Gallery: The Food Lab: How To Make Tacos Al Pastor At Home

Toast some fresh dried chilies (ancho and pasilla or guajillo) in a large skillet until puffed, pliable, and fragrant.

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Add chicken stock to start them softening, then transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.

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Toast your aromatics (cumin, Mexican oregano, and achiote) in oil to help develop and extract their flavor.

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Transfer all the marinade ingredients (including some raw garlic, chipotle chilies, vinegar, salt and sugar) to a blender and blend until smooth.

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Pour the thick marinade over the pork slices.

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Massage the marinade into the meat, making sure every piece is coated.

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Pack the marinated meat into a disposable aluminum loaf pan, one thin layer at a time.

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Add a layer of bacon for every layer or two of meat. The cured bacon will add fat and juiciness, without actually overwhelming the intense marinade.

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Wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for the marinade to start curing the meat. Ideally, this should take place over teh course of a day or two.

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Roast the meat in a 275°F oven until it is completely tender, then let it cool, again, preferably overnight. The next day, slice it really thin.

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Brush some large chunks of pineapple with the exuded juices and fat from the loaf pan. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil.

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Roast the pineapple in a hot oven until tender and lightly charred. This will enhance their sweetness.

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Heat up some of the rendred fat from the loaf pan in a cast iron skillet, then add the meat, allowing it to cook until crisp on many surfaces. You can add back some of the exuded juices from the loaf pan to moisten the meat if desired.

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Serve the meat with warm tortillas, roasted pineapple pieces, onions, cilantro, salsa, and lime wedges.

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Crisp, chili-flavored, sweet, succulent and juicy. Tacos al pastor are one of the pinnacles of the snack truck form.

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Start with a boneless pork sirloin roast (or a blade end roast) and slice it as thin as you can with a sharp knife.

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To pound the meat, place it inside a zipper-lock bag that's been split in half along the edges (to make it easier to get meat in and out).

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Smash the meat with the bottom of a skillet repeatedly until it's under a quarter of an inch.

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Lift up the meat and transfer it to a large bowl. Repeat with the rest of the meat.

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