Tacos al pastor
This dish was developed by Lebanese immigrants in Mexico who combined the cooking style of shawarma with Mexican ingredients such as achiote and chillies. It’s usually cooked on a spit but this is a simplified version, which is very easy to make at home
- 1.5kg boneless pork shoulderskin and large pieces of fat removed, meat cut into ½cm-thick slices
- 1 pineapplecut into 1cm slices
- 1 large red onioncut into thick slices
- a handful of leaves coriander
MARINADE
- 50g achiote pastesee notes below
- 50ml fresh orange juice
- 4 guajillo chilliesstems removed, see notes below
- 1 chipotle chillistem removed
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 heaped tsp dried oregano
- 1 heaped tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 100ml pineapple juice
- 60ml white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp caster sugar
TO SERVE
- corn tortillas and lime wedges
Nutrition: per serving
- kcal412
- fat23.1g
- saturates7g
- carbs15.5g
- sugars12.6g
- fibre2.3g
- protein34.4g
- salt1.9g
Method
step 1
For the marinade, crumble the achiote into the orange juice and leave for 5 minutes.
step 2
In a dry pan over a medium heat, fry the chillies for 3-4 minutes or until charred, then add to a food processor with the achiote and orange juice, and the remaining marinade ingredients. Whizz to combine, then pour all over the meat. Cover and chill overnight or for at least 4 hours.
step 3
Prepare the BBQ for direct cooking by spreading the coals in an even layer. Brush the pineapple and onion with a little oil, and cook for a few minutes, turning once, until charred. Dice, season and mix with the coriander.
step 4
Grill the pork for 4-5 minutes on each side, turning, until the outside is charred but the meat on the inside is cooked through. (Alternatively, heat the grill to high and grill for 5 minutes each side, or until charred and cooked through.) Rest for 5 minutes under foil, then chop into small pieces, serving with the onion and pineapple, tortillas and lime wedges for squeezing over.
