I think the 3 things I miss most about California are driving a car, having a grill, and the Mexican food. The later two are especially salient around Cinqo De Mayo, which for me used to signal the start of the grilling season. Tacos al Pastor is one of my favorite Mexican dishes; the smell of spit-roasted chile-marinated pork and pineapple wafting through the air is irresistible on a summer's day. Fortunately, you don't need a spit to make succulent, spicy, sweet roasted pork at home.
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Why My Recipe Works
- Bromelain in the pineapple tenderizes the pork roast while it marinates.
- Cooking the marinade helps to keep the pineapple from over-tenderizing the pork.
- Slicing through the roast helps the marinade penetrate the meat and simulates the "shawarma" method of cooking.
- Frying the finished roast adds that crispy caramelization that al pastor is known for.
History of al Pastor
One of my favorite tacos, Tacos Al Pastor ("shepherd style") likely originated from Lebanese immigrants who made their way to Mexico and brought with them Shawarma. Like any food that emigrates from one place to another, changes are made to include locally available ingredients and to suit local palates. In this case, the meats were flavored with various chiles, then topped with a pineapple while roasting.
Pineapple Tenderizes Meat
The pineapple, aside from adding some sweetness and acidity, also has an enzyme called bromelain that breaks down proteins making the meat very tender. Since we don't all have shawarma spits at home, I've adapted this recipe to work in an oven or on a cooler grill. The pineapple goes into the marinade, which gets layered into the roast and is then left to marinate for a short amount of time.
How to Serve al Pastor
The meat is stunningly tender with a distinct earthy-smoky flavor coming from the dried chiles, and a nice balance of sweetness, tartness and salt. The chunks of grilled pineapple add an extra burst of acid and sweetness. I like my tacos simple (like they serve them at taquerias in Mexico): load up a double layer of corn tortillas with meat, then add a bit of minced sweet onion, cilantro and salsa verde on top.
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Units
Ingredients
- 1.8 kilograms pork shoulder
- ¼ fresh pineapple (sliced into long ¼" thick strips)
for marinade
- 2 dried ancho chiles
- 1 dried guajillo chile
- ¾ cup fresh pineapple
- ½ onion
- 1 Chipotle chile (from can with adobo sauce)
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from Chipotle chilies)
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon achiote paste (or ½ teaspoon paprika)
for serving
- corn tortillas
- ½ vidalia onion minced
- cilantro minced
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- 1 batch salsa verde (see recipe below)
for salsa verde
- 4 large tomatillos (or 6 smaller ones husked and washed well with warm water)
- ½ onion sliced into wedges
- 4 jalapeño peppers (sliced in half lengthwise)
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup cilantro (about 4 sprigs)
- ½ lime juiced
- Salt to taste
- Pepper
Instructions
- Put the 1.8 kilograms pork shoulder in the freezer until it's firm enough to cut (about 30 minutes). Slice the ¼ fresh pineapple into spears.
- Remove the seeds and stems from the 2 dried ancho chiles and 1 dried guajillo chile and put them in a bowl. Boil some water and pour it onto the chilies, allowing them to rehydrate (about 10 minutes). Put the chilies in a food processor along with the ¾ cup fresh pineapple, ½ onion, 1 Chipotle chile, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 5 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon oregano, and ¼ teaspoon achiote and process until smooth. To make a smoother marinade, pass the mixture through a strainer. Add the marinade to a pot and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. This destroys some of the enzymes in fresh pineapple that can turn your meat into mush. Turn off the heat then let the marinade cool to room temperature.
- Take the roast out of the freezer and orient the roast how you'd have it sitting in the roasting pan (fat side up). The idea here is that you want to slice the meat into ½" thick slices that will stack on top of each other in the roasting pan. I don't slice all the way through which helps when you're trying to put the roast back together.
- Slather the marinade between each layer until every nook and cranny is covered. Tie the roast back together. Cover it and allow it to marinade for no more than an hour. Fresh pineapple has a powerful enzyme that breaks down proteins and while heating it destroys some of the enzymes, it's still a powerful meat tenderizer. If you're using canned pineapple let it marinate overnight as most of the enzyme is destroyed in the canning process.
- When the roast is ready to go in the oven, set the oven to 450 degrees F. Put the roast on a rack in a roasting pan and add water to the bottom of the pan (this is to keep the drippings from smoking). Roast for 30 minutes at this temperature then place the pineapple slices on top of the roast and turn down the heat to 300 degrees F. Roast until the meat is tender (about 3 hours).
- After removing the meat from the oven, cover it with foil and let it rest for about 20 minutes. When you're ready to serve, just cut the meat up into small cubes. I like to pan fry it at this point to give the pieces a bit more caramelization. You can also put the cut up meat and pineapple onto a foil-lined pan and broil it until it gets some char.
