Tacos al Pastor (Tacos al Pastor) — Adobo-Marinated Pork Tacos with Pineapple

• 900 gboneless pork shoulder (sliced across the grain into 3 mm sheets)
• 4dried guajillo chiles (stemmed and seeded)
• 1dried ancho chile (stemmed and seeded)
• 360 mlboiling water
• 60 mlwhite vinegar
• 80 mlfresh orange juice
• 120 gfresh pineapple (chopped)
• 35 gachiote paste
• 4 clovegarlic
• 2 tspMexican oregano
• 1 tspground cumin
• 0.13 tspground cloves
• 0.75 tspground black pepper
• 12 gfine sea salt
• 1 tbspvegetable oil
• 12corn tortillas (12 to 14 cm diameter)
• 120 gwhite onion (finely diced)
• 25 gcilantro (chopped leaves and tender stems)
• 2limes (cut into wedges)
• 180 mlsalsa roja or salsa verde

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 20 to 30 seconds per side until fragrant and pliable. Do not let them blacken, because burnt chiles make the adobo harsh and bitter.

2. 2

   Place the toasted chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover them with the boiling water. Soak for 15 minutes, then drain and reserve 120 ml of the soaking liquid for blending.

3. 3

   Blend the softened chiles, reserved soaking liquid, vinegar, orange juice, chopped pineapple, achiote paste, garlic, Mexican oregano, cumin, cloves, black pepper, and salt until completely smooth. Strain the adobo through a medium-mesh sieve if your blender leaves visible chile skins.

4. 4

   Place the sliced pork shoulder in a nonreactive bowl or food-safe container and coat every slice with the adobo. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours so the salt, acidity, chile, and achiote penetrate the meat.

5. 5

   Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking and heat the broiler to high with a rack set about 15 cm from the element. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, brush it with the vegetable oil, and spread the pork slices in a slightly overlapping layer.

6. 6

   Broil the pork for 8 to 10 minutes, then turn the slices and broil for 6 to 8 minutes more until the edges are charred and the thickest pieces reach 68 C. Rest the meat for 5 minutes, then chop it into small taco-size pieces, mixing crisp edges with juicy interior pieces.

7. 7

   Char the pineapple spears in the same pan under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned at the edges. Warm the corn tortillas on a hot comal or dry skillet for about 30 seconds per side, then keep them wrapped in a clean towel so they stay flexible.

8. 8

   Build each taco with warm tortilla, chopped al pastor pork, charred pineapple, diced onion, cilantro, salsa, and a squeeze of lime. Serve immediately while the tortillas are soft and the pork still has a contrast of crisp edges and juicy adobo-coated pieces.