I posted a few pix of this dish on my Instagram account and the response was unanimous - PLEASE POST THIS RECIPE. So here it is, Enjoy!
I’ll be honest…my mother gave me my Instant Pot for Christmas a few years ago, and I was like “what?” I struggled to understand the value of something that would inevitably create shortcuts I assumed no ‘true’ chef would take. And my mother and I cook together all the time using tried and true classic methods, never a shortcut. The thing sat in the box for over a year in my basement until a chef friend suggested I speed up the process of making boiled peanuts by using an Instant Pot. He was right. The hours and hours of time it normally took to make the classic southern roadside delicacy was reduced to minutes. I began to look around for other recipes immediately and found myself experimenting with beef, chicken, pork…whatever, and suddenly I was in love. I got it, I was in.
Some of the very best tacos Al Pastor I’ve eaten were thanks to my good friend Mark Tripp in Los Angeles. He took me to a parking lot pop-up taco stand in West LA called Brothers Cousins and I was hooked. I’ve eaten many tacos in my life but up to that point had never experienced the deep flavors that came from this simple taco set up in a Rite Aid parking lot. This recipe will not ever compete with that experience, but with some practice you can get pretty damn close.
INGREDIENTS:
3 to 4 pounds - trimmed pork shoulder (Costco has great pork for less)
1 - tbsp garlic powder
1 - tbsp classic chili powder
1 - tbsp red chile powder (chile rojo - NOT cayenne or CHILI powder)
1 - tsp cumin
1 - tbsp dried oregano
1 - tsp cinnamon
1 - tbsp kosher or sea salt
1 - large onion chopped/diced
6 - cloves garlic
4 - chipotles in adobo (La Morena brand is best)
3 - 6 ounce cans (or 2 1/2 cups) pineapple juice
1/4 cup - distilled white vinegar
corn tortillas + vegetable oil
fresh pineapple, diced for garnish
good hot sauce
Start by whisking the dry spices together in a large bowl. Cut the pork into 2-3 inch chunks and toss in bowl with the spice rub. Set the Instant Pot to ‘SAUTEE’, add a splash of the vegetable oil (or olive) and sear the pork chunks, in batches, for a few minutes each side.
Remove the pork, add 1/2 cup of water to deglaze (scrape bits off bottom), then turn off the the Pot.
Add the onions, garlic cloves (each sliced once lengthwise), chipotles, and vinegar to the Pot, place the pork back into the Pot, seal the lid and set Pot to high for 50 mins.
When the Pot has finished and the steam has finally escaped remove the lid and pull out pork with a slotted spoon or small colander spreading it out on a sheet pan. Separate the lean chunks from the grizzly bits (though save the garlic and some of the ‘good’ fat), press with a fork to shred and move to a second sheet pan. Spread the shredded pork to the thinnest layer and place under broiler in oven. Check often so you do not burn, and turn over the layer of pork at least once. When golden and crispy it’s ready to EAT.
Serve on (preferably) ‘street’-sized corn tortillas (which have been fried up with some oil) and add the diced pineapple as garnish. Also add a tasty hot sauce and stick into your face. Repeat at least 6 times for maximum fulfillment.