Tacos al Pastor

Method

1. simmer10 min
   chiles softened in hot water
   guajillos in just-boiled water until pliable — dried chiles blend leathery unless rehydrated, and the soaking water is too bitter to use; it goes down the drain, not in the blender
2. mix4 min
   blended smooth
   chiles + achiote + the juiced pineapple half + vinegar + garlic + oregano + cumin + salt into a thick red adobo — the achiote is the color signature, the pineapple juice carries an enzyme that starts tenderizing on contact
3. marinate240 min
   refrigerated, 4 hours to overnight
   pork slices coated thoroughly in the adobo — hours, not minutes, because the marinade must penetrate slices, doing the work the trompo's slow rotation does; past 12 hours the pineapple enzyme turns the surface mushy, so overnight is the ceiling
4. broil12 min
   highest rack, single layer, edges charring
   the slices on a sheet in one layer, 5–6 minutes a side until the edges blacken in spots — the broiler is the home stand-in for the spit's open flame, and the char is not optional; pastor without burnt edges is just stewed pork in red sauce
5. sear4 min
   hot pan, the pineapple planks
   the remaining pineapple until deeply browned on both faces, then diced — searing caramelizes the sugar and kills the raw acid bite; this is the trompo's crown of pineapple, translated
6. chop3 min
   meat and pineapple together
   the charred pork into small pieces, tossed with the seared pineapple and any board juices — the taquero's cleaver-shower off the spit, minus the spit
7. top4 min
   warm tortillas, doubled
   meat + onion + cilantro on doubled hot tortillas, lime squeezed at the last — the classic dressing is exactly this and nothing more; cheese on al pastor is how you find out who at the table is from Mexico City