Al pastor slow cooker (and grill)
Tender and crispy pork with smoky-sweet flavors in soft tacos and pineapple salsa
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- grill, barbecue I use a gas grill
- frying pan to heat up the tortillas
Ingredients
- 800 g pork shoulder rolled and tied
- 1 medium pineapple peeled and topped
- 8 taco tortillas corn or wheat
For the marinade
- 2 heaped tbsp ancho chili paste
- 2 heaped tbsp chipotle chili paste
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 thick slices of fresh pineapple chopped and slightly smashed
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the pineapple salsa
- 3 thick slices of fresh pineapple finely diced
- ½ avocado finely diced
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 1 lime juice and zest
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp crushed chili flakes or fresh chili finely diced – optional
- 2 tsp freshly chopped parsley or coriander
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
How to peel and cut the pineapple
- Cut the top and bottom of the pineapple and reserve for later. Slice the rest of the pineapple in thick slices. With a small knife remove the hard core in the middle if you want.
- Use two slices to chop them roughly into pieces to add to the marinade. Reserve the rest of the slices for the pineapple salsa.
How to prepare and marinade the meat
- In a large bowl mix the chili pastes, oil, garlic and pineapple pieces.
- Add the meat and smush it around to make sure is covered. You can place it in a plastic zip bag too, or leave in the bowl and cover it before placing in the fridge.
- The meat should be marinating for at lest two hours or overnight.
How to cook the pork Al pastor in the slow cooker
- I use a crock pot slow cooker and set it to slow for 7 hours. Check for tenderness and according to your slow cooker you may need to add some time.
- Take the cooked pork shoulder joint out carefully to keep it whole. Reserve the cooked meat juices.
How to cook the pork Al pastor on the grill
- Place the cooked pork joint between the top and bottom of the pineapple and run 3-4 metal skewers through the pineapple and the meat.
- Fire up the grill to high heat then add the pineapple and meat carefully so it stands up firmly.
- With a brush (preferably a silicone brush), baste the joint with the reserved slow cooker sauce (meat and marinade juices) to keep it moist.
- Keep the pork joint on the grill for approximately 15-20 minutes to get a little char on the outside.
How to make pineapple salsa
- Finely dice the pineapple, making sure the tough core is discarded. Mix the finely diced pineapple with the finely diced shallot, oil, salt, chili flakes, lime zest and juice.
- Add the finely chopped parsley and stir well.
How to assemble tacos
- With a pair of oven gloves hold the pork joint on a chopping board and slice some pork, a small handful for each taco.
- In a bowl, add a few tablespoons of the flavorful meat juices and mix with the meat.
- In a pan, warm the taco slightly on both sides, add a little grated cheese to seal the bottom if you want. This will stop your taco of becoming soggy.
- Add the meat slices to the taco, top with a tablespoon of the pineapple salsa and enjoy !
Video
Notes
If you don’t want the fuss of slicing vertically from the pork joint, you can always just pull the meat like you would for pulled pork. It would still have all the flavors you love!
If you like soft tacos like I do, the secret to avoiding a soggy taco is to sprinkle a little grated cheese in the middle of the taco and as it is warming in the pan, it will melt and create a seal. This will stop the sauce from making your taco to fall apart.
Tried this recipe?Tag me @candyflossiecooks on Instagram! I'd love to see how your dish turns out ! ✨