Slow Cooker Tacos Al Pastor

Training camp week two and the mental health conversations have become a real thing. I told the full story this week — about Ruben, about losing him, about depression after my shoulder injury at twenty, about sobriety. I told them about the year I was the guy at the party who was always too loud and too long and too much, and about my father driving to Las Cruces and sitting me down and giving me a choice. I told them I chose to stop and that it was definitive but not easy. The room was very still. I looked at them — forty-some kids, seventeen and eighteen years old, at the age where decisions get made that last — and I said: "You're going to get knocked down. What matters is what you do when you get there."

A senior, a kid I'll call T.J., came to my office after practice. He said he was struggling with something he hadn't talked about. He talked. I listened. I referred him to the school counselor and gave him her direct number and followed up the next morning. He thanked me. I told him coming in was the hardest part. He said, "I came in because you made it okay." That sentence is the whole reason I started doing this. I'm going to keep doing it.

Made tamales Thursday for the whole team. Full production — forty dozen, my wife and I at the kitchen table Wednesday night spreading masa, filling and folding, the pot steaming from six until noon Thursday. I drove them to practice in a warming tray. The team ate them off paper plates in the parking lot. T.J. ate four and said, "Coach, these are life-changing." He was right about the tamales and possibly about more than that.

The tamales are a Wednesday-night, Wednesday-morning, all-of-Thursday commitment — my wife and I at the table until our shoulders ache and the whole house smells like masa and chile — and I wouldn’t trade that process for anything, because the process is part of the gift. But on the weeks when I need that same feeling of feeding a room full of people something that means something, without the two-day production, Tacos Al Pastor in the slow cooker is where I land. It’s the same instinct: start it going, let it build, bring it to the people you care about. T.J. would approve.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 8 hours | Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 10

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 can (8 oz) pineapple chunks in juice, drained, juice reserved
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from the can)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
20 small corn tortillas, warmed
1/2 cup white onion, finely diced, for serving
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, for serving
2 limes, cut into wedges, for serving
Salsa verde, for serving

Instructions

Make the marinade. In a blender or food processor, combine the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, white vinegar, olive oil, and the reserved pineapple juice. Blend until smooth.
Load the slow cooker. Place the pork shoulder chunks in the slow cooker and pour the marinade over the top. Toss to coat all pieces evenly.
Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the pork is tender enough to shred easily with two forks.
Shred and finish. Using two forks, shred the pork directly in the slow cooker and stir it through the cooking juices. Add the drained pineapple chunks and stir to combine. Let everything cook together uncovered on LOW for an additional 15 minutes so the pineapple warms through and the juices tighten slightly.
Warm the tortillas. Heat corn tortillas one at a time in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds per side, or wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave in batches for 45 seconds.
Build the tacos. Spoon a generous portion of al pastor pork onto each tortilla. Top with diced white onion, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Add salsa verde to taste.
Serve family-style. Set out all the toppings in the center of the table and let everyone build their own. This feeds a crowd and holds well in the slow cooker on WARM for up to two hours.

Nutrition (per serving)

Slow Cooker Tacos Al Pastor — The Meal That Made Forty Kids Feel Like Family