After trying to make Carne Asada twice and failing, I felt the biggest issue was that the meat wasn’t tender enough. I looked into methods for tenderizing such as enzymization by marinating with acids like pineapple, orange, limes, and lemons.
I've also thought about exploring mechanical methods like pounding the meat with a mallet. I think I need to cut the steak into smaller pieces. Another big factor with the meat in Amsterdam is it’s expensive and lacks the fat content and marbeling that I’m used to for most tacos. So rather than continue down that route, I’ve decided to pursue tacos Al Pastor.
Al Pastor
Al Pastor is made with meat from pork shoulder so the lack of fat and tenderness won’t be an issue at all. The price is also reasonable in comparison to beef. This will allow me to focus more on the ingredients that make up the marinade and the details with the cooking process. I won’t start with a full on rotating spit just yet but once I get flavor and texture down, I’ll be one step closer to making a complete taco from scratch. I’ll let you know how it goes!
- Always buy dedicated Chemex filters.
- Use a scale, don’t try to eyeball it.
- Never skip preheating the glass.
- Timing is key, don’t forget the clock.
