Kiawe wood chunks

The Founder's Aloha Pastor

Overnight marinade + 1 hr smoke + the spin · Intermediate · Feeds 8

Al pastor was always halfway to Hawaii — pineapple in the marinade, a pineapple crown on the trompo. This closes the distance. The founder's two-phase cook is the whole recipe: a vertical shawarma machine gives you the true taqueria spin-and-shave, but its electric heat makes zero-smoke pastor on its own — so the stack gets its kiawe FIRST. Par-smoke the loaded skewer on the grill, then let the machine do the spinning. Smoke phase on the fire, crisp phase on the spit.

Dress it one of two ways. Classic: diced white onion, cilantro, a piece of the skewer pineapple, salsa, lime — no raw tomato on a real pastor taco; tomato only lives inside the salsa. Founder's: a spoon of the pineapple pico from the Puerto Hawaii lobster — it carries the pineapple, onion, cilantro, and lime in one bowl.

The Numbers

  • Smoke Phase: 220-250F over kiawe, 1 hr
  • Spin Phase: ~45-60 min to the first shave
  • Shave: Crisp outer layer, thin ribbons
  • Burn: Kiawe Chunks or Chips

Ingredients

  • 3-4 lbs pork shoulder, sliced 1/4 inch thin — freeze 30 min first for clean slices
  • Marinade: 3 guajillo + 2 ancho chiles, soaked and blended with 2 Tbsp achiote paste + 1/2 cup pineapple juice + 1/4 cup white vinegar + 4 garlic cloves + 1 tsp cumin + 1 tsp Mexican oregano + 2 tsp salt — the Hawaii turn: 2 Tbsp shoyu + 1 Tbsp grated ginger
  • 1 whole pineapple: 2 thick slabs for the skewer ends, the rest for the pico or the table
  • Fresh street-size tortillas (4-5 inch), corn or flour, warmed — small tortillas, big stack; a pastor taco is three bites, not a burrito
  • The classic dress: diced white onion + cilantro + skewer pineapple + salsa + lime
  • The founder's dress: the pineapple pico (see the Puerto Hawaii Lobster recipe)
  • Chili pepper water on the table

Method

  1. Marinate the pork slices overnight, fully coated.
  2. Build the trompo on the shawarma machine's OWN skewer: pineapple slab, pork slices threaded flat and packed TIGHT — loose stacks fall apart — pineapple slab to cap it.
  3. The kiawe phase: lay the loaded skewer in the grill, indirect, 220-250F with kiawe chunks rolling, 1 hour. No spinning needed — the smoke soaks into every layer while the stack firms up. This step is the entire reason the recipe works; the machine can't smoke.
  4. The spin: mount the skewer in the shawarma machine, element on, and let it turn until the outside goes mahogany with crisp edges — roughly 45-60 minutes to the first shave.
  5. Carve like the taqueros do: shave the crisped outer layer off in thin ribbons straight into tortillas, then let the next layer spin and crisp while everyone eats the first round. The machine keeps making more the whole meal.
  6. Dress classic or founder's. Chili pepper water for the island, salsa for the coast.

On the Side

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