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Tacos al Pastor has super tender, seasoned slices of pork in a corn tortilla. Top it with grilled pineapple, onions, cilantro, and tomatillo salsa for an authentic Mexican taste!
What is Al Pastor?
Al Pastor is a traditional dish made with slices of seasoned and marinated boneless pork that is cooked on a vertical spit with pineapple slices on top. This dish originated in central Mexico but it’s so popular, you’ll find it on the menu at many taquerias.
The low and slow cooking process makes the pork super tender and juicy, and the juices from the pineapple drip down onto the meat to add even more delicious flavors.
Once cooked, the pork is sliced off the vertical spit into thin slices – then served on a corn tortilla with simple toppings such as cilantro, chopped onions, tomatillo salsa, and the cooked pineapple that’s been chopped into bite-size pieces.
With a few easy tips and tricks, plus the right ingredients and tools, it’s totally possible to make an authentically delicious version of Tacos al Pastor at home! One taste and you’ll understand why this dish is so beloved.
What does Al Pastor Mean?
Al Pastor translates to “shepherd-style” which is a reference to the Lebanese merchants who immigrated to the Mexico City area in the early 1900’s. These merchants (called pastors) used spit-style cooking to make shawarma – a dish of layered spiced lamb that was cut off the spit into thin slices for serving.
Spit-style cooking was adapted to Mexican cuisine, specifically in the creation of the pork al pastor.
One last note, this style of cooking is also used to make gyros in Greek cuisine. Gryos are typically made with seasoned lamb, beef, or chicken and served on a pita with fresh vegetables and tzatziki.
Why you’ll love Tacos al Pastor
- The pork cooks up so super tender and juicy.
- The combination of chiles and spices in the marinade really give the pork a unique and delicious flavor.
- Served as a taco with simple and fresh toppings, every bite of al pastor is a flavor sensation.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pork – You will need about a five-pound pork butt, also called pork shoulder. Since slabs will be sliced from the uncooked pork and stacked on a vertical pit, feel free to buy two small roasts if you can’t find one five-pound roast.
- For the Marinade:
- Dried Guajillo and Ancho Chiles – These are the dried chiles often found bagged in the produce aisle of the supermarket. If you can’t find them locally, you can buy it here and here.
- White Onion
- Fresh Garlic
- Bay Leaves
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo – This is a canned item sold in the Mexican aisle at the supermarket.
- Achiote Paste – This red paste made from the annatto seed helps give al pastor its unique flavor, so don’t be tempted to skip it. If you live near a Mexican or Asian specialty market, you might find it there, but we ordered it online here.
- Canned Pineapple Rings in Juice
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Spices including Chili Powder, Pork Rub/Seasoning, Kosher or Sea Salt, Ground Cloves, Mexican Oregano, Ground Cinnamon, and Paprika.
- To make a Tomatillo Salsa:
- Tomatillos – These are sold in the produce aisle at the supermarket and resemble little round green tomatoes, sometimes with a papery skin on top.
- White Onion
- Fresh Jalapeno Peppers
- Fresh Serrano Peppers
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Lime Juice
- Spices including Ground Cumin, Ground Coriander, Paprika, Chili Powder, and Black Pepper.
- Corn Tortillas
- Fresh Pineapple
Product Recommendation
This is the vertical spit we used in our own kitchen. It’s made specifically for dishes such as al pastor, shwarma, and gyros.
Special Tools Needed
- Vertical Spit – These vary in price. The vertical spit shown in our photos cost around $22 and came with three metal rods for different types of recipes. There are other less expensive models for under $10. Or – simply cut the bottom from a fresh pineapple and place it into a small 8X8 pan, then press a heavy wooden or metal skewer or chopstick up through the center to make a homemade spit.
- Cutting Board and Sharp Knife
- Carving Knife
- Heavy Pan such as a cast iron or carbon steel. Or, if you own a comal, use that.
