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Tacos al Pastor
Mexican

Tacos al Pastor

Mexico City's iconic spit-grilled pork: thin pork slices marinated in dried chiles, achiote and pineapple, stacked on a trompo, shaved onto small corn tortillas and topped with pineapple, onion, cilantro and lime.

70 min
Total time
6
Servings
40 min
Prep
30 min
Cook
intermediatedinnergluten-freedairy-free
Source: Traditional Mexico City tacos al pastor

Ingredients

6 servings
  • 1 kg pork shoulder, sliced thin
  • 4 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 2 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 50 g achiote paste
  • 60 ml white vinegar
  • 120 ml pineapple juice
  • 4 garlic
  • 1/2 white onion, for marinade, plus more diced to serve
  • 2 g ground cumin
  • 2 g dried oregano, Mexican
  • 10 g salt
  • 300 g fresh pineapple, sliced, for grilling and topping
  • 18 corn tortillas
  • to serve cilantro and lime, garnishes

Make it your way

Instructions

Plan my prep
  1. Step 1.Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry pan for about 30 seconds per side, then soak in hot water for 15 minutes until softened.
  2. Step 2.Blend the soaked chiles with the achiote paste, vinegar, pineapple juice, garlic, half onion, cumin, oregano and salt into a smooth, thick marinade.
  3. Step 3.Toss the thinly sliced pork in the marinade until fully coated, then cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
  4. Step 4.To mimic the trompo, stack the marinated slices tightly on a vertical skewer with a few pineapple slices on top, or simply cook on a hot grill or skillet.
  5. Step 5.Grill or sear the pork over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side until charred at the edges and cooked through, then rest briefly.
  6. Step 6.Grill the pineapple slices until caramelized and lightly charred, about 2 minutes per side, then dice.
  7. Step 7.Chop the cooked pork finely into small pieces, mixing in the crisp charred edges.
  8. Step 8.Warm the corn tortillas on a hot comal until soft and pliable, stacking them under a towel.
  9. Step 9.Fill each tortilla with chopped pork, top with diced grilled pineapple, finely diced raw onion and cilantro, and serve with lime wedges and salsa.

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