Tacos Al Pastor
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Easy, homemade Tacos Al Pastor perfect for your weeknight dinners, special occasions, get togethers or game day parties. Made with pork shoulder marinated in the most delicious restaurant-style, flavorful marinade that’s earthy, citrusy and slightly spicy! The meat is perfect for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas and more.
Tacos Al Pastor Recipe
I have to be honest and say that Tacos Al Pastor have just recently become a thing in my life and I just have to wonder, where have they been all my life? The flavors are incredible, and let’s face it, we all love tacos and these tacos deliver! They are juicy, smoky, tangy, sweet and a bit spicy.
The marinade is out of this world made with guajillo chiles, Mexican spices, achiote paste, which we’ll talk about later, and lots of citrus. It’s also great because you don’t have to use this only on pork, it will work on chicken or beef! So, as you can see I’m really excited to share this recipe with you because it has quickly become one of my favorites!
What Is Al Pastor
Al Pastor, literally means “shepherd style” in Spanish. It was actually brought over by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico who would cook shawarma style meat by grilling it on a spit. Local Mexicans then adapted this using their spices and herbs.
Now, it’s a very popular dish consisting of marinated thin pork slices, piling them on top of each other and cooking them on a vertical spit, called a trompo. As the pork cooks, the edges of the meat get charred. They are then carved directly from the spit and served in a tortilla. Seriously scrumptious!
Tacos Al Pastor Highlights
- Absolutely Delicious. Worth mentioning again because they just are that good. If you’ve never had them, you’re in for a treat!
- Versatile Marinade. This incredible marinade does not only work on pork, you can use it for chicken, beef or lamb. Use your meat to create the best tacos for you. Have fun and experiment with the meat, it’s great not only for tacos, but burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas and so much more.
- Quick And Simple. It really is. The whole process basically just includes making the marinade, marinating the meat, and grilling.
- Pork – I used a 4 pound pork shoulder which I thinly cut into slices. You can also use pork loin for a leaner meat. If you’re using pork shoulder, you can trim out some of the fat using a sharp knife.
- Chiles – You’ll need dried Guajillo chiles. I find them on amazon, but sometimes you can even find them at your local grocery stores. This is where a lot of that depth of flavor comes from.
- Juice – I used orange juice and lime juice in this marinade but you can also use pineapple juice. The juice is important for that citrus flavor, plus it also is a great meat tenderizer. A great substitute for the lime juice would be apple cider vinegar.
- Onion – You’ll need one onion for some great flavor in your marinade. You can also add a couple garlic cloves if you like.
- Spices And Herbs – You’ll need some ground cinnamon, cumin, salt, lots of black pepper and oregano. I recommend using Mexican dried oregano in this recipe for a more authentic taste. Mexican oregano has lemon and citrus flavors with some tones of licorice. Regular oregano is slightly sweet with bitter and peppery notes.
- Achiote – You can use either achiote paste or powder, whatever you have. Achiote or annatto powder, has an earthy, peppery flavor with a hint of bitterness. The achiote paste is what gives the pork this bright and vivid red color!
To Serve
- Pineapple – You’ll want to grill some pineapple slices for an authentic tacos al pastor experience.
- Red Onion – Finely chopped.
- Cilantro – Or parsley if you don’t like cilantro.
- Limes – Very important to squeeze some fresh lime juice on your tacos.
- Tortillas – You can use either flour tortillas or corn tortillas.
- Pico de Gallo or Salsa.
- Prepare the pork. Using a sharp knife, cut the pork into thin ¼ inch slices. Place the pork slices in a large bowl.
- Prep the peppers. Add the guajillo chiles to a pot with boiling water. Cover with lid and let them soak for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Transfer the chiles to a cutting board and carefully remove the seeds and stems. Set aside. I recommend using gloves.
- Make the marinade. To a blender add the dried chiles, orange juice, lime juice, onion, cinnamon, pepper, Mexican oregano, cumin and salt. Blend everything together until it forms a smooth paste. If the paste is too thick, add a bit of the hot water that you used to soak the chiles and blend it in until combined.
- Marinate the meat. Pour the marinade over the pork and mix everything thoroughly together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to overnight.
- Grill option. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat and lightly grease it. Grill the meat for about 7 to 8 minutes per side or until slightly charred. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the largest piece should read at least 145°F. Transfer the pork to a platter or baking sheet and grill the pineapple slices on both sides until slightly charred about 5 minutes per side.
- Oven option. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking pan that is narrower than your skewers with aluminum foil. You want to be able to prop your skewers on the baking sheet while cooking. A 9×13 inch pan usually works great if you’re using 12-inch skewers.
- Make the skewers. Take one piece of pork and thread onto two skewers. Repeat with more meat until there’s about 1½ inches left at both ends of the skewers. Prop this onto the prepared baking pan. Repeat with remaining meat and skewers.
- Finish and Cook: Drizzle the top of the meat with some olive oil. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the surface of the meat browns and you can see some charred bits. Might need to turn the broiler on for more charred bits. During the cooking process baste the meat with juices from pan.
