Smoked Al Pastor

This is one of our more elaborate cooks. The meat presentation is beautiful and the flavor is just as good as it looks. This would be a great idea if you are having friends over or you will be having a family get together soon. When you open up your grill and one of these masterpieces is in there, your guests will sing your praises in this life and the next.

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Ingredients

Marinade

6 Chiles Guajillo or California Chiles

2 Chiles Pasillas

1 small White Onion

1 3.5oz. box of Achiote

1 Bay Leaf

4 Cloves Garlic

1 Tbsp Cumin

1 Tbsp Mexican Oregano

1 tsp Ginger Powder

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Clover

3 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper

3/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 20oz. Pineapple chunks with juice

1 cup Orange Juice

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

Meat

1 or 2 Boneless Pork Shoulder Butts

1 Pineapple

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Directions

Marinade

-Start by taking all the chiles and remove the stems.

-Slice the chiles in half and remove all of the seeds.

-Boil enough water to cover the chiles in a pan or pot.

-When the water begins to boil, remove from the heat and place the chiles in the water making sure they are completely covered.

-Let the chiles rehydrate in the water. (about 10 mins.)

-As the chiles hydrate, use a blender or food processor to combined the remaining ingredients. Blend until a smooth liquid forms.

-When the chiles are soft, combine them with the ingredient mixture and blend until the chiles have been well incorporated..

Meat

-We are going to be slicing the pork shoulder into 1/4 inches thick slices. To make this easier, you will want to have the meat as cold as possible.

-Place the pork shoulder in the freezer for 1 hour before cutting. If you do not have time to do this, it is OK, you can still slice the meat, it just might be a little more difficult.

-Slice the meat into 1/4 inch thick slices.

-Place the sliced meat into plastic bags and cover with enough marinade to cover the meat. Marinate the meat for 24 to 48 hours.

Cooking

-Preheat your pellet grill to 350 degrees. We like to use applewood or cherry pellets for this cook. We used a Trompo King to stack our pineapple and pork on. If you do not have one you can make one very easily (See instructions below).

-Remove the skin of the pineapple and cut it into 4 slices (1 slice is for you to eat now).

-Place a pineapple slice onto the skewer.

-Begin placing the sliced meat on the skewer rotating the direction of the slices each time.

-When you get halfway up the skewer place on another slice of pineapple and continue stacking the meat on top.

-When you have reached the top, place another piece of pineapple to finish.

-When the grill has preheated, place the skewered meat inside the grill and cook for 3 to 4 hours.

-As the outside begins to char, slice off those pieces and allow the freshly exposed meat to char by allowing them to continue to cook. You can serve the sliced off bits of al pastor or leave them to rest at the bottom of the pan in the grill until the meat is finished grilling.

Making your own Skewer tray

Get a long threaded rod and 2 nuts from your local hardware store.(A smaller diameter rod that is about 12 to 14 inches long would be ideal.) Drill a hole in an old cookie sheet the same diameter as the threaded rod. Place the rod into the hole and put a nut on both sides. Tighten the nuts together clamping around the cookie sheet. The rod should be secured to the cookie sheet. You now have an al pastor cooking skewer pan.