If you’ve ever eaten Tacos al Pastor shaved right off of a rotating trompo (vertical spit), then you know how delicious they are and this authentic recipe does not disappoint. Ok, so we’re not in Mexico City and this recipe will never taste as good as the original tacos from the street vendors there, but it’s 100% delicious and uses an award-winning Tacos al Pastor recipe right from the heart of Mexico. So, there’s no reason you should wait to make these delicious tacos at home when you can still honor the integrity and taste of the original.
What is Tacos al Pastor?
Tacos al Pastor is a type of taco that consists of marinated pork butt (or shoulder) cooked on a trompo (vertical spit).
This famously delicious taco is said to come from Monterrey, Nuevo León, in northern Mexico. The meat is cooked and shaved off of the rotisserie (like gyro meat) and is often served on a fresh corn tortilla with pineapple, onions, cilantro, and salsa. For this recipe, we marinate boneless pork butt (or shoulder) in a tangy, spicy, al Pastor sauce of guajillo peppers, achiote paste, vinegar, pineapple juice, and spices. The pork is layered with onions and fresh pineapple slices and cooked until its edges are crispy. All of the fat from the pork and the flavors of these ingredients meld together into something uniquely delicious.
What Does Tacos al Pastor Taste Like and Why is the Meat Red?
Let’s break down the flavor of al Pastor sauce. The marinade for the al Pastor pork is nuanced and delicious. It consists of guajillo peppers (pronounced: gwa-HEE-oh), achiote paste (this is where al Pastor sauce gets its bright reddish-orange color), vinegar, pineapple juice, fresh garlic, Mexican oregano, cumin, black pepper, salt, and cloves. I also add a hint of garlic powder and onion powder to the original recipe. The overall flavor has a sweet and sour and just slightly spicy taste.
Do Not Cook The Meat On a Vertical “Spit” in Your Oven As Seen In this Post
If you don’t have a real trompo hanging out in your backyard, don’t worry. I’ve outlined 4 good ways to cook al Pastor taco meat in the home kitchen. Do NOT cook the meat in your oven using a “faux” spit as I’ve done here. This causes unnecessary headaches (it falls over like the leaning tower of Pisa) and often the meat won’t be cooked in the middle. As long as you get a good sear on the outside of the marinated meat, these are all but guaranteed to be some of the best tacos you’ve ever had.
Tacos al Pastor Ingredients
This is one of our favorite taco recipes to make. With just a handful of pantry staples and spices, you can have a better-than-average taco night without the expense of take-out. Plus, this is a great MealPrep dish to make ahead and freeze (just the sauce, or the finished cooked meat). And if you don’t want to mess with a whole pork butt (shoulder), buy a couple of individual pork shoulder steaks and use those instead. We have slightly adapted Mely’s recipe from over at Mexico In My Kitchen and if you don’t know her yet, go check out her blog (we’re HUGE fans of her recipes and her authentic Mexican cooking♡).
al Pastor Taco Ingredients
- corn tortillas
- boneless pork butt or shoulder
- onion
- fresh pineapple (sub 1 can of pineapple)
- fresh cilantro
- one recipe of al Pastor Sauce (below)
al Pastor Sauce
- dried guajillo peppers
- achiote paste
- canned (or jarred) pasteurized pineapple juice
- white vinegar
- garlic cloves
- Mexican oregano (sub Italian if you don’t have Mexican)
- ground cumin
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- 2 cloves
- garlic powder
- onion powder
How to Make Tacos al Pastor at Home
There’s a reason why people love these delicious tacos — they’re super tasty and easy to cook. So, whether you’re a mindful omnivore looking to eat less beef or just someone who really loves tacos, we think you’ll enjoy this recipe.
- Reconstitute the dried peppers. Add the peppers to a saucepot and cover them with water and bring the heat to a boil, reduce and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until soft. Strain them and allow them to cool while you measure out the al Pastor sauce ingredients.
- Make the al Pastor sauce. Add all of the al Pastor sauce ingredients and the slightly cooled peppers to the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Pour the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer (placed over a large mixing bowl or casserole dish) to create a smooth cohesive sauce. Add salt to taste (if needed) and set aside while you prep the pork.
- Prep the pork. Sprinkle the pork butt slices with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Add the slices of meat directly to the al Pastor sauce and turn them over to coat each piece of meat well. Marinate the meat for at least four hours (or up to overnight which is always tastier).
