Al pastor is a tart and savoury marinade that begs for pork and fresh tortillas. I don’t always have easy access to whole dried chilies, but I do have ground dried and fresh ones, so this is a pantry version that captures the intent of a Mexican chili paste turned into a marinade.
Mechanic
Toasted chili powders bloomed in stock stand in for rehydrated whole dried chilies. Toasting wakes up the powders, and simmering them in a good stock gives the paste the body and depth that soaking liquid from whole chilies would. Splitting the cook into two passes (slow bake, then crisp in a pan) lets you prep it ahead and eat it all week.
Ingredients
Marinade
- ~50 g dried chilies or chili powders, ideally a mix of ancho, guajillo, árbol, and similar
- 1–2 chipotles in adobo, plus some of the sauce
- 300 ml chicken, beef, or pork stock, or water
- 150 ml cider vinegar
- Juice from the tin of pineapple (below)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 onion, quartered
- ½ teaspoon each cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and allspice
- 25 g kosher salt (1–1.5% of the meat’s weight)
- ~100 g roasted red peppers from a jar, for sweetness without more heat (optional)
- 2 teaspoons achiote paste or tomato paste, spices, lime (optional)
Meat
- 1 pork shoulder, about 2 kg (4½ lb), boneless or bone removed
- or ~2 kg chicken thighs
Topping
- 1 tin (398 ml / 14 oz) sliced pineapple, drained, juice saved for the marinade
Method
If using whole dried chilies, clip and deseed them.
Toast the dried spices and chilies in a dry pan until fragrant. Add them to the simmering stock and simmer briefly. Let cool, then pour into a medium-large blender.
Add the pineapple juice and the remaining marinade ingredients and blend until completely smooth, with no whole chili pieces or seeds left. This takes longer than you think.
Taste and adjust the acid and salt. It should taste sweet, spicy, and deep, with salt and acid present but not prominent.
Slice the pork shoulder as thin as you can, across the grain. For chicken thighs, slice them in half horizontally if you can; this is easier when they’re partially frozen.
Combine the meat and marinade in a large bowl and mix thoroughly, so every nook has some marinade. Pack the slices tightly in a hotel pan, loaf pan, or CorningWare-style dish. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 24–48 hours.
Heat the oven to 135°C (275°F). Top the meat with the pineapple slices. Bake until the centre of the pork reaches 82–87°C (180–190°F), 2–4 hours depending on the depth of the pan. Cool, and store up to 5 days.
To serve, chop the meat and fry it in a pan until the edges crisp. Dice the roasted pineapple for topping.
To serve
In tacos, on salads, on sandwiches, and in bean chili.
Notes
- Good-quality chili powders work well here, especially toasted and combined with a good stock.