Were you aware that as many as 400,000 people from the Middle East (mostly Syrian, Lebanese and Armenian) settled in Mexico around the turn of the last century? It’s true, I saw it on the internet.

Well that goes a long way in explaining Tacos al Pastor. After all, the meat is made more or less exactly the same way as the ubiquitous Gyros (and Turkish döner) that have kept cities throughout the world fed for so long now.

Well the good folks over at Serious Eats have happened upon an absolutely fantastic recipe for Tacos al Pastor that should definitely give your summer a nice tasty kick. Sweet and tangy pineapple mix with spicy chiles to really give your palate a tropical experience.

And since I found it so particularly yummy myself, I thought I’d share it all with you!

So without further ado, Tacos al Pastor:

Ingredients:

• 6 guajillo chiles
• 1 large white onion, halved
• 1 pineapple, peeled, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, halved
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 large or 2 small chipotle chiles and 1 to 2 teaspoons adobo from canned chipotle chiles in adobo
• 2 1/2 - 3 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Corn tortillas
• Salsa Verde
• Lime wedges

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place guajillo chiles on a baking seat and heat in oven until puffed up and aromatic, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Seed chiles, tear into pieces, and process in a spice grinder into a fine powder.
2. Coarsely chop 1 onion half. Coarsely chop 2 pineapple rounds, discarding core; cover and chill remaining pineapple. Place chopped onion and chopped pineapple in blender. Add orange juice, vinegar, chile powder, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, and chipotles; puree marinade until smooth. Place pork in large resealable plastic bag. Add marinade and seal bag, releasing excess air. Turn to coat. Chill at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
3. Finely chop remaining onion half and place in medium bowl. Add cilantro; toss to combine. Set in refrigerator until ready to use.
4. Light 1 chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread coals out evenly over the charcoal grate.
5. Grill remaining pineapple until warm and slightly charred, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Grill pork with some marinade still clinging until slightly charred and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer pineapple and pork to work surface; chop pineapple into 1/2-inch cubes, discarding cores. Chop pork. Transfer to platter; toss to combine.
6. Grill tortillas until warm and slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side. Place pork mixture into tortilla and top with onion-cilantro relish, salsa verde, and lime wedges.

Photo by Filip Knezic

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