Tacos al pastor

190 min, requires preparation the day before

Tacos al pastor, one of Mexico’s most beloved street foods, is known for its vibrant flavors and aromatic spices. These tacos originated from Lebanese immigrants who brought shawarma to Mexico in the early 20^th century. Over time, Mexicans adapted the dish, swapping lamb for pork and adding pineapple for a touch of sweetness. Traditionally, tacos al pastor are cooked on a trompo — a vertical rotisserie where marinated pork is stacked and roasted in front of an open flame until perfectly tender and caramelized. Our recipe is made for cooking at home, on a skillet.

For Margarita, this recipe seemed very daunting until she tried to cook it for the first time. We hope you’ll enjoy making these tacos at home and sharing them with friends and family. Don’t forget to put some spicy salsita on your taco!

Ingredients

Yields 35 tacos

For the meat

1½ kg of pork
1 onion
4 oranges
juice
olive oil
2 tablespoons of achiote
3 pinches of dried oregano
salt

For the pineapple

1 pineapple
2 tablespoons of butter
2–3 tablespoons of coconut sugar
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

For serving

You will need

large skillet with a lid
medium-sized non-sticking pot with a lid

Directions

To cook the meat

Halve the onion, peel, and slice into 1/2 cm slices.
Prepare the marinade: juice the oranges, dilute 2 tablespoons of achiote in orange juice, add onions, 3 pinches of dried oregano, and salt.
Wash the meat, and cut into 2 cm cubes, add the meat to the marinade, and thoroughly mix.
Refrigerate the meat overnight in a closed container.
In a medium-size pot set on medium-high heat, start cooking the meat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook covered for about 40 minutes, until the meat is soft.
Heat a bit of olive oil on a medium-size skillet set on medium-high heat, and fry the meat with a bit of juice and onions for about 10 minutes, until it starts to brown a bit.

To cook the pineapple

While the meet is cooking, peel the pineapple, remove the core, and cut it into 1 cm cubes.
In a medium-sized non-sticking pot, melt the butter.
Add the pineapple, 2–3 tablespoons of coconut sugar, and ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Stir thoroughly, and cook covered for about 15 minutes, until the pineapple is soft.
Uncover the pineapples, and cook for about 5 minutes more to reduce the liquid.

To serve

Warm up the tortillas: heat a non-sticking or cast iron skillet on medium-high until hot (don’t add oil). Warm the tortillas one by one: for about 30 seconds on one side, then for about one minute on the other side, then flip again and cook a bit more, until crispy but still slightly flexible (they shouldn’t be too soft because the meat is very juicy, and they may break).
Serve all the ingredients separately: meat, tortillas, avocado, pineapples, pico de gallo, salsa verde, and pickled onions, so everyone can assemble a taco of their dream.

Explore ingredients

Ingredients explorer

Name	Kind	Season	Contains
Achiote	Vegan
Avocado	Vegan	January February March April November December
Butter	Vegetarian		Dairy
Cinnamon	Vegan
Coconut sugar	Vegan
Dried oregano	Vegan
First world salsa verde	Vegan
Olive oil	Vegan
Onion	Vegan
Orange	Vegan	January February March April November December
Pickled onions	Vegan
Pico de gallo	Vegan	June July August September
Pineapple	Vegan
Pork	Meat
Salt	Vegan
Tortilla	Vegan