Not the religious kind, the kind with pork.

May 7, 2010 4:16 PM

I need a great pastor recipe! Anybody got one?

At my local Mexican taqueria, they make fantastic pastor, and I want to try it at home. Does anybody have one they'd be willing to share? I can easily search the internet for pastor recipes, but I'm interested in recipes that the askme community has used and loves.

posted by pdb to food & drink (7 answers total)

So it's not a third-generation recipe or anything, but I've made this one, and it's really very good.
posted by LittleMissCranky at 4:35 PM on May 7, 2010

Okay, granted, I haven't made it, but every other recipe I've made by Mexican expert Okie Rick Bayless has been fantastic. Here's his tacos al pastor recipe. I assume there's a Mexican market in Portland that will sell you Achiote paste and chiles en adobo, right?
posted by Ufez Jones at 4:58 PM on May 7, 2010

Take one philosophy major and bake till done. Add a few years of seminary. Depending on particular local variations, may or may not require additional Latin, smoke and/or incense.

Oh, you mean the other kind of pastor. Sorry. Here's the one I've been using for several years from the L.A. Times a few years back.
posted by webhund at 7:59 PM on May 7, 2010

Have you asked the people at La Superior if they'll share the recipe or method? If you can get basic ingredients out of them, it might help you narrow down the variety of online recipes to something that's more similar to their recipe, since you already know you like it.

I drive by that place all the time. Now I'll have to try it!
posted by bloggerwench at 8:05 PM on May 7, 2010

Ufez - yeah, there's places where I can buy those things, and I will go get some this weekend. I had no idea there was pineapple involved in pastor.

Webhund and LittleMissCranky - I'll definitely try those recipes, thanks!

Bloggerwench - it's otherworldly good. I always liked King Burrito until I tried La Superior, and now King Burrito is pretty much Taco Bell. La Superior's that good. Homemade tortillas, meat they grill out back, fresh salsa - it's hands down my favorite Mexican food in Portland. I have not asked if they'd share, but maybe I will when I go in there next.
posted by pdb at 9:38 PM on May 7, 2010

I'm not sure what that restaurant's al pastor tastes like, but for me half of the awesomeness comes from the spicy fruity sweet tang of the chilies+fruit juice. I say go for a recipe with citrus and/or pineapple in the sauce, not just grilled pineapple.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 9:59 PM on May 7, 2010

FYI: It's weird to just call the dish "pastor". Pastor means shepherd, so asking how to make a great shepherd sounds odd. Al pastor (meaning roughly: shepherd style) all by itself is not entirely grammatical either, but makes a little more contextual sense.

Anyway, I like it best when it's roasted with a pineapple on the trompo (the vertical spit), but since those aren't ordinarily part of most people's kitchens, grilling is the next best thing. I have no idea if La Superior has a trompo or what their version of carne al pastor tastes like, but I think the recipe above from the LA Times is a good one. You can cut the pork to grill on kebobs with pineapple and onion chunks, especially if you're picnicking or whatever.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:27 PM on May 8, 2010