Tacos Árabes

Ingredients

• For the pork:
• 2 pounds boneless blade-end loin or sirloin pork roast
• 1/2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh juice from 1 lime
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 8 ounces sliced bacon
• For the chipotle salsa:
• 1 can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
• 1 medium clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• Water, as needed
• Kosher salt
• For the yogurt sauce:
• 1 cup full-fat yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh juice from 1 lemon or lime
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• For serving:
• 8 rounds pita bread, warmed
• Lime wedges

Directions

1. Start with the pork: With your sharpest chef's knife, or a slicing knife, cut the pork into the thinnest pieces you can manage. If it feels floppy, tuck it in the freezer for 15 minutes so it firms up. Cut open the sides of a heavy-duty zipper-lock bag, slip in 1 slice, and flatten it with a meat pounder or the underside of a heavy 8-inch skillet until it is under 1/4 inch thick. Move it to a large bowl, then do the same with the rest of the pork.
2. Add the onion and lime juice to the bowl, then sprinkle in the cumin, oregano, and salt. Toss it all with your hands until each piece of pork is evenly coated.
3. Lay bacon across the base of a disposable aluminum loaf pan. Top it with a layer of the thin marinated pork. Keep building, switching between pork and bacon, until the meat is all in the pan. Seal the pan well with plastic wrap and chill 4 hours at minimum, or as long as 36.
4. For indoor cooking, heat the oven to 275 degrees F. Take off the plastic wrap, set the aluminum loaf pan on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, and slide it into the oven. Cook until the meat is completely tender and an instant-read thermometer pushed into the middle reads 180 degrees F, 2 to 3 hours; expect plenty of fat to collect. Pull the pan out, let it cool a bit, put foil over the top, and refrigerate 2 hours at minimum, or leave it until overnight.
5. For outdoor cooking, light 1/2 a chimney of charcoal and let it heat until the coals are mostly gray with ash. Arrange them under 1/2 of the coal grate, then put the cooking grate in place. If you are using a gas grill instead, turn 1 set of burners to low and keep the other burners off. Remove the wrapping from the aluminum loaf pan and set it on the cooler side of the grill; place a drip pan beneath it if desired. Close the grill and cook until the center of the loaf reaches 180 degrees F, about 3 hours, adding charcoal or tweaking the burners as needed so the grill stays around 275 degrees F the whole time. Take it off the grill, let it cool a bit, put foil over the top, and refrigerate 2 hours at minimum, or leave it until overnight.
6. For the chipotle salsa, put the chipotles with their sauce into a blender along with the garlic, vinegar, oregano, and cumin. Pour in 1 cup water and blend on high until smooth; if it needs loosening, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time until it is thick but still pourable. Season with salt. You can refrigerate the chipotle salsa for up to 5 days.
7. For the yogurt sauce, whisk the yogurt with the lemon or lime juice in a medium bowl, then whisk in the olive oil, parsley, and garlic. Season it with salt and pepper. You can refrigerate the yogurt sauce for up to 2 days.
8. To serve, lift the cooked meat out of the aluminum loaf pan, scraping away any fat or jellied juices clinging to the sides; keep the rendered fat and juices. Use either a slicing knife or your sharpest chef's knife to cut the meat into the thinnest little shavings you can, fat and all.
9. Move the meat to a large cast iron or nonstick skillet with 1 tablespoon of the fat. Set it over medium-high heat and stir now and then, letting the meat brown and crisp in places. Pour in any juices you saved and toss everything together, cooking until the liquid tightens into a moist glaze. Spoon the meat into a warmed serving bowl.
10. Set out the warm meat right away with the warmed pita bread, plus lime wedges and both the chipotle salsa and yogurt sauce.