Charred Tacos Al Pastor Recipes

AUTHENTIC TACOS AL PASTOR

Steps:

• Cook tomato on a ridged grill pan over medium-high heat until slightly blackened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool until easily handled. Peel off skin and remove seeds.
• Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add guajillo and ancho chile peppers; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain.
• Combine tomato flesh, softened chile peppers, 2 slices pineapple, orange juice, quartered onion, vinegar, chipotle peppers, salt, garlic, cloves, cumin seeds, and oregano in a blender; blend until smooth.
• Arrange pork slices in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Pour blended mixture over pork, ensuring all sides are evenly coated. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap.
• Marinate pork in the refrigerator, 4 hours to overnight.
• Cook remaining pineapple slices on a ridged grill pan over medium-high heat until slightly blackened and soft, about 5 minutes per side. Chop into small pieces.
• Wipe out grill pan and preheat over medium-high heat. Cook marinated pork in the hot pan, turning once, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Chop pork coarsely into small pieces against the grain. Serve with pineapple, chopped onion, and cilantro.

FISH TACOS AL PASTOR

Steps:

• Wash tomatillos under cold running water.
• Line a heavy cast iron grill pan or griddle with aluminum foil and place over high heat. Arrange tomatillos, chiles de arbol, and 2 cloves garlic in a single layer on top. Grill until chiles are blackened, turning as necessary, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Continue grilling tomatillos and garlic until they are evenly blackened, 8 to 10 minutes more.
• Peel garlic and place in a mortar and pestle. Season with salt and pound into a thick paste. Add chiles; pound until smooth. Add as many tomatillos as you can fit in your mortar; pound until chunky. Transfer salsa to a bowl. Repeat with remaining tomatillos, mixing them into the bowl of salsa in batches.
• Place guajillo and pasilla chile peppers in a saucepan, cover with water, and cook until softened, about 25 minutes.
• Combine softened peppers, vinegar, orange juice, 1 clove garlic, cloves, cumin, salt, and pepper in a blender; blend until smooth. Add some water if sauce is too thick. Strain into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool, about 5 minutes.
• Season trout fillets with pepper and put in a lidded container or a large resealable plastic bag. Cover with cooled sauce and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
• Remove trout fillets from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Remove from sauce and cut into cubes. Reserve marinade.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook 1/2 the onion until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add trout and reserved sauce; cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until trout is opaque and the sauce has been reduced, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and fold in pineapple.
• Warm corn tortillas in a skillet. Divide trout mixture amongst tortillas and top with remaining 1/2 onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and charred tomatillo salsa.

AL PASTOR TACOS

Steps:

• For the marinade: Blend the orange juice, achiote paste, cinnamon, ginger, salt and pepper, mashing and stirring until smooth with no lumps. Use mix to marinate pork for 24 hours.
• Preheat a rotisserie or oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place meat on a skewer layering with onions and cook in a rotisserie or bake until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F, about 1 hour. Cut thin slices of meat and place on tortillas, followed by a few pieces of fresh pineapple, a sprinkling of chopped onion, a pinch of cilantro, a spoonful of Salsa de Aguacate and Salsa Roja. Serve with lime wedges.
• Blend together avocados, sour cream, jalapenos, cilantro, serrano, if using, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.
• Grill tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic and onion until roasted. Blend very well, then add salt and pepper.