Updated on December 22nd, 2023
Tacos Al Pastor is one of my favorite Mexicans foods. They are tacos filled with grilled pork, pineapple, and cilantro relish. I had never heard of these until a couple days ago when I came across a recipe and just had to give them a try. They were a huge success and I will be making them frequently. The pork gets marinated in an orange juice/pineapple mixture. This helps to tenderize the meat. I felt the flavor of the pork, pineapple and cilantro relish all went together extremely well. I also decided to add some shredded Monterey jack cheese to my tacos. The tacos also go great with different types of salsas. If you do not have a grill this could all be done using a grill pan or even a skillet. Enjoy.
Tacos Al Pastor Recipe
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (3 pounds) boneless pork loin
- 1 large white onion (cut in half)
- A ½ cup of orange juice
- 1 pineapple (peeled and cut crosswise into ½” rounds)
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup chili powder
- 3 garlic cloves (cut in half)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 small chipotle chilies in adobo sauce(plus 1–2 teaspoons adobo sauce)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 package corn tortillas
Instructions
- Take 2 pineapple rounds and seal and refrigerate the rest. Chop 2 pineapple rounds (discarding the core) and place chopped pineapple, orange juice and ½ of the onion into a food processor.
- Add vinegar, chili powder, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, chipotle chilies, and adobo sauce. Puree in the food processor until the mixture is smooth. Place pork in a large sealable plastic bag, add marinade and refrigerator 4 hours (or overnight).
- Heat grill to medium-high heat. Grill remaining pineapple until warm and slightly charred. Remove from grill and chop, discarding the core.
- Remove pork from the marinade and place onto the grill. Grill until cooked through and slightly charred. Remove from grill and chop pork into small cubes. Toss diced pork with chopped pineapple.
- Finely chopped the remaining onion half and put it into a medium bowl. Add chopped cilantro and toss to combine. Grill tortillas until warm (about 10 seconds per side).
- Add pork/pineapple mixture on top of each tortilla, and then add cilantro relish. You can also add salsa and cheese if desired.
These tacos look too damned good. So good they should be illegal!
now these are good looking, mighty fine tacos.
This looks amazing… the fruit must make the pork divinely sweet and flavorful!
Thanks for the great post!
I’ve never even heard of this, but it looks absolutely delicious. Apparently I’ve been missing out!
For those who have not heard / tasted these…they are amazing! There used to be a Mexican restaurant where I would get these all the time. The employees said this is as close to true Mexican food that you can get. It’s a perfect balance of flavors. Whenever I would order a plate, it was served with salsa verde. I’m glad that I can re-create the dish in my own kitchen now. =)
Those look so good! I really like using the pineapple in dishes like this!
If you like tacos al pastor, you’ll love cemitas al pastor. Cemitas take sandwiches to heights almost unheard of here in the US…eating one is like a religious experience for me.
The ingredients:
al pastor
chipotles en adobo
avocado (sliced thin)
refried beans
oaxaca cheese (or queso fresco or bufalo mozzarella)
cilantro
iceberg lettuce
tomato
mayonaise
hamburger buns (or kaiser rolls or brioche)
Melt cheese on toasted buns under your broiler.When the cheese has melted, spread a thin layer of mayo and refried beans on the bun. Add chipotle (to your taste) and the remaining ingredients, and briefly return to the oven.
Fantastic photo! I love the addition of pineapple.
I’m going to lunch now with your tacos in mind – it looks so delicious!!!