Pork
Balcony Electric Grill Tacos al Pastor
Al pastor is the most technically demanding Mexican street food to reproduce at home because the traditional vertical rotating spit is both the heat source and the flavor mechanism. The top layer chars and crisps, gets shaved off, and the layer below takes its turn. You cannot do that on a flat grill. What you can do is chase the same flavor architecture, guajillo-ancho-achiote marinade, high heat, grilled pineapple, thin slices, and get tacos that are legitimately great even if they are not strictly traditional. The trick is the marinade, which needs at least 2 hours to penetrate the meat but really wants overnight. Guajillo gives the brick-red color and mild fruitiness, ancho brings deeper sweetness, and achiote paste provides the earthy, almost pepper-like base note that is the signature of al pastor. Get those three right and the grill just has to hit the pork with enough heat to char the edges.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs pork shoulder, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 3 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 2 dried ancho chiles
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp achiote paste
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 fresh pineapple, sliced into 1/2-inch rings
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1/2 white onion, finely diced
- Cilantro, chopped
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- 01
Toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet for 30 seconds per side until fragrant. Cover with hot water and soak 15 minutes.
- 02
Drain the chiles and blend with vinegar, achiote, garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt until smooth. Pour over the pork slices and marinate 2 hours minimum, overnight ideally.
- 03
Preheat the balcony electric grill to 500F.
- 04
Grill pineapple rings 2 minutes per side until lightly charred. Dice and set aside.
- 05
Grill pork slices in a single layer for 3 minutes per side. Work in batches if you have a smaller grill.
- 06
Rest the pork 5 minutes, then chop finely into al pastor-size pieces.
- 07
Warm tortillas directly on the grill grates for 20 seconds per side.
- 08
Assemble: pork, grilled pineapple, onion, cilantro, lime squeeze.
Pro Tips
From our kitchen
- ★The traditional al pastor trompo (vertical spit) is not reproducible on a flat grill, but thin-sliced shoulder marinated hard and seared quickly gets you about 85% of the way there.
- ★Grilled pineapple on pork tacos is not optional. The enzyme bromelain in pineapple both tenderizes the meat and adds the signature sweet-acidic note that defines al pastor.
- ★Ninja Woodfire Pro XL hits 700F, which is the closest a home grill comes to the blast-furnace heat of a real taqueria.
We recommend for this recipe
Ninja Woodfire Pro XL OG850
The Ninja Woodfire Pro XL OG850's 406 sq in surface and 700°f searing temperature and 30% more cooking space than standard make it our pick for this recipe.
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