- Cook the pork. Here are 4 good and easy options (and one bad option) for cooking al Pastor pork at home:
- Pan-sear the pork in a preheated cast-iron skillet. Remove excess marinade from the pork (otherwise the meat will stick to the pan when you cook it). Slice the meat and pineapple into thin slices. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a heavy-gauged skillet or wok. Just as it starts to smoke, working in batches, add the pork along with a little onion and pineapple and cook for a total of about 12-15 minutes, tossing occasionally to keep the meat from sticking to the skillet and to allow for even crisping. Remove from the skillet and serve immediately. Repeat with remaining pork, onions, and pineapple. *Do not overcrowd the skillet and do not move the meat after it first hits the pan. Allow the mixture to sear for about 4 minutes on medium-high heat before tossing the meat cooking until golden brown and crispy.
- Grill the pork. Place the pork steaks, onions, and pineapple slices directly onto a preheated grill and allow them to cook until the meat is crispy and sizzling and the onions and pineapple are caramelized. Remove them from the grill and allow them to rest for 4 to 5 minutes, slice them into thin strips, and serve immediately.
- Cook the pork in a countertop rotisserie. Stake the meat, pineapples, and onions. Start with a slice of pineapple, add 3 to 4 slices of meat, a layer of onions, more meat, and a slice of pineapple and repeat all of the layers until no meat remains, ending with a slice of pineapple on top. Allow any excess marinade to drip off for about 20 minutes before starting the timer and cooking. Shave the meat off in thin slices and add them directly to a preheated skillet to crisp up even more to your liking and serve immediately.
- Cook the pork steaks under a preheated broiler. Cut the meat into kebab-sized pieces, alternate the meat, pineapple, and onion slices on metal or (soaked) wooden skewers, and place them onto an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake the kebabs under a preheated broiler for about 20 minutes rotating them 2 to 4 times while cooking to get even crisping on all sides. Remove from the oven and serve immediately, or remove from the skewers and slice the meat into smaller strips before serving.
- Roast the pork in a vertical stack in your oven (NOT RECOMMENDED NO MATTER WHAT YOU SEE IN THIS POST OR ONLINE). See recipe card notes if you care to know more about this method.
Looking for A Few Other Delicious Taco Night Recipes?
Here are a few of our favorite Tex-Mex and authentic Mexican recipes we think you might also enjoy.
- Extra “Beefy” Above + Beyond® Tacos (vegetarian tacos)
- Restaurant-Style Carne Asada Steak (For Two or a Crowd)
- Easy and Delicious Cheeseburger Quesadillas (+ Bacon Cheeseburger and Vegetarian options)
- 5-Minute Pan-Seared Flank Steak For Two (or a Crowd)
Let’s get started!
Print
How to Make Delicious Tacos al Pastor at Home
- Total Time: 4 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
A 100% delicious and authentic (award-winning) Tacos al Pastor recipe right from the heart of Mexico. If you’ve never made your own at home, now is the time. For this recipe, we marinate boneless pork butt (or shoulder) in a tangy, spicy, traditional al Pastor sauce of guajillo peppers, achiote paste, vinegar, pineapple juice, and spices. The pork is layered with onions and fresh pineapple slices and cooked until its edges are crispy. Plus, we share a few ways you can cook this recipe at home without a trompo (vertical spit) and share with you everything we learned so you can make the very best Tacos al Pastor at home
Ingredients
al Pastor Taco Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless pork butt, sliced into thin 1/3-inch steaks (1kg)
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1/2 golden sweet fresh pineapple (or 1 can of pineapple rings, juice reserved for al Pastor sauce)
- 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, washed and chopped
- corn tortillas
- salsa of your choice
- one recipe of al Pastor Sauce (below)
al Pastor Sauce
- 1 ounce dried guajillo peppers, seeds and stems removed (about 4 large peppers)
- 1 ounce achiote paste (30g)
- 1/4 cup canned (or jarred) pasteurized pineapple juice *see note below
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (use Italian if you don’t have Mexican)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (about 25 turns on a pepper mill)
- 2 cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional but recommended)
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (optional but recommended)
*Using fresh pineapple juice in al Pastor sauce will ruin the texture of the meat as it marinates. Bromelain is an enzyme in fresh pineapple that breaks down the structure of the protein which will give the meat a shredded and very unpleasant texture. I have even tested (so you don’t have to) cooking the juice of freshly squeezed pineapple for a lengthy amount of time before using it in this recipe, but it still ruins the meat. Use canned or jarred pasteurized pineapple juice.
Instructions
- Reconstitute the dried peppers. Add the peppers to a saucepot and cover them with water and bring the heat to a boil, reduce and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until soft. Strain them and allow them to cool while you measure out the al Pastor sauce ingredients.
- Make the al Pastor sauce. Add all of the al Pastor sauce ingredients and the slightly cooled peppers to the bowl of a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Pour the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer (placed over a large mixing bowl or casserole dish) to create a smooth cohesive sauce. Add salt to taste (if needed) and set aside while you prep the pork.
