embrace every drip + dribble down the side of your hand, provide napkins, & don’t shy away from getting a little messy.
Make it a DIY taco situation, and create an interactive environment at the dinner table. Limit actual plating to topping a couple tortillas with a scoop of the al pastor, and stop there. Give yourself a blank canvas of a taco, & put your taco toppings right on the table. Let everyone build their own taco of their dreams right at the dinner table because it’s just funner that way. Experimenting with different flavors & taking a little creative liberty with your meal creates a more fun, leisurely meal that (for us) usually leads to enjoying conversation & time at the dinner table for a little bit longer.
Theme it up. Though I didn’t whip out our fiesta table runner (definitely bought one of those for our 2019 at-home fiesta), we did dust off our margarita glasses, filling them with Modelo instead of a traditional margarita because that’s our style. & I’m proud to say that beer filled margarita glasses were my husbands special touch. I’ll always remember him looking at me, asking “more champagne?” & filling my glass from a 24 oz. can of Modelo. Classic.
An at-home fiesta is probably one of my favorite “themed” meals. I grew up loving Mexican food + my husbands vice is nacho cheese, so there’s that, but falling into the fun + festiveness of a fiesta vibe always feels pretty effortless…..especially with a marg in hand. A big taco party like this is social, and that’s why I have it high on my list of being so fun. From thhe finger foods to afternoon cocktails to crafting a really interactive meal - sociability is the paralleling theme, and you’re left with a dinner that allows you to settle in at the dinner table, get comfy, spend a couple hours grazing + drinking + visiting, & enjoy the moment of having a true date in your own dinning room.
Taking our at-home fiesta to the next level always entails recreating those dishes we so frequently look forward to eating when we’re out, which is always a really fun treat & (for us) leads to some of the funnest time spent in our home kitchen. & feeling so accomplished when our at-home variations are as good of better than the variations that inspired you. Live on the wild set & let your cooking process be fueled by some tequila cocktails (we’re sipping Spicy Beer-itas in this photo).
For the Al Pastor
6 lb. pork shoulder, cut into thick slabs (bone left in one of the slabs)
6 dried red chiles
EVOO
3 garlic gloves, smashed
1 yellow onion, chopped
1-20 oz can crush pineapple
Juice & 1 tbsp of zest from an orange
1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 c. distilled vinegar
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cloves
Salt + pepper
24 oz. Mexican beer (I used one large can of Modelo)
Salt + pepper
1/2 red onion, finely diced (use the other for the pineapple salsa)
Queso fresco, shredded
Radish, thinly sliced using the largest setting on a mandolin
Fresh cilantro, minced
Scallions, thinly sliced
Freshly prepared guac (done your favorite way)
Your favorite hot sauce
For the pineapple salsa
1/2 a pineapple, cut into spears, cored, and finely diced
2 serrano peppers, thinly sliced into disks (less if you want a milder salsa)
1/4 of a red onion, diced
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
1 tbsp fresh lime juice, about half of a lime
Salt + pepper
Start by arranging the pork in a large roasting pan. If you have a turkey roaster, that will work great. I just used one my larger casserole dishes.
Next, soak chiles in hot water for about 20 minutes. Pouring hot water from a kettle into a large bowl, covering the chiles, is perfect. The chiles should be significantly more pliable, and able to pluck the stems right off easy peasy.
As the chiles soak, place the onion & garlic with a drizzle of EVOO in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook 7-8 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Remove the stems from the chiles, drain, and add them to the hot skillet. Cook an additional 10 minutees.
Add the pineapple, orange juice, vinegar, spices, and a teaspoon of salt and pepper to a food processor. Also add in one chipotle pepper and 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce to the processor. Puree until smooth. Add in the onions & chiles right from the skillet along with the beer, and continue to puree until you have a smooth mixture. Pour this mixture right over the pork, cover the pan with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 4 hours.
As the pork marinades, make the salsa (which is super easy!). Place the pineapple, peppers, onions, lime juice, and cilantro in a large both. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt & pepper. Mix, and refrigerate for an hour. Give it a little taste test and adjust the seasonings if needed. Keep in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
After the marinading is done, heat the oven to 350. Cover the pan with foil, and cook for 3.5 - 4 hours, keeping the pork covered the entire cook time. When the cook time is done, locate the bone & try removing it from your roast. If it comes out with ease, that’s a good indicator that what you’ve got is super tender pork (If it’s a little tough, continue cooking an additional 30 minutes). Let the pork cool at room temp for about 20 minutes, and then move forward with shredding the pork right in the pan. Just lightly raking the large meat pieces with a fork should be sufficient. Leave the shredded meat in pan with all the juices, and return the pan with shredded meat back to a slightly warm oven until you’re ready to eat. just to keep it hot.
Arrange your taco topping - cheese, radish, onion, cilantro - on a platter. Remember: you want to construct a DIY taco bar situation. Put out some utensils, and place items like hot sauce, guac & the pineapple salsa in separate bowls, & curate a cozy, comfortable moment at the dinner table. Warm tortillas, divide amongst plates, and top each tortilla with a scoop of shredded meat. Get the Mexican beer ready, & let the taco party begin.
***If you like the flavor of al pastor & are looking to shake things up or you’re need a quicker dinner idea, these Al Pastor Burgers are really fun. Flavors parallel what you get in a traditional al pastor, and it’s a super yummy burger shake-up.***