Description
Tacos Al Pastor are a classic Mexican street food featuring marinated pork cooked on a vertical spit, then thinly sliced and served in tortillas with pineapple, onions, and cilantro.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 lbs pork shoulder, thinly sliced
- 3 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons achiote paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup diced pineapple
- Corn tortillas, for serving
- Chopped onion and cilantro, for garnish
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Soak the guajillo chiles in hot water for 15 minutes until softened.
- In a blender, combine softened chiles, garlic, vinegar, orange juice, pineapple juice, achiote paste, oregano, cumin, cloves, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the marinade over the sliced pork in a large bowl or zip-top bag. Marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook the marinated pork in batches until browned and cooked through, about 5–7 minutes per batch.
- Add the diced pineapple to the pan and cook for an additional 2 minutes until slightly caramelized.
- Warm the corn tortillas on a skillet or directly over a flame.
- Assemble the tacos by placing pork and pineapple in each tortilla. Top with chopped onion and cilantro.
- Serve hot with lime wedges on the side.
Notes
- Traditionally cooked on a vertical spit (trompo), but a skillet or grill works great at home.
- Achiote paste adds authentic flavor and a vibrant red color.
- For extra flavor, grill the pineapple before adding it to the tacos.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taco
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 310mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 13g
- Cholesterol: 40mg