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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 0 Minutes Servings: 24 |
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The meat for these “shepherd’s” tacos is commonly seen roasting on vertical spits displayed with pride on street stands throughout Mexico. The spits are usually topped with a pineapple, which is thinly sliced and served in the tacos. This method of cooking meat is identical to that used for the spit-roasted lamb (shawarma) brought to Puebla, Mexico, by Lebanese immigrants in the 1930s. The technique was copied by the Mexican taqueros (taco masters), who substituted pork for lamb. The original stand for tacos al pastor still exists in Puebla, with vertical spits of pork still revolving in front of its huge wood-burning hearth. This recipe makes two dozen tacos to serve 8 persons with big appetites, or more as part of a taco party platter. Note that the pork must marinate overnight before cooking. Ingredients:
40 dried guajillo chiles |
20 dried ancho chiles |
20 dried pasilla negro chiles |
2 1/2 cups fresh orange juice |
grated zest of 1 orange |
1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar |
9 cloves garlic |
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seed, toasted and ground |
1 1/2 tablespoons dried mexican oregano, toasted and ground |
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt |
1 tablespoon black pepper |
1 1/2 tablespoons distilled vinegar |
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice |
6 ounces cola |
8 ounces mexican beer |
4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch cubes |
3 tablespoons vegetable oil |
24 (5 1/2-inch) soft white corn tortillas (page 13), for serving |
garnish: caramelized diced pineapple |
Directions:
1. Stem, seed, and rehydrate the dried chiles (page 153). Drain and set aside, reserving the soaking liquid.
2. In a small saucepan, simmer the orange juice over medium-low heat until reduced by half; set aside. In the jar of a blender, puree the rehydrated chiles until smooth, adding some of the soaking water, if needed, to achieve a smooth consistency.
3. In a large bowl, add the reduced orange juice, pureed chiles, orange zest, brown sugar, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, black pepper, vinegar, lime juice, cola, and beer and stir to mix well. Add the pork, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
4. When ready to cook, remove the pork from the marinade and drain well. In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the pork pieces until the meat is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve right away or keep warm in the pan until ready to serve.
5. To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with pineapple and salsa. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with pineapple and salsa, fold, and eat right away.
6. Per serving: 500.0 calories, 170.0 calories from fat, 18.0g total fat, 7.0g saturated fat, 145.0mg cholesterol, 1710.0mg sodium, 28.0g total carbs, 3.0g dietary fiber, 19.0g sugars, 54.0g protein Nutritional analysis provided by TasteBook, using the USDA Nutrition Database Tacos by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Copyright © 2009 by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.Mark Miller is the acclaimed chef-founder of Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has started and owned thirteen different restaurants on three continents from 1979 to 2008. He is the author of ten books with nearly 1 million copies in print, including Tacos, The Great Chile Book, The Great Salsa Book, and Coyote Cafe. Mark currently works in International Culinary Consulting and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Benjamin Hargett is a travel-loving chef who has cooked in Europe, the Carribean, Mexico, and the United States, where he worked with Mark Miller at the Coyote Café for many years.
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