Tacos al pastor

Name: Tacos al pastor
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 4 ancho chillies; 4 guajillo chilli peppers; 1 dried morita chilli, or 1 chipotle chilli; 3g of cinnamon stick; 2g of black peppercorns; 2g of Mexican oregano; 2g of cumin seeds; 1 clove; 60g of garlic cloves, unpeeled; 120g of cider vinegar; 50ml of orange juice; 37g of achiote paste; 1.5kg pork neck, sliced into 1cm steaks; 230g of tomatillos, husked, rinsed and chopped; 100g of coriander leaves; 10g of lime juice; 1 tsp salt; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 2 serrano chilli peppers, stems removed and chopped; 1 avocado, chopped; 1/2 small onion, chopped; 20 corn tortillas; 1/2 bunch of coriander, chopped; 1/2 small onion, diced; 1/2 pineapple, peeled and cut into 2x5cm slices; 1 lime, cut into wedges

by Nud Dudhia (Breddos Tacos)

Item 1 of 1

Main
easy
Makes 20 tacos
40 minutes

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Tacos al pastor is one of the most iconic dishes of Mexico City, and is traditionally cooked on a vertical spit by skilled taqueros. This recipe from Nud Dudhia replicates the smoky flavour by cooking marinated pork steaks directly on the barbecue, which are then chopped up and served in warm tortillas with a fresh salsa, slivers of pineapple and minced onion.

See more recipes inspired by Mexico City and read about what Nud discovered during his time in the Mexican capital here.

First published in 2019

discover more:

Pastor is the definitive Mexico City taco. This technique of grilling layered, marinated meat on a vertical spit was introduced to Mexico by immigrating Lebanese textile workers in the 1950s, in the form of lamb shawarma. Soon enough, Mexicans replaced the scarcely available lamb with marinated pork and taco al pastor was born.

This recipe makes a little more marinade than you need, but it will last up to a week in the fridge and is fantastic on chicken, fish or even potatoes.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Pork

4 ancho chillies
4 guajillo chilli peppers
1 dried morita chilli, or 1 chipotle chilli
3g of cinnamon stick
2g of black peppercorns
2g of Mexican oregano
2g of cumin seeds
1 clove
60g of garlic cloves, unpeeled
120g of cider vinegar
50ml of orange juice
37g of achiote paste
1.5kg pork neck, sliced into 1cm steaks

Salsa taquero

230g of tomatillos, husked, rinsed and chopped
100g of coriander leaves
10g of lime juice
1 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 serrano chilli peppers, stems removed and chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped

To assemble

20 corn tortillas
1/2 bunch of coriander, chopped
1/2 small onion, diced
1/2 pineapple, peeled and cut into 2x5cm slices
1 lime, cut into wedges

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Equipment

Barbecue
Blender

Method

To prepare the marinade, remove the stems from the chillies and tear each chilli open. Shake out and discard the seeds, then tear the chillies into small pieces and set aside

Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add the cinnamon, clove, peppercorns, oregano and cumin seeds. Toast for 15 seconds until fragrant, then transfer to a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and grind to a fine powder

In the same pan, toast the torn chillies for 30 seconds until they start to smoke. Transfer to a bowl, cover with hot water and leave to soak for 20 minutes until soft and pliable

Add the unpeeled garlic cloves to the pan and toast until they begin to char and have softened slightly (about 8 minutes). Remove from the heat and leave until cool enough to handle, then peel and discard the skins

Drain the chillies and place them in a blender with the ground spices, garlic cloves, vinegar, achiote and orange juice. Blitz to a puree, then massage the mixture into the pork steaks. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight to marinate

The next day, light a barbecue and wait for the coals to turn white

To make the salsa, place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Set aside until ready to serve

Grill the pork steaks until almost blackened on one side, then flip – you want the meat to be very charred. After 3–5 minutes the pork will be cooked and you can set it aside to rest

Meanwhile, warm the tortillas in a dry pan until soft and place inside a damp tea towel to keep warm

To serve, slice the pork steaks against the grain into small pieces, then place in a bowl and pour over any resting juices. Assemble the tacos by placing a large spoonful of meat in a tortilla, followed by a dollop of salsa, a sliver of pineapple and the onion and coriander. Squeeze over a little lime juice and enjoy

First published in 2019

DISCOVER MORE:

Nud Dudhia (Breddos Tacos)

Nud’s journey began in a makeshift taco shack in a car park in Hackney, where he set up Breddos Tacos with his business partner Chris Whitney.

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