How to Make Tacos al Pastor

This tacos al pastor recipe is a joy to make and eat.Tacos al pastor are barbecue flavored pork and pineapple tacos. They are amazing.

The pork for these tacos needs to marinate over night so make sure you allot the time for that. You will need dry Mexican chilies for this — guajillo, pasilla and ancho or morita. These chilies are found in Mexican grocery stores. You can also buy them from this post. They will not cost you any more than if you bought them directly from Amazon but I will get a small commission that allows me to keep the website going.

The pineapple you use for this recipe can be canned or fresh. IF you use fresh make sure that the fruit is very sweet. Tart pineapple will take away from you beautiful tacos.

This is what you need to do for these exquisite and delicious tacos al pastor recipe:

Serves four

16 small corn tortillas
4 dry chile Guajillo
6 dry chile Pasilla
4 dry chile Morita or Ancho
2 pounds pork loin – trimmed and cut into small dice
6 pineapple slices
¾ cup chile soaking water
½ cup brown sugar
4 garlic cloves – peeled
1 ½ cups freshly squeezed orange juice (about 3 small oranges)
Zest of 1 small orange – about 1 TBS
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 TBS crushed oregano
½ cup cola
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
½ TBS white vinegar
Zest of ½ a lime
Juice of a lime – about 2 TBS

Place the cubed pork in a zip-lock bag.

Dry roast the chiles directly on the open flame of a gas burner or in a dry skillet. Once the chiles have blistered, place them in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Weigh down the chiles with a plate. Soak them for 20 to 30 minutes. When they are hydrated – stem them and seed them. Place them in a blender. Add ¾ cup of soaking liquid, the brown sugar, garlic cloves and 2 slices of pineapple. Blend into a paste.

Mix the orange juice, orange zest, cumin, oregano, cola, black pepper, salt, vinegar, lime zest and lime juice. Add the chile paste and mix well. Pour the marinade into the bag, over the pork. Take out all the air and marinade over-night.

The next day –

Lightly brush a skillet with some oil. Place the pineapples in the skillet and cook them on low heat. Cooking them on low heat will make sure that they caramelize evenly and do not char. Be patient. Once they are browned on one side, flip them over and cook the other side. Once cooked, cut the pineapple into small chunks and set aside.

Heat another skillet and remove the pork from the marinade. Add the pork to the hot skillet and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes – or until the pork is cooked through.
Heat your tortillas in the oven, on a griddle or directly on an open flame. Place two on a plate and spoon some pork in the middle. Add some pineapple and serve. Enjoy!

Print the Tacos al Pastor Recipe Here