- Prep the pork. Sprinkle the pork butt slices with salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Add the slices of meat directly to the al Pastor sauce and turn them over to coat each piece of meat well. Marinate the meat for at least four hours (or up to overnight which is always tastier).
- Cook the pork. Here are 4 good and easy options we recommend (plus one bad option) for cooking al Pastor pork at home:
- Pan-sear the pork in a preheated cast-iron skillet. Remove excess marinade from the pork (otherwise the meat will stick to the pan when you cook it). Slice the meat and pineapple into thin slices. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a heavy-gauged skillet or wok. Just as it starts to smoke, working in batches, add the pork along with a little onion and pineapple and cook for a total of about 12-15 minutes, tossing occasionally to keep the meat from sticking to the skillet and to allow for even crisping. Remove from the skillet and serve immediately. Repeat with remaining pork, onions, and pineapple. *Do not overcrowd the skillet and do not move the meat after it first hits the pan. Allow the mixture to sear for about 4 minutes on medium-high heat before tossing the meat cooking until golden brown and crispy.
- Grill the pork. Place the pork steaks, onions, and pineapple slices directly onto a preheated grill and allow them to cook until the meat is crispy and sizzling and the onions and pineapple are caramelized. Remove them from the grill and allow them to rest for 4 to 5 minutes, slice them into thin strips, and serve immediately.
- Cook the pork in a countertop rotisserie. Stake the meat, pineapples, and onions. Start with a slice of pineapple, add 3 to 4 slices of meat, a layer of onions, more meat, and a slice of pineapple and repeat all of the layers until no meat remains, ending with a slice of pineapple on top. Allow any excess marinade to drip off for about 20 minutes before starting the timer and cooking. Shave the meat off in thin slices and add them directly to a preheated skillet to crisp up even more to your liking and serve immediately.
- Cook the pork steaks under a preheated broiler. Cut the meat into kebab-sized pieces, alternate the meat, pineapple, and onion slices on metal or (soaked) wooden skewers, and place them onto an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake the kebabs under a preheated broiler for about 20 minutes rotating them 2 to 4 times while cooking to get even crisping on all sides. Remove from the oven and serve immediately, or remove from the skewers and slice the meat into smaller strips before serving.
- Roast the pork in a vertical stack in your oven (NOT RECOMMENDED). Stake the meat, pineapples, and onions. Start with a slice of pineapple, add 3 to 4 slices of meat, a layer of onions, more meat, and a slice of pineapple and repeat all of the layers until no meat remains, ending with a slice of pineapple on top. Get ready for the mountain of al Pastor pork to start leaning like the Tower of Pisa. You can avoid this by making 2 smaller (shorter) stacks and roasting them side-by-side on a sheet pan. However, you will still have to shave the meat and pan-sear it after it roasts. So, although it looks really delicious and fun, it’s not a practical way to cook tacos al Pastor at home in our opinion. Roast in a preheated oven 350°F/180C for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat in the middle is cooked through.
5. Assemble the tacos. Once the meat is cooked through, slice or chop the meat and the pineapple and serve it on warmed tortillas with your choice of toppings.
Notes
- Feel free to reserve some of the al Pastor sauce by setting aside about 1/2 to 1 cup before you add the raw pork to it. This way you can drizzle it on top of the tacos after the meat has been cooked, or use it for another recipe.
- Do not use fresh pineapple juice in the al Pastor sauce. Using fresh pineapple juice will ruin the texture of the meat as it marinates. Bromelain is an enzyme in fresh pineapple that breaks down the structure of the protein which will give the meat a shredded and very unpleasant texture. I have even tested (so you don’t have to) cooking the juice of freshly squeezed pineapple for a lengthy amount of time before using it in this recipe, but it still ruins the meat. Use canned or jarred pasteurized pineapple juice.
- We do not recommend stacked meat being cooked in your oven (as seen in the photos for this recipe post). However, if you decide to do this, Stake the meat, pineapples, and onions using multiple skewers in this order: A slice of pineapple, 3 to 4 slices of meat, a layer of onions, more meat, and another slice of pineapple and repeat all of the layers until no meat remains, ending with a slice of pineapple on top. Get ready for the mountain of al Pastor pork to start leaning over like the Tower of Pisa. You can avoid this by making 2 smaller (shorter) stacks and roasting them side-by-side on a sheet pan. However, you will still have to shave the meat and pan-sear it after it roasts so you can cook the meat through. So, although it looks really delicious and fun, it’s not a practical way to cook tacos al Pastor at home in our opinion. Roast in a preheated oven 350°F/180C for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until most of the meat in the middle is cooked through.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Marinate: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Tacos
- Method: Pan-Sear or Grill
- Cuisine: Mexican
How to Make the Best Tacos al Pastor step-by-step recipe photos
