Help - pork al Pastor tacos

[mstruth]

I need input on my cooking strategy for traditional pork shoulder tacos al Pastor. I currently plan to do a horizontal rotisserie cook as follows:
-Cut shoulder into ¼” thick slices and then marinade overnight. (Expect fresh pineapple juice in marinade to somewhat aid tenderizing.)
-Initially sear/char loaf with direct heat.
-Finish loaf with indirect heat of 225 - 250.

All ideas and suggestions are welcome (I don’t know what I don’t know), but my specific questions/concerns include the following:

-Given the loaf will be about 6” long X 4.5” wide and comprised of ¼” slices, what is a "guesstimate" of cooking time?
-What is the recommended terminal temp of the loaf to obtain good tenderness?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[mrteddyprincess]

My GUESS is that if you slice up a pork shoulder roast in 1/4 in slices and stack it back up vertically that the cook time at 225 to 250 F would be about the same as if you never sliced it. Keep in mind this is a guess and I can't wait for you to tell me whether I'm right or wrong. Please let us know!

[mstruth]

Will do!

[lostclusters]

Al Pastor tacos are one of my favorite things here in SoCal and they would not be the same without a direct heat char finish. It would be the same as having them without the onion and cilantro and cut up pineapple.

[pkadare]

Can't really go wrong by following Kenji!

https://www.seriouseats.com/2013/05/food-lab-tacos-al-pastor.html

[mnavarre]

Here's a pretty good video of making al Pastor on a rotisserie:

I've been using this recipe for a while now, and it turns out pretty awesome, the whole article is worth reading, as he gets into the weeds a bit and there's useful stuff to think about even if you're not using that technique.

As for time & temp? Probably around 4 hours and 180-190 internal.

[Troutman]

Be careful using the pineapple for too lengthy a marinade, it tends to turn proteins mushy. Good luck with this one, big fan of tacos el pastor.

[Rod]

Yep yep yep

[ifican]

i forget the name of the one i have but its basically this. https://ceramicgrillstore.com/products/meat-stick-spit, I have never done pork but have chicken plenty of times and it turns out great just slow cooking. Can take a torch and crisp up the outside if you wish but i have never had a need. Just get the marinade correct and your golden.

[surfdog]

That is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for! Thanks for sharing.

Pastor turns out great using my Summit gasser rotisserie but I’d like to try something similar on my WSCGC.

[TripleB]

Your recipe sounds a bit like mine. My pork is in a disposable loaf pan, but the dimensions are similar. Mine is in the oven at 350 d for about 4 hours. So with yours loosely packed (cooks faster) and at a lower temp, I would estimate about the same or maybe a little more. You want the meat tender.

[mstruth]

THANKS to all for your input! Thanks also for not actually laughing at my statement about not-knowing-what-I don’t know – it appears what I didn’t know could fill a library. I will be postponing the al Pastor for a week or two while I think through a revised plan.

[surfdog]

No such thing as a stupid question...only the stupid don’t ask questions.

[mstruth]

Extremely happy with first effort. Used the recipe above provided by mnavarre - tender and very tasty. Tacos, street corn, black beans and fried plantains.