I’ve recently enjoyed ribeye tacos with a friend at one of LA's higher end Mexican places, and they were great, so when I saw this Prime ribeye at the market I couldn’t resist making some of my own ribeye tacos.
I also thought I would tackle something new, one of my favorite taco meats, pork Al Pastor. Al Pastor in its most authentic preparation consists of thin strips of pork marinated in a rich chile mixture layered on a huge upright spit covered with pineapple slices, and cooked much the same as a Greek gryos. The pork is cut directly from the layered meat and ladled onto a hot tortilla.
Unless you’re in Mexico, however, the majority of taquerias take the same marinated meat, grill it up, then cut it onto small pieces and finish on the griddle, which produces a lovely crispy carmelization. I’ve had both styles, and when done right, they are amazing.
Since I don’t have the necessary equipment, I opted to go for the more readily available style of Al Pastor. :thumb:
I started with thinly sliced strips of pork butt:
Then, I boiled some guajillo and ancho chiles along with a bay leaf. When they were fully softened, I took them out of the water to cool:
After removing the seeds and stems from the chiles, I added some sliced onion and garlic:
In the blender, I added orange juice, vinegar, salt, cinnamon, clove, oregano, then added the chiles and blended thoroughly.
This is how it came out:
The fragrance of the chile marinade was amazing.
Then I took my pork, put it in a seal-able plastic bag along with the chile marinade so it could marinate all day in the fridge.
Meanwhile, I broiled some roma tomatoes and garlic, and toasted some chiles de arbol for my salsa roja. I also made a salsa verde from fire roasted jalapenos, onions, garlic, and cilantro, but unfortunately, due to ongoing issues with our resident squirrel population that day, I didn’t get pics of the salsas being made, but they turned out great! :roll:
That evening, I fired up the Kingsford Oval for indirect:
Then pulled out the ribeye and seasoned it simply with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper:
I started with the Al Pastor first:
About halfway:
Then finished on the hot side of the grill:
When the pork was done, The Missus took over and started on the tortillas. Meanwhile, I put the ribeye on:
I pulled the ribeye off when it reached 120 degrees internal. While the meat was resting, The Missus cut the Al Pastor into little pieces and finished it off on in a cast iron pan so the meat would carmelize.
Ribeye ready to cut:
Finally, tacos were ready to be served!
Both meats were amazing, and for my first attempt at Al Pastor, I feel I really nailed the flavor, although next time I plan to add a little more salt to the marinade.
Thanks for checking out my tacos!
I also thought I would tackle something new, one of my favorite taco meats, pork Al Pastor. Al Pastor in its most authentic preparation consists of thin strips of pork marinated in a rich chile mixture layered on a huge upright spit covered with pineapple slices, and cooked much the same as a Greek gryos. The pork is cut directly from the layered meat and ladled onto a hot tortilla.
Unless you’re in Mexico, however, the majority of taquerias take the same marinated meat, grill it up, then cut it onto small pieces and finish on the griddle, which produces a lovely crispy carmelization. I’ve had both styles, and when done right, they are amazing.
Since I don’t have the necessary equipment, I opted to go for the more readily available style of Al Pastor. :thumb:
I started with thinly sliced strips of pork butt:
Then, I boiled some guajillo and ancho chiles along with a bay leaf. When they were fully softened, I took them out of the water to cool:
After removing the seeds and stems from the chiles, I added some sliced onion and garlic:
In the blender, I added orange juice, vinegar, salt, cinnamon, clove, oregano, then added the chiles and blended thoroughly.
This is how it came out:
The fragrance of the chile marinade was amazing.
Then I took my pork, put it in a seal-able plastic bag along with the chile marinade so it could marinate all day in the fridge.
Meanwhile, I broiled some roma tomatoes and garlic, and toasted some chiles de arbol for my salsa roja. I also made a salsa verde from fire roasted jalapenos, onions, garlic, and cilantro, but unfortunately, due to ongoing issues with our resident squirrel population that day, I didn’t get pics of the salsas being made, but they turned out great! :roll:
That evening, I fired up the Kingsford Oval for indirect:
Then pulled out the ribeye and seasoned it simply with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper:
I started with the Al Pastor first:
About halfway:
Then finished on the hot side of the grill:
When the pork was done, The Missus took over and started on the tortillas. Meanwhile, I put the ribeye on:
I pulled the ribeye off when it reached 120 degrees internal. While the meat was resting, The Missus cut the Al Pastor into little pieces and finished it off on in a cast iron pan so the meat would carmelize.
Ribeye ready to cut:
Finally, tacos were ready to be served!
Both meats were amazing, and for my first attempt at Al Pastor, I feel I really nailed the flavor, although next time I plan to add a little more salt to the marinade.
Thanks for checking out my tacos!
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