Sometimes the best dishes are created when different cuisines are brought together and al pastor is one of my favorite examples of this.
In the 1930’s, Lebanese immigrants settling in Mexico made their traditional shawarma using local ingredients and al pastor was born.
There is something really special about the sweet of the pineapples and the heat of the chilis in al pastor. It is definitely in my top 3 mexican protein choices, but making it authentically can be a little labor some. Al pastor is usually made on a vertical spit and while there are some cool cheats that you can do to create a makeshift one, you can also create a really fabulous al pastor right in a braiser or dutch oven.
Today, we are braising our al pastor and adding some peppers and onions into the mix to create al pastor fajitas that you are going to absolutely love.
Let’s get started…
Begin by gathering your ingredients…
For the basics, you’ll need about 3 pounds of pork shoulder. If you can’t find a boneless shoulder, I would suggest getting a 5-6 pound bone-in one and trimming the meat off of the bone.
You’ll need a pineapple, white onion, a couple of sweet bell peppers and classic taco building items… tortillas, cilantro, lime wedges and if you are a cheese lover, some crumbled cojita.
Now lets talk about the marinade…
Most of the flavor is in this marinade and we are going to use it to both marinate the pork and as the braising liquid. You’ll need some dried guajillo chiles, dried chiles de árbol, garlic cloves, pineapple juice, vinegar, salt, black peppercorns, achiote powder, Mexican oregano, cumin and all spice.
Each element in the marinade adds something special. If you want to reduce the heat, you can use less of the chiles de árbol, but this dish is not overly spicy, so I wouldn’t worry about being overwhelmed by heat.
You’ll need to start by rehydrating the dried chilis. Cut the stems off of 6 dried guajillo chiles and 2 dried chiles de árbol and dump out all of their seeds.
Place them into a glass heat proof bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let them sit for 20-25 minutes before adding them into a blender.
Once the rehydrated chilis are in the blender, add the remaining marinade ingredients and blend until smooth.
Cut your pork into large chunks and add the marinade. Mix everything really well to make sure each piece is completely coated. Cover the bowl and chill for at least 90 minutes or overnight. The pineapple in the marinade really tenderizes the pork, so I love doing this overnight, but if you are short on time, 90 minutes will work too.
When you are ready to braise, preheat your oven to 325 degrees and transfer the pork and all of the marinade into a braiser, dutch oven or deep baking dish.
Cover the baking dish and braise at 325 for 3 hours.
Once the pork is nice and tender, carefully transfer it out onto a heat proof surface and increase your ovens temperature to 375 degrees.
Shred the pork and thinly slice 2 large sweet bell peppers, 1/2 of a white onion and 1/2 of a pineapple.
Add everything back into the pot, give it a good mix and braise uncovered at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.
I like to give everything a good mix a few times throughout this final cook time, just to make sure all of the peppers and onions have the chance to soften to the same degree.
Would you take a look at this? The pork is so tender and that marinade has developed the most beautiful flavor that is carried through the pork, pineapple, peppers and onions.
Now you are going to have plenty of delicious braising liquid left behind and although this step is not traditional to al pastor, I like to serve a little cup of it next to the tacos for birria style dipping.
Once you fill your tortillas with plenty of al pastor, garnish each one with some diced pineapple and white onion, finely chopped cilantro and a little crumbled cojita.
The flavor in al pastor is really something special. The sweetness, the smokiness and the little hint of heat is so wonderful and then you add the fajita vibes and this meal is something you and anyone you share it with are going to love.
Buen provecho!!
Braised Al Pastor Fajitas
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch cubes
- 1/2 pineapple, rind removed and thinly sliced
- 2 large sweet bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1/2 large white onion, thinly sliced
Al Pastor Marinade
- 6 dried guajillo chilies
- 2 dried chilies de árbol
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 of a large white onion
- 1/2 cup of pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup of vinegar (white or apple cider)
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 tablespoon of whole peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon of achiote powder
- 1 teaspoon of mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of all spice
Taco Assembly
- flour or corn tortillas
- pineapple, finely diced
- white onion, finely minced
- fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Remove the stems and seeds from 6 dried guajillo chiles and 2 dried chiles de árbol and place them into a wide glass bowl
- Cover the chilies with boiling water and let them sit for 20 minutes
- Combine all of the marinade ingredients (including the rehydrated chilies) into a large blender or food processor and pulse until smooth
- Cube a 3 pound pork shoulder, transfer into a large glass bowl and add the marinade ensuring that all of the pork is coated
- Cover the bowl tightly and chill for at least 90 minutes or overnight
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees
- Transfer the pork and marinade into a greased braising pan, Dutch oven or deep baking dish and cover the pot
- Braise the pork covered at 325 degrees on a center rack for 3 hours
- Before the pork is done braising, thinly slice 2 large sweet bell peppers, 1/2 of a white onion and 1/2 of a pineapple
- Carefully remove the pork (increase the oven temperature to 375°), shred the pork and add back into the sauce
- Add the thinly sliced peppers, onion and pineapple, mix and braise uncovered for 30 minutes at 375°
- Enjoy with tortillas, cilantro and additional diced pineapple and onions
