Tacos al Pastor — When the Chile Runs Low, the Pork Still Carries

I have been home from Las Cruces for four days and I have already used a third of the chile. This is a problem. I brought back enough to last a year and at this rate I'll be rationing by February, standing in the kitchen holding a single frozen pod like it's the last lifeboat on the Titanic. Lisa said, "You could just use less." I could. I won't. But I could.

Monday night I made green chile stew — the real thing, Gloria's recipe, the recipe I've been waiting all year to make with proper Hatch chile instead of grocery store imposters. Pork shoulder cubed and browned. Onion and garlic. Potatoes. And the chile — Big Jims, roasted and peeled by my own hands at my mother's drum six days ago, still smelling like smoke and September. I stood at the stove and dropped them into the pot and the kitchen filled with that smell and for three seconds I was back in Las Cruces, standing next to Gloria, eight years old, watching her do exactly this. Then Marco screamed because Elena took his truck, and I was back in Denver. The stew simmered for two hours. We ate it with warm tortillas — flour, not corn, because this is New Mexican stew and I will die on this hill. Diego had two bowls. Sofia had one, carefully, with a napkin in her lap like a tiny diplomat. The twins ate the potatoes and left the pork, which is fine. They're three. They'll learn.

Friday night we played Grandview. Tough team, well-coached, the kind of program that doesn't beat itself. We won 17-14 on a field goal with two minutes left — Ray called it from the press box, I relayed it to Marcus, and the kid drove us forty-two yards in seven plays with the composure of someone who's been doing this for years instead of weeks. Darnell had fourteen tackles. Fourteen. The boy plays like someone insulted his family. After the game I found him in the locker room helping a freshman ice his ankle, and I thought: that's the one. That's the kid you build a culture around.

Diego was in the stands with Lisa. He told me on the ride home that he'd been counting Darnell's tackles. "He had fourteen, Dad." I said, "I know." He said, "I counted." He said it like counting was its own kind of playing, which maybe it is. He's nine. He already sees the game the way I see it — not just the ball, but the whole field. Gloria would say that's a sign. I'd say it's a coincidence. We'd both be lying.

Feed your people. The game is won at the table.

The green chile stew was gone by Wednesday — scraped clean, no apologies — and the frozen Hatch pods were already one bag lighter than they should have been. So Thursday I went back to the pork shoulder, same cut, different destination. Tacos al Pastor is what I make when I want that same feeling of standing over a hot stove with something that matters: chile-rubbed pork, a little char, the kitchen smelling like it’s doing something right. Gloria made these too, on the nights the stew pot needed a rest. Feed your people however the week allows.

Tacos al Pastor

Prep Time: 30 min (plus 2–4 hrs marinating) | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: ~3 hrs | Servings: 6 (about 12 tacos)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork shoulder, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 3 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
• 2 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus 1 tsp adobo sauce
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp achiote paste (or 1 tbsp annatto powder)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch rings or chunks
• 12 small corn tortillas
• 1/2 white onion, finely diced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• Lime wedges, for serving
• Salsa verde or salsa roja, for serving

Instructions

1. Rehydrate the chiles. Place guajillo and ancho chiles in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook 8–10 minutes until softened. Drain and transfer to a blender.
2. Build the marinade. Add chipotle pepper and adobo, pineapple juice, orange juice, garlic, achiote paste, cumin, oregano, salt, and vinegar to the blender with the softened chiles. Blend on high until completely smooth, 45–60 seconds. Taste and adjust salt.
3. Marinate the pork. Place sliced pork shoulder in a large zip-top bag or covered bowl. Pour marinade over the pork and toss to coat every piece. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to overnight. The longer it sits, the deeper the flavor.
4. Char the pineapple. Heat a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over high heat until very hot. Add pineapple pieces and cook 2–3 minutes per side, undisturbed, until caramelized and lightly charred. Remove and roughly chop. Set aside.
5. Cook the pork. In the same hot skillet, working in batches, lay pork slices in a single layer. Cook 2–3 minutes per side until edges are charred and meat is cooked through. Do not crowd the pan — you want char, not steam. Rest 5 minutes, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
6. Warm the tortillas. Heat tortillas directly over a gas burner or in a dry skillet, 20–30 seconds per side, until pliable and lightly blistered. Keep warm in a folded towel.
7. Assemble and serve. Layer chopped pork onto tortillas. Top with charred pineapple, diced onion, and cilantro. Serve immediately with lime wedges and salsa on the side.

Nutrition (per serving, 2 tacos)

Calories: 380 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 530mg