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MexicanDinnerMedium
🌾 Gluten-Free🥛 Dairy-Free

Classic Beef Tacos al Pastor

Achiote-and-chile-marinated beef seared until charred at the edges, piled onto warm corn tortillas with pineapple, onion, and cilantro.

⏱ Prep 30m🔥 Cook 20m🕒 Total 50m🍽 4 servings
#weeknight#grill
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Servings
4
Units
Oven temp

Ingredients

  • 2 lbthin-cut beef sirloin or flank steak
  • 3dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 2dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 2 Tbspachiote (annatto) paste
  • 1/2 cuppineapple juice
  • 1/4 cupwhite vinegar
  • 4 clovesgarlic
  • 1 tspground cumin
  • 1 tspdried oregano, preferably Mexican
  • 1 tspkosher salt
  • 1 cupfresh pineapple, diced small
  • 12corn tortillas
  • 1/2 cupwhite onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 cupcilantro, chopped
  • 2limes, cut into wedges

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Method

  1. 1

    Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet 30 seconds per side until fragrant, then soak in hot water 15 minutes until soft.

  2. 2

    Blend the softened chiles with achiote paste, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt into a smooth marinade.

  3. 3

    Coat the beef thoroughly in the marinade and refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.

  4. 4

    Sear the beef in a very hot cast-iron skillet or on a grill, 2-3 minutes per side, until charred at the edges and cooked through.

  5. 5

    Rest the beef 5 minutes, then chop into small bite-sized pieces, mixing in a handful of the diced pineapple to caramelize in the residual heat.

  6. 6

    Warm the tortillas on a dry comal or skillet until pliable and lightly toasted.

  7. 7

    Fill tortillas with the chopped beef, top with diced onion, cilantro, and more pineapple, and serve with lime wedges.

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