A trompo…What the heck is that? If you are a big fan of Middle Eastern Shawarma and you’ve noticed the cook slicing meat off a vertical rotisserie, you actually know what I am talking about. In Mexico, the thinking is that the vertical rotisserie originated in Puebla, Mexico in the 1930’s by Lebanese immigrants. This rotisserie is called a trompo. And thus. the incredible Mexican dish of Al Pastor was created.

In many parts of Mexico, especially in Mexico City, the experience of eating al pastor is almost treated as having a religious experience. You have spice and color from the chiles and the achiote paste, and the sweet from the pineapple. The combination when done right can be heavenly! The flavor from the pork that has been marinated and then crooked until crispy doesn’t really need a salsa. But what the heck, we should do that too!

Of course, when I saw a vertical rotisserie as a Black Friday special and was deeply discounted, my love of kitchen gadgets overtook whatever common sense I thought I had. Today’s recipe is Al Pastor! It is pretty heavenly if I do say so myself. Add some of my Tomatillo Salsa to your Al Pastor and life will be good! Let me know what you think!

As always, thanks for Spending Time in My Kitchen!

Al Pastor

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Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen

Servings

servings

Prep time

hours

Ingredients

2 lbs of pork shoulder or nicely marbled loin
Marinade
1 cup of ancho chili powder
2 dried ancho chiles, (seeds removed)
1 guajillo chili, (seeds removed)
1/2 Tbl cumin
1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 cup pineapple juice, (3/4 cup of large diced fresh pineapple is the best.)
2 tsp of Mexican oregano
1 tsp black pepper
Achiote paste, 1/2 package (package 3.5 oz)
2 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Marinade
De-seed your dried chili pods. Place them in a small pot of boiling water. Cook until chilis are soft.
Fresh pineapple is the best. Take about a 4 inch slice from your fresh pineapple, core it, cut into chunks, use 3/4 of a cup for your marinade.
Place all marinade ingredients in a blender and continue until it is completely blended.
Put your tenderized pork slices in a bag with the blended marinade for a minimum of 3 hours. No problems if you want to leave it in longer.
Treatment of Meat
Slice pork roast into 1/2 inch slices.
Take out you meat mallet/pounder/tenderizer and flatten out your pork slices to 1/4 inch to help tenderize your pork.
Take your tenderized meat and place in a zip lock bag with your marinade.
Tomatillo Salsa
Use my Tomatillo salsa. Chop up some fresh pineapple and add to my salsa recipe for a perfect topping to your Al Pastor Taco!
Grilling Meat
Getting a char on your pork is the final step in making the perfect Al Pastor.
Whether, you are using a vertical rotisserie or just grilling on your grill. Place the marinated pork slices on the grill and cook till nicely charred.
Garnish
You really don’t need too much to top off the Al Pastor. Maybe some grilled green onion and the salsa. Let’s not overdo the perfect taco!
Enjoy!!