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Three tacos al pastor on a plate with a side of tortilla chips and salsa.
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Tacos Al Pastor Recipe

These Tacos Al Pastor are thinly sliced pork in flavorful tangy Mexican marinade that is grilled, diced and made into tacos using warm flour or corn tortillas, topped with grilled pineapple, chopped onion, cilantro and served with your favorite salsa.
Course Main Course, Snack
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Marinate 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 25 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 209kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds pork shoulder thinly sliced ¼ inch thick
  • salt and pepper to taste

Al pastor marinade

  • 3-4 dried guajillo chiles stemmed, seeded and boiled
  • 1 piece chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1 tablespoon fresh Mexican oregano
  • 1 small white onion quartered
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons achiote paste
  • ¾ cup pineapple juice use the juice from the sliced pineapple can
  • 2 orange juiced or ½ cup orange juice
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Assemble Tacos

  • 1 medium white onion chopped
  • 1 can 20 ounces pineapple slices, juice will be used in marinade
  • bunch of cilantro washed and finely chopped
  • 10-12 small flour or corn tortillas
  • salsa of your choice
  • lemon or lime wedges optional
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Cut dried guajillo chiles in half, remove seeds and veins and cut into smaller pieces (2 in X 2 in). Place in a small pot covered with water. Simmer for 10 minutes to hydrate peppers. Turn off heat and let it sit with lid on for about 15-20 minutes. When ready to use, discard water.
  • In a blender, puree marinade ingredients including boiled guajillo chiles until combined and smooth. Note: You can strain marinade on a fine sieve for a smoother texture otherwise it is not necessary.
  • Season sliced pork with salt and pepper and place in a big zip lock bag then pour marinade. Release the air in the bag and seal. Toss around zip lock bag so pork can mix well with the marinade, repeat after 4 hours. Refrigerate overnight or for a full day.
  • Let meat come to room temperature before grilling.
  • Grill until pork is fully cooked, about 3-4 minutes on each side until edges are crispy or charred, if desired. Also, grill pineapple for a few minutes.
  • Dice pork or cut into narrow strips. Cut pineapple into tidbits.
  • Assemble tacos – place pork in warm tortilla then top with grilled pineapple, chopped onion and cilantro. Serve with lime or lemon wedges and your favorite salsa, if desired.

Notes

  1. This marinade is mild. If you like it spicy, serve hot salsa on the side or add one large fresh poblano pepper boiled with the dried chili. Keeping the seeds will make it real spicy otherwise remove the seeds before adding in the blender. Poblano pepper adds so much flavor to the marinade. Make sure to wear kitchen gloves when handling chiles.
  2. Some ingredient substitute can be found on the post above.
  3. When cooking pork in cast iron or skillet, I prefer to strain the marinade. It is a bit grainy and it can stick in the cast iron and burn, if not strained. Also, shake pork to remove excess marinade so it fry and not steam. Fry in batches with 2-3 tablespoons oil. Cook over medium-high heat. Oil should be hot and pork should sizzle when added to cast-iron or skillet. For cooking in the oven or air fryer, please refer to the post above.
  4. If using fresh pineapple in the marinade, marinate only for 4 hours. Pork can get mushy if marinated for a long time.
  5. If pork slices are thicker than ¼ inch, use an instant read thermometer for doneness. Pork internal temperature should reach 145 degrees F.
  6. Storing and Reheating Leftovers - Store leftover ingredients separately. It is better to warm the tortillas and pork separately. Do not assemble tacos ahead of time. Place tortilla on electric stove top at low and warm for 10 seconds each side, in a skillet 15-20 seconds each side or in the microwave for 20-30 seconds covered with a damp cloth or paper towel. Warm meat in the microwave for 30 second increments until heated through then assemble the tacos.
  7. Salsa is not included in the nutritional value.

Nutrition

Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 669mg | Potassium: 538mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2445IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg