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Taqueria al pastor without the spit. Thin-sliced pork shoulder soaks overnight in a red chile and pineapple marinade with SoCal Original Red blended right into it, then hits a screaming hot cast iron pan in batches until the edges crackle and char. Chopped fine, piled on warm corn tortillas with charred pineapple, white onion and cilantro, and finished with a spoonful of Original Red at the table. Made for National Taco Day, good any night you want tacos that taste like they came off a trompo.

Ingredients

Al pastor marinade

• 4 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• ¾ cup pineapple juice
• ¼ cup SoCal Original Red
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons achiote paste
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Pork

• 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, divided

To build

• ½ fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch rounds
• 18 small corn tortillas
• 1 small white onion, finely diced
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Thinly sliced radishes
• Lime wedges
• More SoCal Original Red for the table

Directions

1. Put the pork shoulder in the freezer for 45 minutes. Firm pork slices thin and even; soft pork tears.
2. Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat, about 20 seconds a side, until they smell toasty. Cover them with hot water and let them soak 15 minutes, then drain.
3. Blend the soaked chiles with the pineapple juice, Original Red, vinegar, achiote paste, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper until completely smooth.
4. Slice the pork across the grain into ¼-inch slices. Toss the slices with the marinade in a large bowl or zip bag until every piece is coated. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, overnight is better.
5. Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add 1 teaspoon of oil and lay in a single layer of pork, letting the extra marinade drip back into the bowl. Cook 2 to 3 minutes a side, until the edges are dark and crisp. Move it to a cutting board and repeat with the rest, adding oil as needed. Crowding the pan steams the pork instead of charring it.
6. In the same hot skillet, char the pineapple rounds about 2 minutes a side, until they have dark marks and start to caramelize. Chop them into small chunks.
7. Chop the pork into small pieces on the board, char and all, and pile it back into the warm skillet off the heat to keep it hot.
8. Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet, 20 seconds a side, and keep them stacked under a towel.
9. Fill each tortilla with the pork, then the charred pineapple, onion and cilantro. Serve with radishes, lime wedges and Original Red to spoon on at the table.

Tips

Marinate overnight. The chile, pineapple and Original Red need time to get all the way into the meat.

Get the pan hotter than you think. The char on the edges is what makes it taste like al pastor instead of braised pork.

Oven route for a crowd. Lay the marinated slices on a foil-lined sheet pan and roast at 450°F for 20 minutes, then run them under the broiler 3 to 4 minutes until the edges char.

Leftover pork makes the next morning. Crisp it in a pan and fold it into scrambled eggs with a spoonful of Original Red.

Original Red goes in twice on purpose. Blended into the marinade it builds heat into the pork, and spooned on at the table it hits fresh on every bite.