- To assemble the tacos, just heat up a pile of corn tortillas in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel for about 30 seconds. Using 2 tortillas per taco, fill with meat, then top with minced ½ vidalia onion, cilantro and 1 batch salsa verde. Serve with a wedge of 1 lime for squeezing.
- For Salsa Verde
- Move your oven rack to the top position and lay down a piece of foil. Score the bottoms of the 4 large tomatillos (so they don't explode) then place them on the foil. Place the 4 jalapeño peppers skin side up around the tomatillos along with the ½ onion and 3 cloves garlic. Turn the broiler on and allow everything to get a nice bubbly char going on. Using tongs, flip things over and then char the other side. The smaller items like onion and garlic may need to come out first.
- Flake off any excess char (you want to keep some of it) then toss everything in a food processor along with the ¼ cup cilantro, juice from ½ lime, Salt and Pepper. Process until smooth.
Marc Matsumoto says
That could be an interesting idea, though the meat you cut off may get
dry if you leave it in the oven and will get cold if you take it out
of the oven. One thing I do to get more crust is to chop up the meat
and then fry it in a pan with a little oil. This is also a great way
to reheat leftovers.
Jennifer says
I had tacos al pastor several times when I was in Mexico recently, and I was excited to see this recipe. The salsa is one of the best I've ever tasted, let alone made. I like the flavor of the al pastor, but it doesn't have the pungency you get in a restaurant. The crunchy bits on the outside were amazing when I took it out of the oven, but it seemed like all that "washed off" when I covered the meat and let it rest. I think if I do it again, I'll let it rest on the rack. Also, I was thinking of cutting off the outside a few times while cooking and basting it again with the sauce, to mimic the effect of cooking on a spit. What do you think?
Chef Jay says
I want to match this one with my own canning salsa recipe. This will surely be a hit! Thanks.
Marc Matsumoto says
This should make about 30 tacos.
carlos_brigante25 says
how many people does yhis feed,,?? any one know ?
Rick says
Looks Divine, I'm Hungry ....
John says
Are you in NYC? We should talk...I've come pretty close to replicating Al Pastor like taqueria san jose #1 in san francisco...let me know where you are!
John says
Are you in NYC? We should talk...I've come pretty close to replicating Al Pastor like taqueria san jose #1 in san francisco...let me know where you are!
Sonya says
Hi!
I tried your Tacos Al Pastor recipe yesterday and it was awesome! I was so excited as I started blending all the ingredients for the the marinade together. The chilis smelled heavenly! I was a little scared to work with chilis, but the recipe was easy to stick to and I had no troubles. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Sonya says
Hi!
I tried your Tacos Al Pastor recipe yesterday and it was awesome! I was so excited as I started blending all the ingredients for the the marinade together. The chilis smelled heavenly! I was a little scared to work with chilis, but the recipe was easy to stick to and I had no troubles. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Robert says
Stumbled across your blog and how happy I am that I did. Great recipes and wonderful photos.
I have my pork butt on the grill now for this very recipe. It looked too delicious to wait. I will probably blog it and definitely credit you. Thanks again for an amazing take on a classic.
Robert says
Stumbled across your blog and how happy I am that I did. Great recipes and wonderful photos.
I have my pork butt on the grill now for this very recipe. It looked too delicious to wait. I will probably blog it and definitely credit you. Thanks again for an amazing take on a classic.
BBGrill Covers says
thanks! the salsa verde was awesome!
BBGrill Covers says
thanks! the salsa verde was awesome!
Rebecca says
Have just put marinated pork butt in the oven. It smells terrific, the smokiness of the peppers and sweet-tart of the pineapple blend so perfectly my house has been transformed from 1950's ranch to banana-leaf protected cabana. I hope I don't mess it up because I'm planning to cart the left-overs to my sister's for Memorial Day tacos. I've been eating these at Houston taquerias for years, but this is the first time I've made them. Sabor!
Rebecca says
Have just put marinated pork butt in the oven. It smells terrific, the smokiness of the peppers and sweet-tart of the pineapple blend so perfectly my house has been transformed from 1950's ranch to banana-leaf protected cabana. I hope I don't mess it up because I'm planning to cart the left-overs to my sister's for Memorial Day tacos. I've been eating these at Houston taquerias for years, but this is the first time I've made them. Sabor!
taco recipes says
This looks delicious. I love food with pineapples. Will definetely try cooking this.
taco recipes says
This looks delicious. I love food with pineapples. Will definetely try cooking this.
JD Meyer says
Good recipe--there are some variations. Guajillo seems to be a unanimous choice. I've seen ancho and arbol too elsewhere. Got to have garlic and pineapple.
JD Meyer says
Good recipe--there are some variations. Guajillo seems to be a unanimous choice. I've seen ancho and arbol too elsewhere. Got to have garlic and pineapple.
