TLDR- have any of you made the fantastic tacos al pastor recipe for a group? How did it go/any tips? Recipe link below
https://www.seriouseats.com/tacos-al-pastor-recipe
Hello! I am in charge of Saturday night dinner for a ladies weekend for 9 omnivores and 5 variations of vegetarians/vegans, and I immediately thought of doing a taco bar as an easy way to accommodate a group with a lot of food preferences/allergies, with the added benefit of using condiments for breakfasts etc.
It’s been a few years since I’ve made the tacos al pastor recipe, but I remember it being pretty damn phenomenal. I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on how much of the recipe I should make at home vs at the cabin. I was thinking of doing the bulk of the cooking at my home Friday afternoon, through step 7, then traveling with the ingredients and completing the remainder of the steps at the cabin Saturday early evening. Is this the best plan, or do you have a better idea for how to make this recipe work for this scenario?
I will also be serving vegetarian tacos, rice and beans that will mostly be prepped or made in advance, but happy to pivot if anyone has any other suggestions or if there are a few SE recipes that tie together. The sides really do need to be vegan though for the sake of simplicity and my sanity as a non-professional but well-organized home chef.
To be clear, I will be going to the cabin early Friday evening, and doing a nice little hike Saturday morning- I do not want to spend all weekend in the kitchen, but a little time (1-2hrs) in the kitchen to focus on a task instead of being constantly engaged in conversation is fine! The thought of preparing a meal for a group this large is also a little exciting, but I will have 2-3 helpers (1 of which I’m placing on tortilla duty on the grill outside).
Any advice appreciated, thanks so much!
by Themeatmachine
5 Comments
This is my regular pastor recipe, make sure you use the right peppers and achiote, I would make the pastor brick beforehand, freeze it for the trip, thaw in a cooler and take everything else fresh and prep it there. you need a way to get the char on it, so bring a frying pan and fry it.
I’d probably do a braised meat instead of al pastor, like carnitas or tinga. Easier to scale up and less work.
> I will also be serving vegetarian tacos, rice and beans that will mostly be prepped or made in advance, but happy to pivot if anyone has any other suggestions or if there are a few SE recipes that tie together. The sides really do need to be vegan though for the sake of simplicity and my sanity as a non-professional but well-organized home chef.
I’ve got a killer vegetarian (and potentially vegan) recipe for chickpea tacos… and I say that as a meat eater. Super simple too.
https://shaneandsimple.com/chipotle-chickpea-tacos/
Doing it through step 7 then crisping up there seems like it should work just fine and be easy enough. It has to sit in the fridge anyway, and I’ve effectively done the same thing for leftovers (have it baked through step 7, then slice what I need to heat up for a given meal after).
I made this for a group of meat eaters and vegetarians. For the vegetarians, I actually used the exact same marinade but used potatoes instead! My wife did a cooking class in Tulum and that’s what they did in the class. It turned out great and everyone loved the meal.