COOKING AL PASTOR MEAT HOW TO

COOKING AL PASTOR MEAT HOW TO

This crispy carnita recipe is my favorite for seared crispy pork tacos.īeef birria quesatacos with a side of birria dipping consommé How to Serve Because I am striving to make everything as easy as possible these days, I simply added it to the Mexican-spiced sauce to finish. Whichever version you choose (or combination of versions), traditional tacos al pastor call for the meat to be “crisped” or seared on the stove top. This version usually has more onion and can be slightly more charred than the other three versions. The guisado taco is instead cooked in its own juices and fat. Guisado means “stew” in Spanish, and this version is actually not cooked on a grill spit like the other versions. The pineapple is also optional in this lesser-known version of a taco al pastor. This version is more typically found in the northeast parts of Mexico and the state of Monterrey. Which is no coincidence, as this version has more achiote added to the marinade to give it a deeper red color. We’re big into cooking smoked pork butt (AKA smoked pork shoulder) here at Hey Grill Hey.Trompo rojo literally means, “red spinning top”. I used fresh cilantro, diced onions, and fresh lime juice. Place the meat in small street taco shells, and top with your favorite toppings. Using a sharp knife, slice the pork using a light sawing motion to cut into bite-sized pieces. Add the pineapple to the grill and cook for the last 30 minutes. Normally pork shoulder cooks to 195 degrees F or higher, but with the thin slices and the marinade, this pork shoulder is moist and super tender cooked to only 145 degrees F. With your smoker preheated to 275 degrees F, smoke the pork for about 4 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F. Take care to keep the edges fairly uniform so the meat cooks evenly. Once your meat has had plenty of time to chill in the marinade, slide the meat onto a vertical skewer or rotisserie attachment. The marinade for this recipe is cooked on the stovetop then blended to bring out all the flavors of the peppers prior to adding the meat. Ready to make your own al pastor? It may sound like a lot of work, but it’s just a few simple steps and you’ll be on your way to making your own tasty meat. I like to make this marinade the night before and allow the meat to marinate overnight for the best flavor. Pour the marinade over the sliced pork in batches and massage to cover all areas of the meat. Then blend to make a smooth, paste-like marinade. Here’s what you’ll need to make this marinade:Ĭombine all ingredients for this marinade in a medium saucepan and simmer to hydrate the peppers. Not only does every ingredient add flavor, but the salt actually creates a brine for the pork, keeping it moist and incredibly tender. The shining star in this recipe is the marinade. If you need to slice the pork at home, freeze your pork for 45 minutes to an hour before slicing. They were happy to help and had my sliced pork ready in minutes. I asked my butcher at the meat counter to slice the pork shoulder for me, since they have the large commercial slicers.

Pork is the preferred meat for making al pastor, and this recipe uses 4 pounds of pork shoulder that is marinated with a chili and ancho marinade overnight to give the meat tons of flavor. My version is kind of a mash up of the flavors that we like (chipotles and anchos are my favorite peppers) and a cooking method on the pineapple that brings the most ease and flavor to the dish. Others use lamb or chicken in a similar cooking style with various methods (though these aren’t always called al pastor). Some places layer pineapple in with the pork. There are also many versions of al pastor, and they are all delicious in their own right.Ī restaurant near my old house was famous for their al pastor and they included unique warming spices like cinnamon and clove to their meat.

When thinking about al pastor, it just makes sense to take this same concept of flavor fusion and bring the spirit of harmony to the BBQ. Lebanese immigrants brought their vertical rotisserie cooking style to Mexico and combined it with Mexican flavors and chilis to make the al pastor we know and love today. The technique originated in central Mexico, and it is an original fusion food. In an extremely basic nutshell, al pastor is pork grilled on a spit.

If you’re a fan of al pastor, you’ll love this smoky version of a delicious classic. It’s smoky from the grill with gorgeous crispy edges. This Smoked Al Pastor is a rich and savory pork with an awesome chili marinade. Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Cooking al pastor meat