Pizza Al Pastor (Mini-Trompo Edition!)
A fusion of Mexican Al Pastor (made at home on an improvised trompo) with pizza. Makes 2x 12" pizzas.
Equipment
- 1 Outdoor pizza oven Optional
- 1 Pizza stone/Pizza steel Also optional for cooking your pizza in your indoor oven
- 1 Skillet cast iron is optional, but it must be oven-safe
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Pizza Cutter
- 3 Skewers They need to be long enough to hold the trompo together, even when on its side, but not so long they won't fit in your oven. I used two different lengths.
Ingredients
- 20 ounces Pizza Dough (Two dough balls)
Meat and Other Ingredients for the Trompo
- 1 lb pork shoulder thinly sliced
- ⅓ pineapple start with a whole pineapple, you'll have left overs
- ¼ onion thinly sliced (I don't use this, but many people will)
For the Marinade:
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1-2 garlic cloves smashed
- 1 chile guajillo fresh or dried (deseeded)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp pineapple juice
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅓ tbsp chicken stock
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce not the whole can - just two peppers
- 1 tsp adobo sauce from the can of chipotle peppers
- 1 tsp achiote powder I used Sazon Goya Con Culantro y Achiote - one package.
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ⅓ tsp cumin
- ⅙ tsp black pepper a pinch
- ⅙ tsp allspice a pinch
For the Pizza Toppings
- 2 ounces queso fresco (option to use quesadilla or mozzarella cheese for more melt)
- ⅓ tsp cilantro
- 1 ounce white onion fresh, diced (I don't prefer this, but it's typical of Al Pastor tacos).
Instructions
The Pork:
- I prefer to use thinly-sliced pork loin chops. You can buy it in smaller packages and it saves a lot of trouble of trying to slice a larger piece thin.
Make the Marinade:
- Heat 1 tsp of vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and 1/8 onion, browning them lightly. Then, add the deseeded guajillo chiles and a bay leaf. Sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Lower the heat and then add 1 tbsp each of water and apple cider vinegar to the pan. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
- Pour the cooled mixture into a blender along with the chipotle pepper, chicken stock (1/3 cup), pineapple juice, achiote paste, salt, cumin, black pepper, and allspice. Blend until smooth.
Marinate the Pork:
- Pour the marinade over the thinly sliced pork and massage it in to coat each piece. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to allow the flavors to fully infuse into the meat.Halfway through, remove the pork and massage the marinade into the meat a second time.
Build the Mini Trompo (Optional):
- Rinse the pineapple and twist to remove the stalk.
- Slice about a 1" thick piece from the top and bottom. These will serve as the base and the top of the mini trompo.
- Slice thin (less than 1/2") slices of pineapple to go between each piece of pork.
- Cut the outer edge off of the pineapple slices - you don't want the rind on your pizza!
- In a cast iron pan, layer the marinated pork slices and slices of fresh pineapple on top of each other.
- Finish with a thicker piece pineapple on top.
- Use at least 3 skewers from top to bottom to hold the trompo together. Make sure the skewers aren't too long to fit in the oven.
Roast the Al Pastor:
- Preheat your oven to 275°F.
- Place the mini trompo on a baking sheet or cast iron skillet and slow roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the internal temperature of the pork reaches no higher than 145°F.
- During the last 30 minutes, baste the meat with the pan juices for extra flavor and moisture. You can optionally take your trompo apart and baste the pan juices between the layers and then reassemble for maximum flavor.
- You should also preheat your outdoor pizza oven at this point. Use the correct temperature for your pizza dough.
Searing the Trompo stack
- To get the crispy edge, we are going to rotate the trompo stack on its side in the cast iron pan and baste with juices.
- Before doing this, make sure your skewers are long enough to hold the trompo together when tipped on its side. I used a second set of longer skewers for this step.
- Place the trompo in the outdoor pizza oven for about 30 seconds per "side" rotating it until all sides are caramelized (about 2 minutes total). If you don't have an outdoor pizza oven, turn on the broiler and place the trompo on its side under the broiler for about 2 minutes per "side", rotating until all sides are caramelized. Whichever way you do this, be very careful, as the the meat will burn quickly if not watched.
- Once the pork is done roasting, stand it back up and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Then, remove the top of the trompo and thinly slice the pork and pineapple off the trompo.
Preparing the Pizza
- While the cooked trompo is resting, pre-heat your oven to the temperature required for your pizza. If you are using your outdoor pizza oven again, just leave it on.
- Dust your work area with flour.
- Stretch out your dough per its instructions.
- Add about 3 ounces of sauce to the pizza base. I used the adobo sauce from my chipotle peppers but you can use tomato sauce if you want it more mild. You can also use salsa rios.
- Add the Al Pastor meat and pineapple. About 5 ounces should be sufficient for a 12" pizza.
- Add 2 ounces of crumbled queso fresca.
Cooking the Pizza
- Launch the pizza into the oven.
- Follow the cooking instructions for your pizza dough. The Al Pastor is already cooked, so a shorter cooking time is fine.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board.
- Rest for 3 minutes before garnishing with fresh cilantro, diced white onion, and/or any other garnish you prefer.
Notes
If you are using a whole pork shoulder, ask your butcher to slice it for you. It will make it a lot easier! Otherwise, you might want to partially freeze it so it will slice more easily.
Achiote seasoning/paste is probably hard to find. I used Sazon Goya "Con Culantro y Achiote", which was easy to find and came with 8 packets for under $3.
Conventional Oven option:
- If you are going to cook this in a conventional oven, use the temperature suggested for your dough.
- If you have a pizza stone (or pizza steel), that's going to help a lot in getting the most authentic crust. If not, a pizza pan (or cookie sheet) will still turn out a great pizza.
- You can either start the pizza on a pan (or cookie sheet) and transfer it to the stone after about 15 minutes (when the crust is firm enough to be safely transferred). At this point, turn off the oven and let the pizza cook on the stone for another 5 minutes. Remove and let rest on a cutting board for another 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
- Alternatively, you can start by launching the pizza directly to the pizza stone in your oven. This is more tricky and you might want to practice with some dough with no toppings!
Nutrition
Calories: 564kcalCarbohydrates: 82gProtein: 28gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 2083mgPotassium: 399mgFiber: 4gSugar: 18gVitamin A: 402IUVitamin C: 39mgCalcium: 114mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!