After much consideration, I think it’s fair to say that this year’s beer of the summer is Off Color Brewing’s Beer For Tacos. We’ve picked up more four-packs of this deliciously tart, citrus-y Margarita-inspired gose-style beer than any other beer over the past few months.
We’ve also gone so far as to take their recommendation during these warmer summer months, and paired it with tacos a few times. Guess what? They were right. Beer for Tacos officially goes great with tacos.
We’ve also used this quarantine/funemployment life to stretch our legs into new kinds of taco recipes beyond “ground beef + McCormick Seasoning and shredded cheddar in a hardshell tortilla”. I didn’t see myself becoming a regular al pastor taco maker in 2020, but hey, it’s been an interesting year. I can fully confirm that the sweet, spicy, porky richness of these tacos go great with Beer for Tacos.
Credit where it’s due — my recipe is adapted from this Tasty recipe with some light riffing on the marinade ratios, spicing and cooking style.
Ingredients:
- 3-4 lbs. pork shoulder
- 3 T achiote paste (I used El Yucateco, who also makes my favorite chipotle hot sauce)
- 2 T chili powder
- 1/2 T chipotle powder
- 1 T garlic powder
- 1 T dried oregano
- 1 T cumin
- 1/2 T salt
- 1/2 pepper
- ¾ cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 white onion
- 1 8oz. can of pineapple rings
- 1/2 cup of orange juice
- Warm corn tortillas, chopped cilantro, lime wedges
Instructions:
- Cut the pork shoulder into slices around 1/4″ thick.
- In a food processor, combine the achiote paste, chili powder, chipotle powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, orange juice and distilled white vinegar. Pulse until just combined.
- Open the can of pineapple rings and set aside half of the rings for later. Add the pineapple juice from the can, plus the remaining pineapple rings to the food processor.
- Roughly chop one quarter of the white onion and add to the food processor. Finely dice the rest of the onion and set aside for topping the tacos later.
- Blend the pineapple rings and onion into the marinade until combined and no large pieces of pineapple or onion remain. You should have a somewhat thick, pasty, deeply red liquid.
- Mix the pork slices in a bowl with the marinade, making sure to coat each slice completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-6 hours.
7. Heat your grill to medium-high heat. I aim for about 450-500 degrees. While the grill is heating, put the remaining pineapple rings on the grill before it gets too scorchingly hot and cook until lightly softened and a bit caramelized. When finished, chop and set aside.
8. Remove your sliced pork from the marinade, letting as much liquid drip off as possible (to prevent grill flareups). Grill each slice about 3-4 minutes per side, until cooked through and slightly charred. Let rest for about five minutes.
9. Slice pork into strips, place in warmed tortillas and top with chopped pineapple, cilantro and white onion to taste.
Boom. You’ve got some homemade al pastor tacos to go along with your Beer For Tacos:
Not gonna lie — I was pretty surprised at just how well these turned out. Most of the al pastor I find here on the North Side isn’t great — grilled on a flat-top way in advance, under-marinated, dried out, barely recognizable.
This recipe gets me closer to the ideal al pastor of my dreams, sliced off a spit directly into tortillas with a large sliver of grilled pineapple on top and served on a plastic plate in an open-air building next to a Puerto Vallarta gas station. (When in PVR, please visit Pepe’s! It’s great!)
Give it a shot. Let us know how it goes. Since Off Color decided to take this beer year-round, there’s no reason it can’t be your taco + beer pairing of the winter, either.
Note: This recipe post contains affiliate links, which means that GDB may benefit slightly from any purchases made following them. Bet you can’t find them!