Tacos al Pastor
intro
Smoky, chile-marinated pork tacos with caramelized pineapple, fresh cilantro, and lime: a beloved classic Mexican street food perfect for casual summer gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Toast the Dried Chiles
Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over medium heat (175°C/350°F). Press guajillo and ancho chiles flat against the pan for 15 seconds per side until fragrant, taking care not to burn them. Stem and seed the toasted chiles, place in a heatproof bowl, cover with 240ml boiling water, and soak for 20 minutes until fully softened. Drain chiles, add to a blender with the roughly chopped half of the onion, garlic, achiote paste, apple cider vinegar, cumin, oregano, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Blend on high for 60 seconds until completely smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove tough chile skins.
Marinate the Pork Slices
Pat the 1cm-thick pork shoulder slices completely dry with paper towels, then place in a non-reactive glass baking dish. Pour the strained, smooth red marinade over the pork, turning each slice to ensure every surface is fully coated. Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to 8 hours for deeper, more complex flavor) to let the marinade penetrate the meat.
Grill the Marinated Pork
Preheat an outdoor grill or stovetop grill pan to medium-high heat (200°C/400°F), then brush grates with 1 tablespoon of neutral vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Remove pork from the marinade, letting excess marinade drip off, then place on the hot grill. Cook for 4–5 minutes per side until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 63°C/145°F, with slightly charred, crispy edges. During the final 2 minutes of grilling, place the 1cm-thick pineapple rounds on the grill, cooking 1 minute per side until caramelized with dark grill marks. Transfer cooked pork and pineapple to a wooden cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.
Prep the Taco Filling
While the meat rests, dice the grilled pineapple into 5mm small pieces, then chop the rested pork into 1cm bite-sized pieces. Toss the pork and pineapple together with the remaining 0.5 teaspoon of kosher salt to evenly season. Place the finely diced remaining half of the onion and chopped cilantro into small separate serving bowls, and arrange lime wedges on a serving platter for easy access.
Warm the Corn Tortillas
Reduce the grill heat to low (120°C/250°F). Place corn tortillas directly on the grill grates, warming for 20 seconds per side until soft, pliable, and lightly marked. Stack warmed tortillas in a clean cotton kitchen towel, wrapping tightly to trap steam and keep them soft for up to 15 minutes while you assemble tacos.
Assemble the Tacos
Assemble tacos immediately for best texture: stack 2 warm corn tortillas per taco, add 65 grams of the chopped pork and pineapple mixture to the center, top with 1 teaspoon of diced onion, 1 teaspoon of chopped cilantro, and a small squeeze of fresh lime juice. Arrange assembled tacos on a serving platter and serve while warm.
Tips
2.Stacking two small corn tortillas per taco is a classic street food trick that prevents tortilla breakage from juicy filling and adds a pleasant, chewy double-layer texture.
3.If you don’t have access to an outdoor grill, cook the marinated pork under a high-heat broiler (260°C/500°F) on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet for 4 minutes per side to achieve similar charred, crispy edges.
OMG these taste exactly like the tacos I got from that street stand when I visited Mexico City last year! The pineapple addition is *chef’s kiss* — I was worried achiote paste would be hard to find but my local Latin market had it no problem. Made these for my partner’s taco night birthday hang and everyone asked for the recipe. SO good, will be adding this to our weekly rotation!
Game changer for our weekly Taco Tuesday! My kids are super picky and they devoured these — even my 7 year old who usually turns up his nose at anything that isn’t plain cheese pizza. I prepped the marinade Sunday night so all I had to do after work was cook the pork and warm the tortillas. 10/10, will be bringing these to the neighborhood potluck next month!
Took me a minute to get the char right on the pork on my vertical grill, but once I did? *Chef’s kiss*. Cut the pineapple a little thicker than the recipe said so it didn’t fall through the grates, would recommend that tweak for anyone else cooking outside. Solid recipe, way better than the takeout al pastor I usually get down the street.
Made this last night but subbed ancho chiles for guajillo because my local grocery store was out — it was still tasty but I could tell something was off. Also, total time was a little longer for me than the 1 hour 45 minutes listed, took closer to 2 and a half hours total with prep? Still really good, just a heads up for new cooks.
This recipe looks incredible! Quick question before I make it for game night — has anyone tested a vegetarian swap for the pork? I’ve got a few plant-based friends coming and I don’t want them to miss out on the al pastor goodness.
Made these for our college football tailgate last weekend and they were gone in 15 minutes flat. I set up a little toppings bar with lime wedges, diced onion, cilantro, salsa verde, and extra grilled pineapple — people were stacking their tacos 3 high. Only note is I doubled the recipe because I knew the crew would be hungry, and I’m glad I did! Zero leftovers, which is always the sign of a hit.
Okay so I’m literally just learning to cook and I was intimidated by the medium difficulty rating, but this was so much easier to follow than I thought! The step-by-step for toasting the chiles and making the marinade was super clear, I didn’t mess it up even once. My roommate said these are better than the tacos we get at our favorite spot down the road. 10/10, gained so much cooking confidence from this!
Wait how spicy is this? I have super low spice tolerance (like, mild salsa is too hot for me level) and I want to make these for my family dinner but I don’t want to make something I can’t eat! Can I cut back on the chiles without ruining it?
Meal prepped a double batch of this on Sunday and it’s been holding up so well all week! I portioned the cooked pork out with tortillas and a little side of pickled red onion, and it heats up perfectly in the microwave or with a quick pan sear. Saves me so much money on takeout lunches, this is going to be a regular in my prep rotation. The caramelized pineapple bits mixed in with the pork are *so* good, I don’t think I can ever eat regular ground beef tacos again.
Pro tip: char your tortillas directly over your gas stove burner for a few seconds on each side before serving, it makes them taste exactly like the street taco tortillas. I thought the recipe was great on its own, but that little extra step took it from really good to restaurant-level. We had friends over for margarita night and everyone was raving the whole time.