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big sTar
1531 N Damen Ave (773-235-4039, bigstarchicago.com)

big sTar

Taco el jalisciense
2859 W Chicago Ave (773-235-2859)

Prize pig
big sTar

Taqueria ricardo
4429 W Diversey Ave (773-292-0400)

Taqueria el pasTor
4418 W 63rd St (773-284-1003)

Taqueria el pasTor

A pork fiend pits his favorite al pastor tacos against each other in a 16-tortilla face-off. By Nick Kindelsperger Photograph by Nicole Radja
To achieve a perfect al pastor taco takes effort and skill. Pork, once marinated in chilies and achiote powder, must be sliced, stacked onto a vertical spit and flame-grilled until the exterior is caramelized. (Too many places griddle marinated pork to order.) A smart restaurant will perch a pineapple atop the spit so that a fruity glaze drips down to lacquer the meat. Sliced off in strips and nestled in a corn tortilla, this pork is the crowning achievement of the taco arts.

rubis
Maxwell Street Market

rubis rubis rubis

carMelas Taqueria
1206 W Lawrence Ave (773-275-5321)

de cero
814 W Randolph St (312-455-8114, decero.hellotacos.com)

ZacaTacos

ZacaTacos
3949 W 71st St (773-582-9701, zacatacos.net)

Tierra calienTe
1402 N Ashland Ave (773-772-9804)

birria HuenTiTan
4019 W North Ave (773-276-0768)

Tierra calienTe

Manolos
Manolos winner!

Manolos
Maxwell Street Market

Manolos Manolos
Al pastor loves a crowd. The more customers there are, the less opportunity the meat has to sit around and dry out. This helps to explain why the best al pastor tacos come from the packed Maxwell Street Market, held on Sundays in the South Loop (Desplaines Street from Roosevelt Street to Harrison Street; see our Maxwell taco crawl on page 22). Rubis and Manolos both spin towering hunks of red-hued pork, crowned with pineapple and cooked by the glow of charcoal. On my last visit, Manolos pastor was a little juicier, and the charcoal aroma a little stronger. But the real answer is to try both.

arTuros
2001 N Western Ave (773-772-4944, arturos-tacos.com)

Taqueria la Flor de MeXico

Maxwell Street Market

la lagarTija Taquerias aToTonilco

la lagarTija
132 S Ashland Ave (312-733-7772, lalagartijataqueria.com)

upTown Taqueria
1708 W Lawrence Ave (773-275-0703)

Taquerias aToTonilco
3916 W 26th St (773-762-3380, taqueriasatotonilco.com)

Taquerias aToTonilco

20 TimeOuTchicagO.cOm Jul 26Aug 1, 2012

photo AssistAnt: stAcie scott; food: big stAr