LA Late-Night Al Pastor Tacos
Chapter 2 — The Meats: The Slow and Marinated Proteins
It is late in Los Angeles, the strip malls are bathed in the neon glow of a spinning trompo, and you want that magic in your own kitchen without buying a vertical spit. The secret to the LA taqueria canon is the trompo-to-plancha method: shaving the marinated pork and crisping it on a screaming-hot carbon-steel flat-top in a pool of its own rendered fat. You need an unapologetic, acid-heavy recado rojo, the patience for an overnight cure, and real manteca to get that sticky, caramelized char that tastes exactly like one in the morning on a Tuesday.
Before you start
Hydrate the dried chiles.
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and lightly toast the guajillo, ancho, and morita chiles for 10 to 15 seconds per side. Transfer to a bowl, cover with boiling water, and steep for 15 minutes until pliable.
Toast the dry spices.
In the same dry skillet, toast the whole cloves, cumin, and Mexican oregano for 30 seconds until highly aromatic.
Blend the recado rojo adobo.
Drain the steeped chiles and discard the bitter soaking water. Add them to a high-powered blender along with the toasted spices, achiote paste, orange juice, vinegar, garlic, onion, cinnamon, and salt. Blend on high until you have a thick, impossibly smooth, brick-red paste.
Massage the meat.
Place the thinly sliced pork into a non-reactive container and pour the adobo over it. Put on gloves and aggressively massage the paste into every fold and surface of the meat.
Commit to the overnight cure.
Seal the container and refrigerate for 12 to 18 hours. The salt needs time to penetrate, and the citrus acid needs time to tenderize the connective tissue.
Ingredients
- dried guajillo chiles6
- dried ancho chiles2
- dried morita chiles2
- achiote paste3 tbsp
- fresh orange juice1/2 cup
- white vinegar1/4 cup
- garlic cloves4 large
- white onion1/2 med
- dried Mexican oregano1 tsp
- ground cumin1/2 tsp
- ground Mexican cinnamon1/2 tsp
- whole cloves3
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- boneless pork shoulder3 lb
- manteca3 tbsp
- fresh pineapple1/2 med
Method
- 01
Temper the pork.
Pull the marinated meat out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to knock off the chill.
- 02
Heat the plancha.
Get a large carbon-steel skillet or cast-iron griddle ripping hot over medium-high heat and melt a tablespoon of manteca until it shimmers.
- 03
Sear the meat aggressively in batches.
Lay the thin slices of pork flat in the skillet without overcrowding the pan, which would cause the meat to steam. Let them sear undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes until the adobo develops a dark, caramelized char, then flip and repeat.
- 04
Chop the seared pork.
Transfer the finished slices to a cutting board and use a heavy cleaver to roughly chop the meat into bite-sized pieces.
- 05
Glaze with the pineapple.
Return the chopped meat to the hot pan and toss in a handful of the diced fresh pineapple. Stir-fry for a minute or two until the pineapple releases its sugars, deglazing the pan and coating the pork in a sweet, sticky gloss.
Notes
Double-warm the tortillas using the steam-and-char method.
Flick a few drops of water or a dab of the leftover adobo fat onto fresh corn tortillas, then drop them onto a hot, dry comal. The steam softens the masa from the inside out while the comal toasts the exterior. Never serve great meat on a cold, stiff tortilla.
Respect the molcajete imperative.
When pairing this with salsa verde or roja, press your charred ingredients in a mortar rather than blitzing them in a blender. The chunky, rustic consistency clings to the meat instead of running out the back of your taco.
Assemble the spread.
Stack two warm tortillas, pile on a generous portion of charred pork and pineapple, and top strictly with a pinch of diced white onion, fresh cilantro, your molcajete salsa, and a squeeze of lime.