Tacos Al Pastor on the Weber Kettle + Vortex

[realdocBBQ]

TripleB I don't see where you said what you used for the meat? Was this pork butt? And did you just slice it thinly? Or did you use some other cut?

Also, how big is that pan you used? I am looking at them on Amazon and I am seeing some 10, some 12 and 13". I, of course, would lean toward the larger, but I may not need to, and I don't want to make things harder on myself - I worry about the pan being TOO big and having to keep the coals and things too far away or else put them IN the pan, and then maybe they're too CLOSE... ugh.

What would you CHANGE about this cook? About your pan? How wide, how tall, etc.?

Also, how long did you cook yours to get that color/sear on them, and were they cooked all the way through? Did you shave some off and then cook some more, or what?

I need moar details, man....

[TripleB]

realdocBBQ Sorry, I purposely did not add the recipe to my original post. Just wanted to focus on the Vortex and its application with roasting Al Pastor.

1) what you used for the meat? Was this pork butt? And did you just slice it thinly? Or did you use some other cut? Yes, I used pork butt and the pork was thinly sliced. I also added bacon to it.

2) Also, how big is that pan you used? I am looking at them on Amazon and I am seeing some 10, some 12 and 13". The pan was 10", with three rods (8", 10" and 12"). 10" pan was plenty big. My pic has about 3.5 pounds pork on the 10" rod. The Vortex fit perfectly inside the 10" pan.

3) What would you CHANGE about this cook? About your pan? How wide, how tall, etc.? I don't think I'd change anything on this cook or the pan. I kept the internal temp around 350-375d. With a Vortex you can easily go over 400d, so I had to keep an eye on it. Did not want to burn it.

4) How long did you cook yours to get that color/sear on them, and were they cooked all the way through? The cook was about 3.5 hours at 350-375d. I got great color (maybe a tad too much, but I like char). The meat was cooked all the way through. Temp of the meat around the rod was 155d when I pulled it off the Weber.

5) Did you shave some off and then cook some more, or what? No I did not shave the meat off and then continue to roast it. When the meat was about 30 minutes out from being pulled, I grilled fresh pineapple slices in the Al Pastor grease. Then pulled the Al Pastor off and chopped it. Then on a flat top, added some chopped Al Pastor and chopped pineapple together and fried it. The pics of the finished product are those of my nephew's tacos. He added way too much cilantro, onion and salsa for my liking.

Since you wanted more detail, below are the notes from my Al Pastor cook....

[realdocBBQ]

YES!!! This is the info I needed! Thank you!

[realdocBBQ]

Ok, TripleB one more question - maybe last, maybe not. lol. Your recipe calls for a 1/2 cup of pineapple juice and 1/2 cup of chopped pineapple. This is for the marinade - I worry this sounds like a lot. Everything I've ever heard, and my experience with it has agreed, you have to go really easy on pineapple juice because it is so potent it can really take over almost anything. In this case, you want some pineapple flavor, but it didn't overpower the other spices and such in the sauce? Thanks!

[TripleB]

realdocBBQ It is the pineapple that makes this dish unique. 1/2 C. pineapple juice and 1/2 C. chopped pineapple to the marinade does not overpower it....at all. In fact you add more chopped pineapple to the Al Pastor when you are frying it. Had my Hispanic neighbor try my Al Pastor tacos. She said they tasted authentic and very good. But I take that with a grain of salt. But again, they were well received by the guests.....FWIW.

[LegoMySearwood]

I did the hey grill hey recipe using sliced pork shoulder (costco will cut it for you in 1/4 inch slices but I did it myself) and cooked it similar on the Weber Smokey Mountain 18 with the vertical pan I received for the secret santa exchange. Turned out great. Tacos Al Pastor is my favorite recipe to cook. I did the same recipe on my Weber rotisserie and I thought it turned out better on the rotisserie. More juicy. All in all, your cook looks delicious.

[TripleB]

Beautiful. Well done sir. Did you use pineapple in your recipe?

[LegoMySearwood]

TripleB Yes. https://heygrillhey.com/smoked-al-pastor/. I grilled it on my performer with no seasoning. I tried once to grill it on my pellet grill but it took on too much smoke flavor.

[efincoop]

Well played sir, very well played.