Tacos al Pastor
This recipe for Tacos al Pastor is authentic, mouthwatering, and easier to make than you might think. Tender bites of marinated and lightly crispy pork are served in a corn tortilla with the freshest, most vibrant pineapple salsa. Serve these classic tacos at your upcoming Cinco de Mayo party and watch them disappear!
Tacos al Pastor
It’s time to fire up the grill! With Cinco de Mayo just around the corner and summer creeping up soon after that, my grill will be putting in overtime work. This winter has been a bit too long – I’m ready to eat tacos with my friends in my backyard! Oh, and of course I’ll be having a margarita to wash it all down, because, well, why not?! Nothing pairs better than tacos and margs.
Speaking of tacos, there’s no better taco to make than Tacos al Pastor! Okay… that may be an exaggeration, only because there are SO many tacos I love. Lately, however, these bad boys are all that I’ve been craving. I made this Chicken al Pastor a while back and wanted to mix it up with a traditional recipe with pork. Corn tortillas serve as the host to marinated and tender pork and the most vibrant pineapple salsa. Trust me, these tacos are sure to wake up those taste buds in the best way possible. We’ve been making them this way ever since our vacation to Cancun 10 years ago. It’s really the best way.
You’ll really love how easy these impressive, crowd pleasing tacos are to make. Simply marinate the pork, cook it, and toss it in a tortilla with some freshly made pineapple salsa. Voila! You now have tacos that your friends will love and that might just be better than the restaurant’s down the road.
How to Make Tacos al Pastor
Hope you’re hungry, because these tacos are seriously satisfying!
- Make the marinade. Place the yellow onion, diced pineapple, orange juice, vinegar, chili powder, garlic chipotle, salt and oregano in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Marinate the pork. Pour the marinade all over the pork in a bowl and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Grill the pineapple. Heat grill to medium heat and cook the pineapple slices for 3-4 minutes per side to lightly char them. Once charred, allow the slices to cool for a few minutes, then dice them into garnish-sized bites.
- Cook the pork. Drain the pork and discard the marinade. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and cook the pork for about 4 minutes per side.
- Assemble the tacos. Serve the cooked pork immediately in a tortilla with cilantro, red onions, charred pineapple and a squeeze of lime juice!
Not a pork fan, try this Chicken al Pastor. It’s so easy to make in the oven!
Tips for the Best Tacos al Pastor
Check out these quick tips that’ll help you get the best tacos every single time:
- Don’t skip the charred pineapple. I know that firing up the grill just to char the pineapple may seem excessive… but I promise it’s so very worth it. The light char on the pineapple adds a depth to the flavor of the sweet, vibrant fruit that really develops the flavors in an incredible way.
- Marinate the pork for long enough. You don’t want to skip out on flavor! Marinating the pork for at least 4 hours is crucial. It gives the pork just enough time to really take on and develop the flavors from your homemade marinade.
- Use Mexican oregano. If you can’t find any, plain (Italian) oregano will work just fine. However, Mexican oregano will yield the most authentic flavor. Try finding some online if it’s not readily available at your local grocery store.
- Use a cast iron skillet. Using the cast iron skillet could result in a nice char on some of the pork pieces. It’s best to cook the pork in batches when using this type of skillet.
Aim to impress on taco Tuesday with these easy recipes!
- Birria Tacos (Quesa Birria)
- Lobster Tacos with Cilantro Lime Aioli
- Baked Rotisserie Chicken Tacos
- Slow Cooker Taco Beef
For more easy tex mex recipes, follow us on Instagram and Facebook!
Get the Recipe: Tacos Al Pastor Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless pork butt, sliced thin about ¼” wide and about 6 inches long
- 1 cup yellow onion, cut into chunks
- 1 pineapple, divided (peeled cut into strips, and 1 cup diced)
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- 2 TBSP adobo chili powder, you can mix 2 TBSP chili powder with ¼ tsp red pepper flakes if you can’t find adobo chili powder
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 chipotle peppers in adobo, you can use more if you like it spicy
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano, You can use Majoriam as a substitute if you can’t find Mexican oregano)
Toppings
- 2 limes, cut into 6 wedges each
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup red onion diced
- 10-12 small corn tortillas, flour can be used
Equipment
- 1 skillet
Instructions
- Place sliced pork in a large bowl.
- In a blender place the yellow onion, 1 cup diced pineapple, orange juice, vinegar, chili powder, garlic chipotle, salt and oregano. Blend until smooth.
- Pour over the pork and mix well. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours, this can be marinated overnight.
- Before removing the pork from its marinade, Heat grill to medium heat (about 300-350 degrees) and cook the pineapple slices for 3-4 minutes per side, charring lightly. Once cooked, allow to cool slightly then dice about ¼ inch to be used as an additional garnish.
- Remove the pork pieces from the marinade (in a strainer, if necessary) onto a tray or plate, then set aside. Discard the remaining marinade.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Cook pork until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. (Using the cask iron skillet could result in a nice char on some of the pork pieces. It is best to do this in batches using this type of skillet.)
- For any larger pieces roughly chop the pork and serve immediately with tortillas garnished with cilantro, red onion, pineapple and lime wedge.