Tacos Al Pastor with Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa
These delicious tacos are the most flavorful around, featuring tender pork, spicy peppers, and sweet caramelized pineapple. These are a favorite in Mexico and will become your favorite, too!
Foto: Host The Toast — Morgan
Ingredients
- 5 tomatillos, husks peeled
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and sliced
- 1 avocado, pitted and peeled
- 1 yellow onion
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 3 tablespoons water
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt, to taste
- 2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless pork butt, cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 g uajillo chiles*
- 2 ancho chiles*
- 2 chiles de arbol*
- 1 can chipotle chiles in adobo
- 1 medium white onion, halved
- 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks
- 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 package corn tortillas
- 4 oz cotija cheese, crumbled, for serving
- Fresh cilantro and lime wedges, to garnish
Steps
-
Chop up the tomatillos, onion, jalapenos, and avocado into large chunks. Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Add more salt, if neccessary, and place in the refrigerator.
-
Boil 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Add the dried chiles and reduce to a simmer until the chiles soften and re-hydrate, about 12 minutes.
-
Take one of the onion halves and coarsely chop it. Strain the pineapple chunks from the juice and save both in separate bowls.
-
Place the rehydrated chiles, one chipotle chile, adobo sauce, chopped onion, about 3/4 of the pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, cumin, kosher salt, ground cloves, and oregano to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
-
Pour the mixture into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue to cook for 3 minutes. Let cool.
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Place the chopped pork into a large plastic container with a lid. Pour the chile mixture over the pork and mix through to coat well. Marinate for 3 hours.
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After 3 hours, preheat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add a little drizzle of oil and toast the tortillas, about 30 seconds on each side. Place the toasted tortillas beneath a towel to keep them warm.
-
Increase the heat to high and add about a tablespoon of oil. Remove the marinated pork from the container and let excess marinade drip off. In small batches, cook the pork until it is cooked through and slightly charred.
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After all of the pork has been cooked, chop it roughly into smaller pieces.
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Dice the remaining onion half and chop up the pineapple chunks. Add to the cast iron skillet and cook until the pineapple slightly caramelizes, about 3-4 minutes.
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Add the remaining pineapple juice and the chopped up pork back to the skillet and mix in with the pineapple and onion.
-
Scoop the pork mixture into the toasted tortillas. Top with the tomatillo salsa, onions and cilantro if desired, and crumbled cotija cheese. Serve with lime wedges.
💰 Cost Estimate
📋 Price Breakdown (8% ingredients detected)
| Ingredient | Amount | Unit Price | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| tomatillos | 5 | Rp 12.000/kg | Rp 6.000 |
| garlic | 3 cloves | - | - |
| jalapenos | 2 | - | - |
| avocado | 1 | - | - |
| yellow onion | 1 | - | - |
| cilantro leaves | 0.5 cup | - | - |
| water | 3 tablespoons | - | - |
| Juice of 1 lime | 1 l | - | - |
| Salt | - | - | - |
| boneless | 1 lbs | - | - |
| uajillo chiles* | 3 g | - | - |
| ancho chiles* | 2 | - | - |
| chiles de arbol* | 2 | - | - |
| chipotle chiles in adobo | 1 can | - | - |
| white onion | 1 medium | - | - |
| 1 | - | - | |
| distilled white vinegar | 3 tablespoons | - | - |
| garlic | 5 cloves | - | - |
| cumin | 1 teaspoon | Rp 70.000/kg | Rp 350 |
| kosher salt | 1 teaspoon | - | - |
| ground clove | 0.25 teaspoon | - | - |
| oregano | 1 teaspoon | - | - |
| vegetable oil | 2 tablespoons | - | - |
| corn tortillas | 1 package | - | - |
| cotija cheese | 4 oz | - | - |
| Fresh cilantro and lime wedges | - | - | - |
*Estimated market prices, may vary by region
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