Tacos al Pastor
541kcal46.2g protein23.9g fat35.4g carbs*Estimates computed from the ingredient list; cost uses average US supermarket prices. Not a substitute for packaging measurements or your receipt.
sometimes contains gluten — check the label
Restrictions
Sometimes contains — check the labelgluten (tortillas)Some brands have it, some do not. The recipe cannot tell, so this is the one you check yourself.
Diets
No alcohol
Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.
Ingredients
Servings:
| 2 lb |  pork (shoulder, sliced 1/4 inch) |
| 4 unit |  guajillo chiles (stemmed, seeded) |
| 2 tbsp |  achiote (annatto paste) |
| 1 unit |  pineapple (peeled, half juiced, half in planks) |
| ¼ cup |  white vinegar |
| 4 clove |  garlic |
| 1 tsp |  oregano (dried) |
| 1 tsp |  cumin (ground) |
| 2 tsp | salt |
| 12 unit |  tortillas (corn, small) |
| 1 unit |  onion (white, finely diced) |
| ½ cup |  cilantro (chopped) |
| 2 unit |  lime (wedges) |
Optional
Not counted above. The dish works without them.
| ½ cup |  salsa (roja or verde) |
Steps
- Simmer10 minchiles softened in hot waterguajillos in just-boiled water until pliable — dried chiles blend leathery unless rehydrated, and the soaking water is too bitter to use; it goes down the drain, not in the blender
- Mix4 minblended smoothchiles + achiote + the juiced pineapple half + vinegar + garlic + oregano + cumin + salt into a thick red adobo — the achiote is the color signature, the pineapple juice carries an enzyme that starts tenderizing on contact
- Marinate240 minrefrigerated, 4 hours to overnightpork slices coated thoroughly in the adobo — hours, not minutes, because the marinade must penetrate slices, doing the work the trompo's slow rotation does; past 12 hours the pineapple enzyme turns the surface mushy, so overnight is the ceiling
- Broil12 minhighest rack, single layer, edges charringthe slices on a sheet in one layer, 5–6 minutes a side until the edges blacken in spots — the broiler is the home stand-in for the spit's open flame, and the char is not optional; pastor without burnt edges is just stewed pork in red sauce
- Sear4 minhot pan, the pineapple planksthe remaining pineapple until deeply browned on both faces, then diced — searing caramelizes the sugar and kills the raw acid bite; this is the trompo's crown of pineapple, translated
- Chop3 minmeat and pineapple togetherthe charred pork into small pieces, tossed with the seared pineapple and any board juices — the taquero's cleaver-shower off the spit, minus the spit
- Top4 minwarm tortillas, doubledmeat + onion + cilantro on doubled hot tortillas, lime squeezed at the last — the classic dressing is exactly this and nothing more; cheese on al pastor is how you find out who at the table is from Mexico City