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Creating Al Pastor Tacos With Chef Alex Stupak

21 photos

The corn is cooked with calcified lime in a process called nixtamalization

A stone grinder is used to pulverize the corn into masa

Close up of the stone grinder

Freshly ground masa

The freshly ground masa is fed into a custom-made machine, which kneads, cuts and bakes the tortillas

Piles of masa fed into the kneader

The kneaded masa is flattened, cut into tortillas, and moved through the oven on a conveyer belt

Finished tortillas are packed into thermal boxes to keep warm. Any that cool before being served are cut and fried for chips

The meat in the al pastor taco starts out as hundreds of thin slices of pork shoulder, which are then seasoned and roasted on a spit

First the pork gets a seasoning with salt and dried Oaxacan chiles

Then, it is brushed with an adobo paste

Stacking seasoned pork onto the spit

The finished stack of pork slices looks like a spinning top, which is how it came to be called a trompo

The Trompo turns with three sides being heated at a time. A skinned pineapple roasts above it, caramelizing along with the outer layer of the pork

Patting the trombo with the tortilla imparts a layer of pork juices

Slicing the trombo

A slice of pineapple and three housemade salsas top the taco

Adding white onions and cilantro to finish off the taco al pastor