Tacos

Tacos al Pastor (Mexican Street Tacos)

A classic Mexican street food featuring marinated pork grilled with pineapple, served on warm corn tortillas with onion, cilantro, and salsa. This recipe uses a baking sheet and broiler instead of a traditional trompo (vertical spit).

Prep

30 min

Cook

25 min

Total

55 min

Serves

8 tacos (serves 4)

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1.1 lb) pork shoulder (boneless), trimmed and cut into 1 cm (½ in) slices
• •3 whole dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
• •1 whole dried ancho chile, stem and seeds removed
• •60 ml (¼ cup) pineapple juice, from the canned pineapple
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) white vinegar
• •2 cloves garlic, minced
• •1 g (¼ tsp) ground cumin
• •1 g (¼ tsp) dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• •5 g (1 tsp) salt
• •1 g (½ tsp) black pepper
• •3 slices canned pineapple rings, drained, reserve juice; substitute fresh if needed
• •16 g (½ oz) white onion, finely diced, divided
• •15 g (½ cup) fresh cilantro, chopped, divided
• •8 whole corn tortillas, small (12 cm / 5 in), street-taco size
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil, for brushing
• •1 whole lime, cut into 4 wedges
• •60 g (¼ cup) salsa verde or salsa roja, store-bought or homemade, to serve

Steps

1. 1 Toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side until fragrant and slightly puffed. Transfer to a bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for 15 minutes until soft, then drain.
2. 2 In a blender, combine the soaked chiles, 60 ml (¼ cup) pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth to make the marinade.
3. 3 Place the pork slices in a large bowl or zip-top bag and pour the marinade over. Massage to coat, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour, ideally 4–24 hours, turning occasionally.
4. 4 When ready to cook, preheat the broiler to high (230 °C / 450 °F) and position a rack about 15 cm (6 in) from the heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and brush lightly with oil.
5. 5 Layer the marinated pork slices on the baking sheet, slightly overlapping. Top with the pineapple rings, tucking them between the pork so the edges char.
6. 6 Broil for 5 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning. Flip the pork (and pineapple) with tongs and broil another 5 minutes. Continue flipping every 3–4 minutes until edges are deeply charred and the pork reaches an internal temperature of 71 °C (160 °F) on an instant-read thermometer, about 18–22 minutes total.
7. 7 Transfer the baking sheet to a cutting board. Coarsely chop the pork and pineapple together and transfer to a serving bowl.
8. 8 Heat the tortillas one at a time directly over a gas flame for about 10–15 seconds per side until lightly charred and pliable, or warm them in a dry skillet. Stack and keep wrapped in a clean kitchen towel.
9. 9 To assemble each taco, place a warm tortilla on a plate and top with about 40 g (2 heaping tbsp) of the pork-pineapple mixture. Sprinkle with diced onion and cilantro, and serve immediately with lime wedges and salsa on the side.