- 3 pounds pork sirloin cutlets
- achiote adobo marinade (directions below)
- pineapple, peeled, cut into ½-inch slices
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 2 guajillo chiles
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped white onion, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons achiote paste
- 1 cup bitter orange juice (or substitute with 1/3 cup orange juice, 1/3 cup lime juice and 1/3 cup white distilled vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground true or ceylon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste, plus more
- 12 to 14 corn tortillas (use flour tortillas if turning these tacos into “gringas”)
- queso fresco or queso cotija (shredded queso asadero, Mexican Oaxaca or Chihuahua, or mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or any melty cheese of your choice(optional, to be turned into “gringas”)
- 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro to garnish
- 2 limes cut into quarters, to garnish
- salsa of your choice
Directions:
Make the adobo de achiote. Start by stemming and seeding the guajillo chiles. Toast them on a pre-heated comal or skillet, set over medium heat, for about 1 to 2 minutes per side until they are toasted, but not burnt.
Place the toasted chiles in a saucepan, add enough water to cover them, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until the chiles are plumped up and rehydrated. Save 1/2 cup of the chili water.
In a blender, add bitter orange juice, achiote paste, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, oregano, brown sugar, sea salt, garlic cloves, and chopped onions. Pulse until blended. Add chilis and 1/2 cup of chili water and blend thoroughly.
Use the adobe de achiote to marinate the pork for at least 3 hours, or up to 48 hours, in the refrigerator, reserving 1/2 cup of marinade to use later.
When ready to make tacos, remove the meat from the refrigerator and let sit for 30 minutes or until room temperature.
Brush some of the reserved marinade on the pineapple slices.
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a tablespoon of oil. Place as many pineapple slices as will fit on the skillet and sear for about 3 minutes per side, until juicy and lightly charred on both sides.
Carefully cut the pineapple into thin slices about 1 to 2-inches long and 1/4-inch wide, removing the core. Place in a bowl and cover.
Drizzle another tablespoon of oil onto the skillet. Lightly sprinkle the meat with salt to taste. Sear as many slices of meat as will fit in the pan, without over crowding, for about 2 minutes per side until browned on both sides. Cook in batches if necessary. Place the meat on a chopping board. Cut it crosswise into thin slices about 1/4-inch thick and 1-inch wide. Put on a plate and cover with foil.
Cook the corn tortillas, keeping them wrapped in a dish towel or in a warmer until all are made.
Serve them with the meat, pineapple, chopped cilantro, chopped onion, lime wedges, and salsa of your choice for taco assembly.
If you want to offer some “gringas,” cook flour tortillas on the comal and, once hot, add the melty cheese, fold, and let it melt as if it were a quesadilla. Once melted, re-open the tortilla, add a generous tablespoon or two of the sliced meat, fold again and serve.
Myrtle's Note: I have been wanting to make these ever since I watched Pati Jinich make them about nine months ago. They were most definitely worth the wait! If you look at the photo of the tacos on the original recipe, the meat doesn't look covered with marinade, so I opted not to to the final step in the original recipe of putting reserve marinade in the pan, returning the meat, and cooking it longer. Pork cutlets are thin and only need brief cooking. I thought the meat was flavorful enough without the extra marinade at the end. Also, even though I am a flour tortilla person, I made these as described, using corn tortillas, adding a Mexican crumble cheese. Mmmm!
Yield: 12-14 tacos (dependent upon the number of cutlets)
Source: https://patijinich.com/recipe/tacos-al-pastor-with-garnishes/
