Reheating time: 10-15 minutes
It’s almost summer! Right? I mean, officially? Calendars aren’t my area of expertise. I can barely keep the days of the week straight. For over a year now, I’ve trained myself to replace the names of days with the names of menu items. It’s not Thursday, it’s al pastor tacos day. The actual days are arbitrary. Somehow, my whole entire life has begun to revolve around menus. Seasonality is important, not only in availability of ingredients, but in actual menu design. Some things just taste better when it’s nice outside. That’s kinda why I’m so excited for tonight’s dinner. It’s very time and place. Something about pineapple-marinated pork with a fruity fresh salsa just screams summer. Like, when I close my eyes, all I can see is a taco on a plate, screaming at me. Maybe it’s fear, or excitement, but this taco really wants to let me know that it’s warm, it’s sunny, and it’s somewhere in the month of June. It’s nice when the dinners agree with the setting in which they are being served. This job would be a lot harder if the food decided not to cooperate. Anyway, al pastor tacos tonight. First time, and hopefully not the last.
Get in there!
For the pork:
Traditionally grilled upright on a large rotating spit called a trompo, as pastor is renowned for its sweetness, acidity, heat, and texture. We don’t have a trompo, but I think we managed to capture most of those flavors with our magic little methods. To reheat, I would recommend broiling- on a sheet tray lined with aluminum foil, lay out the meat in an even layer, and pop under the broiler for 5-7 minutes. Give it a stir halfway, or when you start seeing some caramelization. Once it’s hot and caramelized, it’s ready.
For the bacon + black bean fried rice:
This is hands down our favorite fried rice yet. Normally, I’ll suggest that you pan fry the rice in a nonstick pan, with a little oil or butter so that it doesn’t stick. I am still going to suggest this method, but if you’re not feeling like getting out a pan/actually frying something, you can 100% just broil the rice with the pork. All we want to do is get some direct heat on the rice, to bloom the flavors. Get it nice and hot, and then pop it in a serving bowl. Cover liberally with the grated cotija cheese, and prepare for satisfaction.
For the tortillas:
Best way to heat these baddies up is to char them over an open flame for 5-10 seconds on each side, so they get warm and lightly charred. Stack them up under a warm and slightly damp dish towel to keep them hot and let them steam a bit. Alternatively, warm them in a nonstick pan one at a time. Get them hot!
For taco assembly:
No rules, as usual. My recommended build is pork, pineapple pico, pickled red onions, a touch of salsa verde, and maybe a sprinkling of cotija if I have any extra. Rice on the side, and chips… well, if you still have some chips left, I am impressed. Mine definitely would not last that long.
That’s it! Thanks again for being a part of dinner tonight, we are so happy to have you here with us 🙂 Enjoy! #weareweco #dinnersolved <3
