AL PASTOR SAUCE
Oil a sauté pan with neutral oil. Sauté the guajillo chiles, bay leaves, garlic, onion on medium till
golden and fragrant.
Add cumin, peppercorn, allspice & cook for another minute.
Add the remaining ingredients except pineapple & achiote. Cook covered for 10-15 minutes.
Uncover and cool slightly. Place all ingredients in Vitamix and blend until smooth.
Pass through fine mesh sieve.
AL PASTOR HAM
Thaw ham completely. A large bone-in ham can take 3 to 4 days to thaw, so plan in advance.
The day before you plan to cook the ham: Score (make shallow cuts) the ham with a sharp knife to create a diamond pattern, about 1” apart. Liberally brush the scored ham with al pastor sauce and let it sit, uncovered, in the refrigerator. Allow 12 to 24 hours for the sauce to rest on the ham.
To prepare the ham, heat oven to 325°F.
Place ham, fat side up in a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet. If cooking a half ham, place the flat side down.
Bake the ham until its internal temperature reaches 140°F. Pull from the oven. For a half bone-in ham, it took about two hours. Don’t overcook!
See
Ham Cook Chart
for approximate cook times.
Remove ham and allow to rest 15 to 30 minutes.
Slice and serve with extra al pastor sauce. Place sliced ham on a platter. Garnish with fresh bay thin slices of pineapple, if desired.
