Name: Tacos al Pastor
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 5 Dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed, torn into flat pieces; 9 clove Garlic, unpeeled; 1/4 tsp Cumin; 1/4 tsp Black pepper; 1 tsp Mexican oregano; 1/2 tsp Mexican cinnamon, ground; 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar, or other vinegar; 2 tsp Salt; 1/2 package Achiote paste, approx. 1.75 oz; 1 tbsp Agave syrup, or honey/corn syrup; 1/4 cup Olive oil, or vegetable oil; 1 Pineapple, peeled and cored, 1 slice for marinade, rest sliced 1/2-inch thick; 1 1/2 lb Pork shoulder roast, sliced crosswise 1/4-inch thick; Oil, for cooking; Salt, to taste; 1 White onion, chopped and rinsed; 1 bunch Cilantro, chopped; Corn tortillas, warmed; Chipotle salsa, for serving

Method

10 steps. Tap one to mark it done.

Place the flat pieces of ancho chiles into a dry skillet set over medium heat, using a spatula to press them down for about a minute until fragrant and pale on the interior. Move them to a bowl, pour hot tap water over them to submerge, and place a plate on top to keep them submerged. (As an alternative, combine 1/2 cup of ancho powder and 1 1/4 cups boiling water inside a blender jar).
Using the same ungreased skillet, cook the unpeeled garlic over medium heat, rotating them every so often for about 15 minutes until they become tender and blackened. Let them cool down, then remove the skins.
Put the softened chiles into a blender vessel, pour in roughly half of the water used to soak them, and process until the mixture is completely liquefied.
Pulverize the cumin, black pepper, and Mexican oregano using either a spice grinder or a molcajete. Pour this powder into the blended chile mixture, then add the ground cinnamon, vinegar, 2 teaspoons of salt, and the skinned, roasted garlic cloves. Run the blender until the contents are entirely uniform.
Remove half of the red chile adobo (measuring about 1 cup) from the blender and reserve it for a different meal.
Combine the achiote paste, agave syrup, olive oil, and one slice of the fresh pineapple with the leftover adobo still inside the blender. Puree until the mixture is perfectly smooth, and pass the marinade through a medium-mesh sieve if utilizing a standard blender.
Cut the rest of the pineapple into slices that are 1/2-inch thick. Arrange the pork slices across a tray and coat both sides heavily with the pastor marinade using a brush.
Prepare the meat and pineapple slices: cook them either on a grill heated to high heat (misting them first with a bit of cooking oil) or sear them inside a very hot, slightly greased cast-iron skillet. Heat the ingredients until they are nicely blackened and fully done, which should take about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Slice the prepared pork against the grain into bite-sized pieces, then toss with a pinch of salt. Dice the grilled pineapple into small bits. In a separate bowl, toss the chopped white onion with the chopped cilantro.
Build the tacos by spooning the warm chopped pork into heated corn tortillas, then layering on the charred pineapple chunks, the onion-cilantro mixture, and some chipotle salsa.