These were a favourite at the cantina.
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Not because they were authentic in the strict sense. Nobody was claiming to have a trompo spinning away in the corner. They worked because they delivered everything you want from al pastor without the theatre. Smoke. Chilli. Sweetness. Acidity. Warm tortillas and cold beer.
The trick was pork loin.
Slice it thinly while it’s still raw, let it sit overnight in salsa adobo, then throw it onto a ripping hot plancha. The edges catch and caramelise, the centre stays juicy, and within a few minutes you’ve got something that scratches the same itch as al pastor without dedicating your weekend to building a spit in the garden.
The pineapple is treated with a little more respect here too.
Rather than throwing chunks on top and calling it a day, it gets charred hard alongside garlic and habanero before being blended with lime, onion and just enough sugar to round things out. The result is a thick purée that brings sweetness, smoke and heat in one spoonful.
Pile everything into warm tortillas, add a little onion and coriander, and don’t overthink it.
Good tacos rarely survive long enough for that.
Serves 4
Makes approximately 600ml — freezes well
Salsa adobo is a cooking sauce, not a condiment. It is the backbone of enchiladas jalisco, the braising liquid for meats, the sauce that goes into chilaquiles when you need something with depth rather than brightness. It is made from dried chillies, charred tomatoes, and aromatics, blended and then fried — fried, not just heated, which is what drives off the raw taste and gives the sauce its slightly darkened, complex character. Make this in quantity.
INGREDIENTS
12 corn tortillas
½ white onion, finely diced
Small handful coriander, roughly chopped
Lime wedges
Chorrito Chipotle Pineapple Garlic
Salsa Adobo
1. Char the tomatoes, onion, and unpeeled garlic in a dry comal or heavy pan over high heat, turning occasionally, until blackened and softened — 10 to 12 minutes. Squeeze the garlic from its charred skin.
2. Blend the soaked chillies, charred tomatoes, charred onion, peeled garlic, oregano, and cumin until completely smooth. Pass through a medium sieve if you want a very smooth sauce; leave it as is for more texture and body.
3. Heat the oil in a wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the blended sauce carefully — it will spit as it hits the oil. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan, for 8 minutes, until the sauce deepens in colour and thickens noticeably.
4. Add the stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt. The finished sauce should coat a spoon cleanly, taste rounded and slightly smoky, and have the colour of dark brick.
Place the pork loin in the fridge for 30 minutes. This firms it up slightly and makes slicing easier.
Using a sharp knife, slice the pork as thinly as possible across the grain.
Place the sliced pork in a bowl and add the salsa adobo. Mix thoroughly so every piece is coated.
Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 6 hours.
Heat a cast-iron pan, barbecue or griddle over high heat.
Cook the pineapple until deeply charred on all sides. At the same time, char the habanero and garlic cloves until blistered and softened.
Squeeze the garlic from its skins.
Transfer the pineapple, habanero, garlic, onion, lime juice, sugar and salt to a blender.
Blend until smooth.
The purée should be thick enough to sit on a taco rather than run off it.
Set aside.
Heat a large cast-iron pan, griddle or plancha until very hot.
Add the oil.
Cook the pork in batches, spreading it out so it browns rather than steams.
Cook for 2–3 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly charred around the edges but still juicy.
Transfer to a warm plate.
Warm the tortillas in a dry frying pan or directly over a gas flame until soft and pliable.
Keep wrapped in a clean tea towel while you finish the rest.
Lay a generous amount of pork onto each tortilla.
Top with a spoonful of charred pineapple purée.
Scatter over diced onion and coriander.
Serve immediately with lime wedges and Chorrito Chipotle Pineapple Garlic.
Traditional al pastor belongs on a trompo.
This version belongs in a home kitchen on a Tuesday night.
They’re different things.
What matters is getting colour onto the pork, keeping the tortillas warm and making sure there’s enough pineapple purée to drag everything back into balance.
