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I guess you can say he had me at Pastor.
Shortly after meeting my husband’s (then boyfriend), he embarked on an international studies program where he spent a semester in Monterrey. Taking advantage of the opportunity, I spent many three-day weekends visiting him and the robust part of Mexico that didn’t include palm trees or all-inclusive hotels. Part of our explorations still resulted in daily trips to the same taqueria next to his flat for tacos al pastor. Sliced thinly onto the handmade double stacked corn tortillas, carved straight from a trompo on the side of the road after a hot day, dressed with cilantro, onion and the right squirt of lime and a Coca-Cola – every bite was like nothing I had ever had before. The recipe thought seemed too simple to be as good as it was…I just knew I could probably make the same thing at home.
Oh, silly girl!
Still yearning for that perfect pastor taco, we visited again and again trying to get it right. Then when we planned to get married it’s that taco that brought us back to Mexico for the ceremony and honeymoon. And a year later almost to the day, that taco is what brought a newly pregnant mama to Mexico to satisfy that same craving.
What can I say – “I love pastor.”
Now living in Texas, I get a chance to eat a lot of good tacos (a lot), even al pastor. But I’ve still yet to find that same recipe, the point of perfect satisfaction – magnífico – than sinking my teeth into a juicy bite of al pastor taco, especially when you get a little little grease runs down your lips.
So ever since I’ve been in pursuit to find anywhere that could deliver the same taste of those pastor tacos. While we’ve visited many great restaurants, none have quite been the same. So we began trying to create our own pastor, although many of our recipes still paFled in comparison – especially without the use of a trompo to make it the real deal.
Although we haven’t yet made the purchase to have a vertical grill at home to make authentic pastor, we have tried a lot of recipes. This one actually uses a lot of things from the cabinet and other than a few days of just letting your mouth water while it marinates, you’ve got a great recipe that anyone can make without a trip to Mexico or buying a new appliance using Coca-Cola and La Morena peppers at La Michoacana.
While I still haven’t replicated that recipe for al Pastor tacos, I did create my own Chipotle Pastor Tacos made with Coca-Cola that bring all my favorite memories of pastor tacos together. By using La Morena you get an authentic Latino flavor for a really authentic taste. And since, I don’t have a trompo, I was inspired by SeriousEats.com to use a stacked method to give them a similar cooking process. And then there was the twist of chipotle that give it that smoky heat paired with the sweetness of Coca-Cola for a new pastor taco that can made at home either in the stove or over the grill.
Just plan for a few days to get the meat just right. Great cities weren’t built in a day and neither will this taco. But you won’t mind a few days of work once you take your first, second or third bite. And neither will your guests. Just be ready for seconds and thirds…
As the hectic holiday season approaches, making quick and easy meals everyone loves gets a little harder, but with the authentic taste of LA MORENA chiles, beans and salsas and ice-cold Coca-Cola (especially the ones that are “Made in Mexico”) for a memorable Mexican fiesta anytime of the year…Especially during the holidays for a traditional Mexican meal you can now make at home!
Chipotle al Pastor Tacos
- Prep Time: 72
- Cook Time: 120
- Total Time: 7200
Ingredients
- ½ can of La Morena Chipotle Peppers
- 3 pasilla/guajilla chiles, seeds and stems removed
- 1 ancho chile, seeds and stem removed
- ¼ cup orange juice, fresh preferred
- ½ tablespoon lime juice, fresh preferred
- 4 oz. Coca-Cola
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon clove
- ½ tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 2 ½ –3 pounds of pork shoulder, cut into steaks
- 8 slices bacon
- 1 onion
- 1 fresh cut pineapple, sliced in rings, grilled
- salt and pepper
- 12–18 corn tortillas
- 1–2 bunches cilantro, chopped
- 2–3 radish, sliced
- 2 onion, chopped
Instructions
- Combine chiles, juices, spices and vinegar together in the blender.
- Place marinade into saucepan and cook on medium until well combined (about 5 minutes.) Once cooled, add to reusable plastic bag. Add pork to bag. Seal and refrigerate overnight. (12-18 hours.)
- Next remove steaks from marinade and add them to a loaf pan by alternating steak, a layer of bacon, steak, etc. until all the meat is complete.
- Now cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or two days. (12-36 hours.)
- Remove plastic wrap and cook meat in loaf pan on baking sheet in a preheated oven at 275 degrees for 4 hours. After cooling slightly, refrigerate 4-6 hours.
- Either in a skillet or on a grill, remove pork from loaf pan (discard bacon.) Brush pork with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderate heat until crispy. At the same time, grill pineapple with pork until brown grill marks.
- Remove meat and fruit from grill. Cut into strips and serve with warm tortillas, pineapple, onion, radishes and cilantro.
Notes
- Don’t rush this recipe. Plan to cook indoors and outdoors for best results, but if you have to, you can cook the entire recipe indoors (oven and over skilled) and outdoors (grill low and slow.) Serve with elotes, grilled onions and potatoes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 535
- Sugar: 11
- Sodium: 282
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 8
- Unsaturated Fat: 15
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 32
- Protein: 45
- Cholesterol: 150