[eatingclub vancouver] js says
I'm bookmarking this one. Been wanting to make tacos al pastor for a long time -- but, you know, well, laziness happens.
[eatingclub vancouver] js says
I'm bookmarking this one. Been wanting to make tacos al pastor for a long time -- but, you know, well, laziness happens.
feeding maybelle says
tacos al pastor smells delish when you see it in a restaurant in mexico city--it was nice to read more about it here.
feeding maybelle says
tacos al pastor smells delish when you see it in a restaurant in mexico city--it was nice to read more about it here.
piercival says
WOW!!!
Tacos al Pastor are the Holy Grail of cooking to me.
One of those magical flavors that you have in the most out of the way places (Taco Trucks in Cal roadside stands in Mexico) and there is scarce documentation for (at best). There are a TON of recipes on the web that are all copies of one...and it's only fair at best.
I've been looking and cooking and tasting...and looking again. Then I found your site. It looks somewhat close to what I have cobbled together for my marinade tonight, after 3 years of research.
I may be closing in on the Grail- I will try your recipe, it looks to be by far the best thing I have seen on the web so far.
Tacos al Pastor are a specialty of roadside stands in Mexico City (the best) and they are not giving up their recipes any time soon.
Who the Hell are you - this is some quality research?! WOW!
piercival says
WOW!!!
Tacos al Pastor are the Holy Grail of cooking to me.
One of those magical flavors that you have in the most out of the way places (Taco Trucks in Cal roadside stands in Mexico) and there is scarce documentation for (at best). There are a TON of recipes on the web that are all copies of one...and it's only fair at best.
I've been looking and cooking and tasting...and looking again. Then I found your site. It looks somewhat close to what I have cobbled together for my marinade tonight, after 3 years of research.
I may be closing in on the Grail- I will try your recipe, it looks to be by far the best thing I have seen on the web so far.
Tacos al Pastor are a specialty of roadside stands in Mexico City (the best) and they are not giving up their recipes any time soon.
Who the Hell are you - this is some quality research?! WOW!
Kevin (Closet Cooking) says
These sound really tasty!
Kevin (Closet Cooking) says
These sound really tasty!
We Are Never Full says
I just had tacos al pastor last week! YUM... I have to say that yours look better than the ones I had.
thanks for the great background on cinco de mayo and clearing things up for lots of people!
We Are Never Full says
I just had tacos al pastor last week! YUM... I have to say that yours look better than the ones I had.
thanks for the great background on cinco de mayo and clearing things up for lots of people!
Jerry says
Drool! Can I just move it?!
noble pig says
Cinco de Mayo...I love it and yes is misguided but is probably the most used blender day in America. These tacos are just beautiful looking.
Deborah says
I use Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to cook Mexican food! And these tacos look AMAZING!
diva says
YUM! i loooove tacos.
mike says
I'd never heard of this before but this looks mouth watering. I will have to give this a try--pineapple + pork + mexican = happy michael
Lauren @ Parsnips Aplenty says
Ah, how I miss Mexican food! You think you can't get it outside California... try the Balkans! I dream of cilantro and swoon.
Also - I've tagged you for an award! It's on my site, in the white bean salad post.
Jeff says
Amazing and I love the flavors that are used. Definitely going to give this a shot.
Jerry says
Drool! Can I just move it?!
noble pig says
Cinco de Mayo...I love it and yes is misguided but is probably the most used blender day in America. These tacos are just beautiful looking.
Ginny says
I always thought Cinco de Mayo around here was just an excuse to push margaritas and too much tequila! Love your dish! Looks great!
Deborah says
I use Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to cook Mexican food! And these tacos look AMAZING!
diva says
YUM! i loooove tacos.
mike says
I'd never heard of this before but this looks mouth watering. I will have to give this a try--pineapple + pork + mexican = happy michael
Claudia (cook eat FRET) says
i would love this... really good job on this dish. i can almost taste the flavor by reading the recipe and staring at that picture.
Lauren @ Parsnips Aplenty says
Ah, how I miss Mexican food! You think you can't get it outside California... try the Balkans! I dream of cilantro and swoon.
Also - I've tagged you for an award! It's on my site, in the white bean salad post.
Jeff says
Amazing and I love the flavors that are used. Definitely going to give this a shot.
Laura @ Hungry and Frozen says
I read about you making this in your comment on TNS...glad it turned out well 🙂 Looks incredibly delicious, love the use of pineapple with the...pork butt, heh.
Ginny says
I always thought Cinco de Mayo around here was just an excuse to push margaritas and too much tequila! Love your dish! Looks great!
Claudia (cook eat FRET) says
i would love this... really good job on this dish. i can almost taste the flavor by reading the recipe and staring at that picture.
Laura @ Hungry and Frozen says
I read about you making this in your comment on TNS...glad it turned out well 🙂 Looks incredibly delicious, love the use of pineapple with the...pork butt, heh.