- Blender
- Large Saucepan – To cook some of the salsa ingredients and some of the marinade ingredients.
- Slotted Spoon
- Various Measuring cups and spoons
- Large 14-cup Container – To marinate the pork. This is the one we have.
- Grill Pan or Outdoor Grill – To grill fresh pineapple slices.
- Baster
- Skillet – To toast the tortillas for serving.
How do I make Tacos al Pastor ?
- Make the marinade by first rehydrating the dried chiles along with cooking the white onion, fresh garlic, and bay leaf. Discard the bay leaf after cooking.
- Puree the chiles, onions and garlic with some of the cooking liquid and the remaining marinade ingredients. Do not discard the remaining cooking liquid.
- Slice the pork into quarter to half-inch thick slices about 4-5 inches in length and width. Layer in a large container with marinade between each layer. Refrigerate overnight.
- Make salsa by first charring tomatillos, jalapeno and serrano peppers, and garlic in a heavy pan capable of high heat.
- Place charred vegetables in a blender along with other salsa ingredients and pulse to combine. Add some cooking liquid to thin slightly if needed.
- Cut a few inches from the bottom of a fresh pineapple and place onto vertical spit. Then layer marinated meat by pushing onto metal spike and building to the top, letting the pieces hang over the sides as you build. Top with remaining canned pineapple rings.
- Roast in a slow oven for 3 ½ hours, basting with remaining canned pineapple juice each hour, and rotating the pan so that each side gets some time closest to the back heat source.
- Grill fresh pineapple slices. Dice to serve with the tacos.
- Dice white onion and fresh cilantro to serve with the tacos.
- Toast the corn tortillas in a dry skillet.
- Slice the cooked meat top to bottom as you rotate the spit.
- Serve sliced cooked pork on heated corn tortillas with chopped grilled pineapple, chopped onion, tomatillo salsa (recipe included below), and chopped cilantro.
Tips & Tricks
- Do not put fresh pineapple juice in the pork marinade. It will give the pork a mushy texture. Instead use pineapple juice from the can of pineapple rings. Part of the canned rings will be pureed with the rest of the marinade ingredients and the rest of the rings will sit atop the meat as it roasts.
- Don’t be turned away by the number of ingredients. Several ingredients are used more than once and a lot of the ingredients are spices and herbs.
- Don’t be intimidated to make this recipe! It’s not difficult at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Al Pastor Tacos ahead of time? Part of the appeal of this dish is carving the meat hot off the spit. However, it can be roasted ahead of time and reheated in the oven if necessary. You can also make the salsa ahead of time. Note that you will need to start this recipe 24 hours ahead so it has time to marinate.
- How do I store leftovers? Store each individual component in separate covered containers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- How do I reheat leftovers? You can reheat the meat in the oven if not sliced yet, or warm individual portions in the microwave if already sliced.
- Can I freeze? The meat will freeze fine in an airtight bag or container for up to three months.
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Tacos al Pastor
Tacos al Pastor has super tender, seasoned slices of pork in a corn tortilla. Top it with grilled pineapple, onions, cilantro, and tomatillo salsa for an authentic Mexican taste!
Ingredients
5 pounds boneless pork butt
Marinade
10 dried guajillo chili peppers, stemmed and seeded
2 dried ancho chili peppers, stemmed and seeded
4 whole garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1/3 of a peeled large white onion, about 4–5 ounces
4 chili peppers with adobo sauce from a 7-ounce can of chipotle chili peppers in adobo (more if you like it hot)
1/4 cup achiote paste
1/3 cup pineapple juice from a 20-ounce can of pineapple rings (save the rest of the juice to baste with)
1/3 cup cut-up canned pineapple rings from a 20-ounce can of pineapple rings (save the rest of the rings to top the pork before roasting)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dry pork seasoning
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Tomatillo salsa
8 small tomatillos
1/3 of peeled white onion, about 4–5 ounces
1 stemmed and seeded jalapeno pepper
1 stemmed and seeded serrano chili pepper
1 large garlic clove
1 small bunch fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Other ingredients
1 large fresh pineapple
24 6-inch corn tortillas
Additional cilantro, chopped
Additional white onion, chopped
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat or gristle from the pork. If you bought one whole large pork roast, cut in half before slicing (we used two roasts that were about 2 ½ pounds each). Slice into one-quarter to one-half inch thick slices of various sizes. Our quarter inch thick slices for us were about six inches by four inches, but this will vary based on the shape and size of your roast.
