Looking for more taco recipes? Try my Birria Tacos, Ground Beef Tacos, Grilled Fish Tacos, or Shrimp Tacos! I’ve wanted to share a Tacos Al Pastor recipe for years, ever since falling in love with them from various restaurants and street vendors in Mexico City, Puebla and several other states throughout Mexico. After lots of testing with cooking the meat a variety of ways, I’m so thrilled to share a recipe I think is an absolute winner! This isn’t an authentic Tacos Al Pastor recipe, since they are traditionally made by roasting the pork on a vertical spit and cutting off thin pieces from it. Several recipes online try to mimic this method but I think end up overly complicated and messy. This recipe is easy, approachable, and results in incredibly flavorful, fantastic Al Pastor tacos.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The meat for this tacos al pastor recipe can be made hours or a day ahead to help prep this meal ahead of time. You can make the pickled red onions and slice the pineapple ahead of time too. Soften Chilies: Remove seeds and veins from the dried chiles (wear gloves if desired) and add them to a small saucepan. Cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, to soften the chiles. Make Marinade: Add softened chiles and ¼ cup of the water from the pot (discard the rest) to a high powdered blender with onion, garlic cloves, allspice, peppercorn, cloves, Mexican oregano, cumin, ginger, achiote powder, salt, apple cider vinegar, and juice. Blend until completely smooth. Marinate: Add pork and marinade to a large bowl or ziplock bag, mixing to coat the pork all over. Cover and refrigerate, ideally for several hours, or overnight. Grill: Remove pork from marinade and cook on a very hot grill for a few minutes on each side until just shy of 145 degrees F. Remove to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. Chop into small pieces for serving. (Grill pineapple if desired —see notes). Assemble: Warm tortillas in a hot dry skillet, or toast them on the grill. Add a spoonful of pork. Top with chopped pineapple, onion, cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice. I also like to add Tomatillo Salsa or hot sauce. Serve: Enjoy with a side of Mexican Rice, chips and salsa, and a glass of Horchata. To Freeze: The meat can be frozen before or after cooking. Just make sure to remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible and seal tightly. Store in freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw completely in refrigerator before heating. This post contains affiliate links.
