Description
Al pastor — shepherd-style pork — is the Mexican taco filling inspired by Lebanese shawarma, adapted with dried chiles and pineapple. The pork is marinated in a bright red achiote-chile paste, then grilled or broiled with pineapple until charred and caramelized. The combination of smoky, spicy pork with sweet, juicy pineapple on a small corn tortilla is arguably the best taco in existence.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 3 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon achiote paste (or 1 teaspoon annatto powder)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch rings
- 12 small corn tortillas
- 1/2 white onion, finely diced
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Salsa verde
Instructions
- Toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet 30 seconds per side. Cover with boiling water and soak 15 minutes. Drain.
- Blend the soaked chiles with pineapple juice, garlic, vinegar, achiote paste, cumin, oregano, and salt until smooth.
- Toss the sliced pork in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
- Preheat broiler or grill to high. Thread the pork onto skewers or lay flat on a baking sheet with pineapple rings alongside.
- Broil or grill 4 to 5 minutes per side until charred and caramelized. Chop the pork into small pieces and dice the grilled pineapple.
- Serve on doubled corn tortillas topped with diced pineapple, white onion, cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and salsa verde.
Notes
- Achiote paste gives al pastor its signature red color and earthy flavor. It is available in the Latin foods section of most grocery stores.
- Slicing the pork thin maximizes the surface area for the marinade and creates more charred edges.
- The combination of charred pork and sweet pineapple is the soul of al pastor — do not skip the pineapple.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 720
- Fat: 20
- Carbohydrates: 32
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 40
- Cholesterol: 105