- Cut the meat. Let the cooked meat rest for 5 minutes before cutting it up into bite size pieces.
- Assemble the tacos and serve. Serve on tacos with grilled pineapple, fresh cilantro, red onion, salsa, and lime wedges.
Expert Tips
- Traditionally, Al Pastor is made with pork shoulder but you can use other cuts of meat such as pork sirloin or pork belly.
- When working with chiles, I recommend using disposable gloves. Also, if you don’t have any gloves, just make sure you don’t rub your eyes, it’s not pleasant. Wash your hands immediately after handling the chiles.
- If you can’t find the dried guajillo chiles or ancho powder/paste, feel free to use an adobo chili paste.
- If you don’t have an indoor grill and don’t want to roast the meat in the oven, you can always use a grill pan. Just make sure to line the pork in a single layer and don’t crowd it. It will probably take a bit longer to cook all the meat, but totally worth all the effort.
Are Tacos Al Pastor Spicy?
You might think that because of the chiles and the actual color of the the pork that your tacos will be spicy. Not quite! While the marinade itself may have some heat to it, it won’t actually penetrate the meat. Your pork will be smoky, tangy with a bit of sweetness, but only slightly spicy, emphasis on the slightly.
What Sides To Serve With Tacos Al Pastor?
There are so many great sides to serve with Al Pastor, but here are some great suggestions:
- Pineapple Salsa
- Mexican Street Corn Slaw
- Homemade Salsa
- Pico de Gallo Recipe
- 3 Ingredient Mexican Rice
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Easy Guacamole
Make-ahead Suggestion
If you love meal prepping, I have great news for you. You can actually make this marinade ahead of time and store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The night before you want to serve tacos al pastor, simply toss the meat with the marinade, cover it and refrigerate until the next day when you’re ready to grill. Easy!
Leftovers
I recommend storing leftover grilled/roasted meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. I don’t recommend refrigerating already assembled tacos because they’re going to get soggy.
You can also freeze the cooked pork in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Discover More Mexican Recipes
- Birria Tacos
- Pollo Asado (Chicken Asado)
- Chimichangas
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Pork Carnitas
- Easy Chicken Enchiladas
- Barbacoa
- Carne Asada
- Instant Pot Chicken Tinga
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Tacos Al Pastor
Video
Ingredients
- 4 pound pork shoulder (boneless)
- 3 guajillo chiles (dried)
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 medium onion (roughly chopped)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 ounces achiote paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
To Serve
- tortillas
- 1 pineapple (cleaned, cut into slices and grilled)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 limes (cut into wedges)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Prepare the pork. Using a sharp knife, cut the pork into thin ¼ inch slices. Place the pork slices in a large bowl.
- Prep the peppers. Add the guajillo chiles to a pot with boiling water. Cover with lid and let them soak for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Transfer the chiles to a cutting board and carefully remove the seeds and stems. Set aside. I recommend using gloves.
- Make the marinade. To a blender add the guajillo chile, orange juice, lime juice, onion, cinnamon, pepper, Mexican oregano, cumin, achiote paste and salt. Blend everything together until it forms a smooth paste. If the paste is too thick, add a bit of the hot water that you used to soak the chiles and blend it in until combined.
- Marinate the meat. Pour the marinade over the pork and mix everything thoroughly together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to overnight. Remove the meat from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
- Grill option. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat and lightly grease it. Grill the meat for about 7 to 8 minutes per side or until slightly charred. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the largest piece should read at least 145°F. Transfer the pork to a platter or baking sheet and grill the pineapple slices on both sides until slightly charred about 5 minutes per side.
- Oven option. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking pan that is narrower than your skewers with aluminum foil. You want to be able to prop your skewers on the baking sheet while cooking. A 9×13 inch pan usually works great if you're using 12-inch skewers.
- Roast the meat in the oven. Drizzle the top of the meat with some olive oil. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the surface of the meat browns and you can see some charred bits. Might need to turn the broiler on for more charred bits. During the cooking process baste the meat with juices from pan.
- Cut the meat. Let the cooked meat rest for 5 minutes before cutting it up into bite size pieces.
- Assemble the tacos and serve. Serve on tacos with grilled pineapple, fresh cilantro, red onion, salsa, and lime wedges.
Equipment
Notes
- Nutritional information does not include tortillas and toppings.
- Traditionally, Al Pastor is made with pork shoulder but you can use other cuts of meat such as pork sirloin or pork belly.
- When working with chiles, I recommend using disposable gloves. Also, if you don’t have any gloves, just make sure you don’t rub your eyes, it’s not pleasant. Wash your hands immediately after handling the chiles.
- If you can’t find the dried guajillo chiles or ancho powder/paste, feel free to use an adobo chili paste.
- If you don’t have an indoor grill and don’t want to roast the meat in the oven, you can always use a grill pan. Just make sure to line the pork in a single layer and don’t crowd it. It will probably take a bit longer to cook all the meat, but totally worth all the effort.
- I recommend storing leftover grilled/roasted meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. I don’t recommend refrigerating already assembled tacos because they’re going to get soggy.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