- In a medium to large saucepan, place both dried chiles, garlic clove, bay leaf and white onion, then cover with four inches of water. Bring to a boil and fast simmer for ten minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon and remove pan contents to a blender, leaving the liquid in the pan. Discard the bay leaf. Do not discard the water in the pan – you will use this water in a later cooking step.
- Add the chili with adobo, achiote paste, canned pineapple juice, canned pineapple, cider vinegar, dry pork seasoning, salt, cloves, oregano, chili powder, cinnamon, and paprika to the blender, along with ½ cup of the cooking water and puree to a smooth marinade.
- In a large container (ours was a 14-cup plastic container with a lid), layer marinade and slices of pork to fill the container. Cover and refrigerate overnight (at least six hours and as long as 24 hours).
- In a cast iron pan (or other heavy pan that can withstand high heat), dry toast the peeled tomatillos, onion, jalapeno, serrano pepper and garlic clove until blackened on all sides, about 15 minutes. (Pull the garlic early if it gets too dark.)
- Move charred vegetables to the pan of cooking water you used to rehydrate the chili peppers and bring to a boil. Boil for five minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon and move vegetables to a blender along with cilantro, lime juice, sea salt, black pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander and paprika and a little cooking liquid (few tablespoons at a time) and pulse until coarsely chopped. Pour into a container and chill overnight.
- About four hours before serving, preheat oven to 325 degrees F and place the oven rack in the lowest possible position.
- Cut about three inches off the bottom of the fresh pineapple and push that down onto the vertical spit spike. Our vertical spit came with three spikes varying in size. We used the longest spike.
- On top of that first thick piece of pineapple, begin layering the marinated pork by pushing pieces down over the spike through one third of the slice of pork, so that two thirds hang to one side.
- Repeat with all the pork, rotating the spit slightly as you continue to push the pork slices through the spike, going around as you lay each piece, like overlapping flower petals.
- Top with the remaining canned pineapple rings. (Save the rest of the pineapple juice to baste with).
- Place the vertical spit into the oven and set the timer for one hour. After one hour, baste with a third of the remaining pineapple juice.
- Time for another hour and baste again with another third of the juice.
- Time for another hour and baste with the remaining juice.
- Baste with liquid that collected on the pan bottom and cook for 30 minutes more or until a probe thermometer reads 145 degrees F when pushed through the center of one side, then remove from the oven. Ours took exactly 3 ½ hours to reach 145 degrees F.
- While the pork roasts, trim the fresh pineapple and discard skin, leaves and core. Slice into six thick slices and grill either on an outdoor grill or a grill pan until golden. Cut them up into pieces to serve with the tacos.
- Also, cut what is left of the large white onion into small dice to serve with the tacos.
- Also cut up additional cilantro leaves to serve with the tacos.
- Dry toast the corn tortilla in a hot pan until slightly browned.
- Once the meat comes out of the oven, it can be sliced immediately. Use a sharp carving knife to make thin vertical slices top to bottom as you turn the meat. Keep slicing and mix outer charred pieces with juicy inner pieces.
- To serve, place three toasted warm tortillas for one portion and top each with meat, chopped grilled pineapple, tomatillo salsa, chopped white onion and chopped fresh cilantro.
- Recipe should yield 24 tacos (three tacos each for eight people)
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Notes
Be sure to read the blog post for additional tips and tricks and links to some of the specialty ingredients and kitchen supplies.
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