Smoked tacos al pastor


 
T

Tim O

TVWBB Fan
Been awhile since I’ve posted but I am about to get a little bit crazy this weekend. In honor of my birthday Saturday, I’ve decided to make a recipe I’ve been longing to try for years: smoked tacos al pastor using the Weber rotisserie on the kettle.

I am essentially following this recipe: https://www.seriouseats.com/tacos-al-pastor-recipe

I used a 5lb butt, cut it into 1/2 inch slices and now it’s sitting in the marinade until Saturday. Plan is to throw it on the spit, get it over some charcoal and use some pecan wood to smoke it. Crispy bites will be shaved off and repeated until the meat is nearly gone.
Stay tuned- I’ll update as the cook goes on! Thread update also on Twitter @smokeboiz

but now the pictures….25E549B7-CE56-4809-9D20-4845E1AAA549.jpeg929AD874-1B44-4035-9695-E6B918E35693.jpeg5D342253-F2D0-4C3D-A0CA-92908BA10F05.jpegC13CA5C3-96D8-4E3C-9C88-916E87B8ABE7.jpeg
 
It all looks great. From my only al pastor making experience I had likes and dislikes about it.
While I go to traditional Mexican restaurants the al pastor differs a lot of course. The last place we went was so intense I could barely handle the flavors but it was darn tasty. I bought a trompo style vertical skewer because I was going to master this!!!
I will be trying again of course but afte my first time you will also notice that the outside cooks much faster than the inside and that leads to different textures throughout the meat as you slice it. Your idea of only using the outsides sounds great to me, but possibly there isn't a lot you can cut off at once. If I had to cook and eat it that way I wouldn't want to serve these tacos to more than 4 people max. It will take a while I can only guess to get the fresh cut areas all brown again and ready to trim a again. It's like eating 1 taco every 30 minutes maybe????
I am sure others have cooked exactly what you are going to do and maybe know a lot more about it. I didn't enjoy mine a ton.....some of the meat was better eating than other sections I found. When I made mine I had 4 adults and 2 kids there and we all wanted like 3 tacos.
So I cut enough for all those tacos. Now naturally the inside was more moist and cooked through for sure but it was a tender juicy bite nor was it crispy.
Maybe I need al pastor lessons, Don't tell Michael though.....I must be a taco making god when he is around.;)

It looks great and I hope it turns out the way you hope.
My marinade was wetter than that too, maybe partially to blame.
 
This is great advice; luckily it’s just going to be myself, my wife, and my two young children who will probably have a bite. I’ve seen the shave/trim as you go method on most YouTube videos as the the butt is fatty and usually cooked low and slow. Not sure how this will turn out hot and fast but I plan on keeping the shaved bits warm in a pan in the over/grill. I even saw some who reheated it in a cast iron to create a bit more crunch. Thanks for the tips, I hope it’s worth it!
 
Tim O said:
Been awhile since I’ve posted but I am about to get a little bit crazy this weekend. In honor of my birthday Saturday, I’ve decided to make a recipe I’ve been longing to try for years: smoked tacos al pastor using the Weber rotisserie on the kettle.

I am essentially following this recipe: https://www.seriouseats.com/tacos-al-pastor-recipe

I used a 5lb butt, cut it into 1/2 inch slices and now it’s sitting in the marinade until Saturday. Plan is to throw it on the spit, get it over some charcoal and use some pecan wood to smoke it. Crispy bites will be shaved off and repeated until the meat is nearly gone.
Stay tuned- I’ll update as the cook goes on! Thread update also on Twitter @smokeboiz

but now the pictures….View attachment 35183View attachment 35184View attachment 35185View attachment 35186
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Keep us updated
 
I am planning to follow this recipe and do my first ever al pastor in the Weber kettle with the rotisserie also. This is so cool. I hope your turns out great and I hope mine turns out great!!! I am excited. And happy birthday! I did Smoke Carnitas for the first time on my birthday a few months back and it has become a family favorite.
 
I'm looking forward to watching Michael and Tim's cooks. If you are not making your own tortillas, I recommend Tortilla Land uncooked tortillas. They are great on the grill, and take only about 2 minutes to cook.

