--- title: "Oven-Baked Tacos Al Pastor" description: "Traditional al pastor flavor using an oven-baked pork loaf method with pineapple juice marinade and dried chiles." url: "https://briansunter.com/recipes/al-pastor" --- # Oven-Baked Tacos Al Pastor Traditional al pastor flavor using an oven-baked pork loaf method with pineapple juice marinade and dried chiles. 4 hours cook 1 hour prep 12 hours total 8 servings main mexican pork tacos slow-cook Scale Units ## Ingredients - 2 whole ancho chiles - 2 whole guajillo chiles - 0.50 cup chicken stock - 2 teaspoons vegetable oil - 1 teaspoon ground cumin - 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano - 1 tablespoon achiote powder - 1 whole chipotle chile in adobo - 2 teaspoons adobo sauce - 0.25 cup white vinegar - 0.25 cup pineapple juice - 2.50 teaspoons kosher salt - 2 teaspoons sugar - 5 cloves garlic - 0.25 medium onion - 2 pounds boneless pork sirloin - 8 ounces sliced bacon - 1 small fresh pineapple - 24-32 count corn tortillas - 1 medium white onion - 0.50 cup fresh cilantro - \- lime wedges - \- salsa ## Equipment - saucepan - blender - loaf pan - oven - baking sheet - skillet ## About The meat can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and crisped just before serving. Double-stack the tortillas for serving as the meat is very juicy. For best results, use fresh pineapple rather than canned. ## Instructions ### Prepare the Chiles 1 Toast the 2 whole ancho chiles and 2 whole guajillo chiles (seeds and stems removed) in a dry saucepan over medium heat until pliable and aromatic, 5 minutes . 2 Add 0.50 cup chicken stock and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let soak for 15 minutes . Note Optionally add @chile de arbol{1%whole} for extra heat. ### Make the Marinade 3 Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in the same pan. Add 1 teaspoon ground cumin , 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano , and 1 tablespoon achiote powder . Cook until fragrant, 30 seconds . 4 Add 1 whole chipotle chile in adobo plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce and cook another 30 seconds . 5 Add 0.25 cup white vinegar , 0.25 cup pineapple juice , 2.50 teaspoons kosher salt , and 2 teaspoons sugar . Stir to combine. 6 Transfer all soaked chiles and their liquid along with the spiced vinegar mixture to a blender . Add 5 cloves garlic and 0.25 medium onion . Blend until smooth. ### Prepare the Pork 7 Slice 2 pounds boneless pork sirloin as thin as possible. Freeze briefly if needed to make slicing easier. 8 Pound slices between plastic wrap until less than 1/4-inch thick. 9 Toss pork with the marinade until well coated. ### Assemble the Loaf 10 Line a disposable aluminum loaf pan with 8 ounces sliced bacon . 11 Layer marinated pork slices, alternating bacon and pork until all meat is used. 12 Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4-36 hours . ### Cook 13 Preheat the oven to 275°F. Remove plastic wrap from loaf pan and place on a foil-lined baking sheet . 14 Cook until completely tender, 4 hours . 15 Cool slightly, cover with foil, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. ### Prepare Pineapple 16 Preheat the oven to 350°F. 17 Peel, core, and cut 1 small fresh pineapple into quarters lengthwise. Brush pineapple pieces with reserved fat from the meat. 18 Roast until tender, 25 minutes . ### Finish and Serve 19 Slice the chilled meat as thinly as possible. Crisp meat in a skillet with some reserved fat. Add reserved juices and reduce to a glaze. 20 Chop the roasted pineapple. 21 Serve with 24-32 count corn tortillas (warmed), 1 medium white onion (finely diced), 0.50 cup fresh cilantro (chopped), lime wedges , and salsa of choice. View Cooklang Source recipe.cook ``` --- title: Oven-Baked Tacos Al Pastor description: "Traditional al pastor flavor using an oven-baked pork loaf method with pineapple juice marinade and dried chiles." servings: 8 total time: 12 hours prep time: 1 hour cook time: 4 hours tags: [mexican, pork, tacos, main, slow-cook] cuisine: Mexican difficulty: advanced long_description: "The meat can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and crisped just before serving. Double-stack the tortillas for serving as the meat is very juicy. For best results, use fresh pineapple rather than canned." rating: 4.5 --- == Prepare the Chiles == Toast the @ancho chiles{2%whole} and @guajillo chiles{2%whole} (seeds and stems removed) in a dry #saucepan{} over medium heat until pliable and aromatic, ~{5%minutes}. Add @chicken stock{1/2%cup} and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let soak for ~{15%minutes}. > Optionally add @chile de arbol{1%whole} for extra heat. == Make the Marinade == Heat @vegetable oil{2%teaspoons} in the same pan. Add @ground cumin{1%teaspoon}, @dried Mexican oregano{1%teaspoon}, and @achiote powder{1%tablespoon}. Cook until fragrant, ~{30%seconds}. Add @chipotle chile in adobo{1%whole} plus @adobo sauce{2%teaspoons} and cook another ~{30%seconds}. Add @white vinegar{1/4%cup}, @pineapple juice{1/4%cup}, @kosher salt{2.5%teaspoons}, and @sugar{2%teaspoons}. Stir to combine. Transfer all soaked chiles and their liquid along with the spiced vinegar mixture to a #blender{}. Add @garlic{5%cloves} and @onion{1/4%medium}. Blend until smooth. == Prepare the Pork == Slice @boneless pork sirloin{2%pounds} as thin as possible. Freeze briefly if needed to make slicing easier. Pound slices between plastic wrap until less than 1/4-inch thick. Toss pork with the marinade until well coated. == Assemble the Loaf == Line a disposable aluminum #loaf pan{} with @sliced bacon{8%ounces}. Layer marinated pork slices, alternating bacon and pork until all meat is used. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate ~marinate{4-36%hours}. == Cook == Preheat the #oven{} to 275°F. Remove plastic wrap from loaf pan and place on a foil-lined #baking sheet{}. Cook until completely tender, ~{4%hours}. Cool slightly, cover with foil, and refrigerate at least ~{2%hours} or overnight. == Prepare Pineapple == Preheat the #oven{} to 350°F. Peel, core, and cut @fresh pineapple{1%small} into quarters lengthwise. Brush pineapple pieces with reserved fat from the meat. Roast until tender, ~{25%minutes}. == Finish and Serve == Slice the chilled meat as thinly as possible. Crisp meat in a #skillet{} with some reserved fat. Add reserved juices and reduce to a glaze. Chop the roasted pineapple. Serve with @corn tortillas{24-32%count} (warmed), @white onion{1%medium} (finely diced), @fresh cilantro{1/2%cup} (chopped), @lime wedges{}, and @salsa{} of choice. ```