I was recently looking through Bon Appetit (perusing recipe sites is a normal hobby, right?) and came across this recipe for Tacos al Pastor. It’s a lot easier than setting up a rotating spit over a grill and sounds just as delicious.
It works perfectly with butt steaks, but it would also work if you wanted to bone and slice a butt roast.
Click here for a PDF version of this recipe.
Tacos al Pastor
10 guajillo chiles, seeds removed
2 chiles de árbol
3 pounds 1″ thick butt steak (bone removed)
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup distilled white vinegar
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons prepared or fresh achiote paste
3 ounces kosher salt (7 tablespoons Diamond Crystal or 4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Morton), plus more
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, cut into ½” rings, divided
1 medium onion, finely chopped, divided
2 red habanero chiles, seeds removed, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
16 corn tortillas
Lime wedges (for serving)
1. Bring guajillo chiles, chiles de árbol, and 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit 30 minutes to let chiles soften.
2. Place pork in a large bowl. Purée chiles and soaking liquid, garlic, vinegar, sugar, achiote paste, 3 oz. salt, half of the pineapple, and half of the onion in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes. Pour over pork, stirring to coat thoroughly. Cover and chill 3–12 hours.
3. If using a gas grill or grill pan, prepare for medium-high heat; if using a charcoal grill, prepare for two zones of heat, medium-high and low. Grill remaining pineapple over medium-high heat, turning once, until charred, 6–8 minutes. Finely chop pineapple and combine with habanero chiles, mint, lime juice, and remaining onion in a small bowl. Season with salt, cover, and chill until ready to use.
4. If using gas grill or grill pan, reduce heat to low; if using charcoal grill, use low-zone heat. Remove pork from marinade and grill until marinade on pork has dried and begins to caramelize and char, about 12 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board and let pork rest 10 minutes.
5. Grill tortillas until soft and beginning to char, about 30 seconds per side. Slice pork against the grain into ¼” strips. Top each tortilla with a few pieces of pork and some pineapple salsa. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.
Do Ahead: Pineapple salsa can be made 4 hours ahead; keep chilled.