Can be hard to find in the store. Usually lying flat in the refrigerated section, so it can take a sharp eye to spot them.
 
Mike - good luck today! And thanks for the bday wishes. Yesterday the cook came out pretty good. Given the amount of prep/time that goes into the cook, I am not sure I’d do it again for a small gathering. The meat was tender and the marinade was good but probably could have been blended to be a bit more smooth. Was it good? It was BUT I am not so sure it’s any better than grilling up some marinated chicken thighs or pork tenderloin for the effort. If you’re looking to feed a large crowd and bring the big “wow” factor, this cook is just that, you’ll be the talk of your neighbors! Thanks for checking.
 

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Tim O said:
Mike - good luck today! And thanks for the bday wishes. Yesterday the cook came out pretty good. Given the amount of prep/time that goes into the cook, I am not sure I’d do it again for a small gathering. The meat was tender and the marinade was good but probably could have been blended to be a bit more smooth. Was it good? It was BUT I am not so sure it’s any better than grilling up some marinated chicken thighs or pork tenderloin for the effort. If you’re looking to feed a large crowd and bring the big “wow” factor, this cook is just that, you’ll be the talk of your neighbors! Thanks for checking.
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Tim,

I totally see and agree with the amount of time this cook took. It was an all day affair. I also don't disagree with was the thought is it that much better then grilled chicken tacos (which is my family's favorite meal of all time) or something else simpler. This was reinforced at seeing Rich G. Simple shrimp tacos from last night.

It was like my oldest daughter read your post because after we were done eating and just sitting around the table, she said that was good, but not near as good as your Carnitas. I would rather you do that if you are going to make pork shoulder into tacos. That cook takes more hours, but WAY less work. My son, our taco nut said, don't you make me choose!

So, I have been on a taco tour this summer, both at home, at multiple loca,l and not so local Mexican restaurants; and al Pastor has been my favorite. My homemade last night was as good if not better then what I have had. There was so much texture from the different muscles and all the ribbons of fat of the shoulder and with shaving it on the spot keep everything crispy and soft at service and made for an amazing eat. Will I do this often? nope. Will I do it again? yep! Will I do chicken tacos a lot more? yep, Carnitas? yep way more often then this, but because of ease. It was amazing and I am glad I had the time to be able to do it, but I will be looking for a simpler cook for tonight's dinner that's for sure.
 
Michael Richards said:
Tim,

I totally see and agree with the amount of time this cook took. It was an all day affair. I also don't disagree with was the thought is it that much better then grilled chicken tacos (which is my family's favorite meal of all time) or something else simpler. This was reinforced at seeing Rich G. Simple shrimp tacos from last night.

It was like my oldest daughter read your post because after we were done eating and just sitting around the table, she said that was good, but not near as good as your Carnitas. I would rather you do that if you are going to make pork shoulder into tacos. That cook takes more hours, but WAY less work. My son, our taco nut said, don't you make me choose!

So, I have been on a taco tour this summer, both at home, at multiple loca,l and not so local Mexican restaurants; and al Pastor has been my favorite. My homemade last night was as good if not better then what I have had. There was so much texture from the different muscles and all the ribbons of fat of the shoulder and with shaving it on the spot keep everything crispy and soft at service and made for an amazing eat. Will I do this often? nope. Will I do it again? yep! Will I do chicken tacos a lot more? yep, Carnitas? yep way more often then this, but because of ease. It was amazing and I am glad I had the time to be able to do it, but I will be looking for a simpler cook for tonight's dinner that's for sure.
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Care to share your carnitas recipe??
 
Tim O said:
Care to share your carnitas recipe??
Click to expand...
Hey, Tim. Michael and I both messed around with smoked carnitas this summer, using the same recipe as a base (THIS ONE). I gotta say, these were the best carnitas I have ever made, and darned near the best ones I've eaten! As Michael said above.....lots of time invested in this one, but a TON less work than you guys just did on the al pastor!

Michael's last attempt - https://tvwbb.com/threads/the-smell-of-sweet-redemption-it-smells-a-lot-like-pork.87752/
Michaels first attempt - https://tvwbb.com/threads/birthday-carnitas.87455/
My Father's Day attempt - https://tvwbb.com/threads/fd-smoked-carnitas.87349/
 
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