Ingredients
Equipment
Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 30 minutes to 3 hours to marinate) Cook Time: about 6 to 8 hours Serves: 10 to 12
Tacos al pastor without the trompo. Dan marinates a whole pork butt in SuckleBusters SPG, Texas Chili Seasoning, annatto, pineapple juice and fresh lime, smokes it on the Traeger at 300°F, and pulls it into the juiciest taco meat you'll make all year. Pile it on butter-toasted tortillas with grilled pineapple and onions. In Dan's words, “heaven on earth.”
The Insider Secret: Score It, Then Drown It
Before the marinade goes on, Dan cuts a diamond pattern into every side of the pork butt. More surface area means more marinade gets down into the meat, and more marinade means more flavor. It also leaves you a checkerboard of crusty bark when it comes off the grill, and those crusty bites are the best part of the taco.
Ingredients
The Al Pastor Marinade (for one 6 to 8 lb pork butt)
- 2 tablespoons SuckleBusters SPG All-Purpose
- 2 tablespoons SuckleBusters Texas Chili Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons annatto (ground achiote), or a mild paprika
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- Juice of 2 limes
The Pork
- 1 pork butt (Boston butt), 6 to 8 pounds, bone-in or boneless
For the Tacos
- Corn or flour tortillas
- Butter for the griddle
- 1 onion, sliced, grilled
- Jalapeños, sliced into strips and grilled, plus a few fresh for crunch
- Pineapple, grilled and cut into chunks
- A little crumbled cheese (optional)
- Limes
Equipment
- Traeger or any pellet grill
- Disposable foil pan
- Griddle (a Blackstone or a big cast iron skillet)
- Sharp knife
- Mixing bowl
- Lime squeezer
- Instant-read thermometer
- Food-safe gloves for pulling
Instructions
1. Mix the Dry Ingredients In a bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons each of SPG, Texas Chili Seasoning and annatto. Equal parts, nice and simple. No annatto? A mild paprika gets you that same red color.
2. Make the Marinade Pour in 1 cup of pineapple juice and the juice of 2 limes and stir it up. Use a lime squeezer if you have one. Dan squeezed a lime by hand as hard as he could, then ran the same lime through a squeezer and got a whole lot more juice out of it.
3. Score the Pork Butt Bone-in or boneless both work. With a sharp knife, cut shallow lines across the top one way, then turn it and cut the other way for a diamond pattern. Do every side.
4. Marinate Set the pork fat side down in a foil pan. Pour the marinade over the top and work it into every cut and every side, then flip it to make sure the back is covered. Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 3 hours.
5. Smoke It at 300°F Fire up the Traeger, or any pellet grill, to 300°F. Take the foil off so the pork can build a crust, and set the whole pan on the grill. Cook until it reads a little over 200°F inside. A 6 to 8 pound butt usually takes about 6 to 8 hours at this temperature, but go by the thermometer, not the clock.
6. Rest and Pull Let it rest for about 30 minutes. Then forget the two forks. Glove up and pull it apart by hand. If it's cooked right, it falls apart. Pour the drippings from the pan back over the pulled pork and stir, because that's where the good stuff is.
7. Grill the Toppings While the pork rests, cook the sliced onion and jalapeño strips on a hot griddle with a little oil until they're soft and sweet. Grill the pineapple chunks too.
8. Toast the Tortillas Corn or flour, your call (Dan likes corn). Melt butter on a hot griddle, lay the tortillas in it, flip once, and let them go until warm and golden.
9. Build the Taco Start with a good helping of pork and grab some of the crusty bark bites. Add grilled onions and grilled pineapple. A little cheese if you want it, but not a lot. For a kick, add fresh onion and jalapeños. Finish with one squeeze of lime, roll it tight, and eat.
Dan's Tip: Keep the toppings simple. “This taco doesn't need a lot of extras on it.” The smoked pork and the sweet pineapple do the work. And cook the pork in the same pan you marinate it in, so every drop of those drippings ends up back on the meat.
Round It Out: SPG and Texas Chili Seasoning are the two SuckleBusters products in this cook. For your next pork butt, try Hog Waller, our #1 seller for pork. Restocking? Build your own bundle and save. For more tacos and pulled pork, try Beef Birria Tacos, Homemade Beef & Chicken Fajitas or Hot & Fast Pulled Pork Sandwiches.
The Verdict: Dan's take after the first bite: the sweet from the pineapple and the pork hits first, then the crunch of the onions and jalapeños. “It's just fantastic. This is a great al pastor taco.”
Watch the video
Watch Dan cook it start to finish: