Al Pastor
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Growing up in Hawaii, Dad had friends at the pineapple cannery and who would share fresh pineapple with us. Unfortunately, I learned how acidic it can be to my mouth when eating too much pineapple and hesitated when I saw it as an ingredient. Now I know better and how good it can be when paired with pork.
At the moment, pork is cheap ($1.99 lb.) and can go a long way from tacos, sliders, salads or my favorite with rice and eggs.
I found a metal skewer secured to a base works better than a wood skewer. Learn from my mistake, still tastes good, just not pretty when it falls over in the oven. Metal skewers secured to a metal BBQ rack also works.
My first attempt of Al Pastor WITHOUT a metal skewer stand, learn from my mistake, couldn't make those wood skewers stand up!
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. boneless pork shoulder
- Metal skewer
- 3. 5 oz achiote paste (whole box)
- 2 T guajillo chili powder (I have also used New Mexico Chile Powder, Anaheim Chile Powder or Ancho Chile Powder in the bulk seasoning)
- 1 T garlic powder
- 1 T oregano
- 1 T cumin
- 1 T sea salt
- 1 T black pepper
- 3/4 C white vinegar
- 12 oz frozen pineapple juice concentrate
- 1 pineapple, skinned and sliced to 1 " rounds
- Corn tortillas
- guacamole Guacamole ArnieTex / Sides / Recipes | Cooking with Aloha, Texas Style
- 1 white onion, finely chopped or pickled onions Pickled Onions 3 ways / Sides / Recipes | Cooking with Aloha, Texas Style
- 1 cilantro bunch, finely chopped
- Salsa - I like my smoked salsa Smoked Salsa / BBQ Smoke / Recipes | Cooking with Aloha, Texas Style (cooking-with-aloha-texas-style.com)
Directions
- Slice the pork shoulder into about 1/4 - 1/2" slices, then transfer to a large bowl.
- In a bowl, combine the achiote powder, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, vinegar, and pineapple juice, mashing and stirring until smooth.
- Pour the marinade over the pork, then toss the pork slices to make sure that they are all coated on all sides. Cover bowl to marinate the pork for a couple of days in the refrigerator. I do 2-3 days.
- On a baking sheet lined with silpat, place a slice or two of the pineapple onto a metal rack with a spike to stack the meat.
- Remove the pork from refrigerator and push the slices through the spike, layering one after the other until there is a 1-inch gap at the top. Push another pineapple slice on top. There's enough meat for 2 spiked meat towers.
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Bake for about an hour and a half, until slightly charred on the outside and deep red.
- Rest the meat for about 10 minutes, then carve off thin slices of the pork.
- Slice off thin pieces of the roasted pineapples as well.
- To assemble and serve, place some pork on the tortillas, followed by a few pieces of pineapple, a sprinkle of onions raw or pickled, a pinch of cilantro, guac, then a small spoonful of the salsa.
Makes great leftovers for the week in salad, sandwich, breakfast with eggs, or just over rice too!