Tacos al Pastor
This Mexican pork builds boneless pork shoulder, dried guajillo chiles and chipotle in adobo into a crowd-pleasing meal you can have ready in about 70 minutes. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for pan and large pot. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (7)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Stem and seed the guajillo chiles, toast briefly and soak in hot water for 15 minutes, then blend with the chipotle, garlic, vinegar, achiote, cumin, oregano, a little salt and a splash of soaking water into a smooth marinade.
- Slice the pork shoulder into thin steaks, coat thoroughly in the marinade, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight for the deepest flavour.
- Sear the marinated pork in a hot heavy pan or griddle for about 4 minutes per side until well charred and cooked through to at least 63C, then rest briefly and chop into small pieces.
- Char the pineapple slices and some onion in the same pan until caramelised, then dice them small.
- Warm the corn tortillas on a dry comal until soft and pliable, keeping them wrapped in a cloth so they stay warm.
- Pile the chopped pork onto each tortilla, then top with charred pineapple, finely chopped onion and coriander.
- Finish every taco with a squeeze of lime and a little salt, and serve immediately while hot.
You'll use: Pan Β· Large pot Β· Blender
Ingredient substitutions
- Lime
- lemon
What to serve with Tacos al Pastor
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole Chicken
- Cajun spiced fish tacos Seafood
- Braised Beef Chilli Beef
- Crock Pot Chicken Baked Tacos Chicken
Tips & common questions
How long does Tacos al Pastor take to make?
About 70 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 7 steps and 13 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of lime?
Try lemon. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Tacos al Pastor is an original Mexican recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Al pastor tacos (34965815632).jpg by T.Tseng, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.