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Mexican

Tacos al pastor

Non-vegetarian

Thin slices of pork marinated in dried chillies, pineapple, vinegar and spices, seared until charred at the edges and served in warm corn tortillas with onion, cilantro and pineapple.

Tacos al pastor is a Mexican street food from Mexico, ready in about 2 hours 45 minutes and made with pork shoulder, dried whole chillies and pineapple. It serves 5 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
25 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
2 h
Total
2 h 45 min
Serves
5
Level
Intermediate
Calories
656

Marinate for 2 hours or overnight.

Ingredients

5 servings

For the marinade

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Toast the chillies briefly in a dry pan, then soak in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain and blend with the garlic (opens in a new tab), vinegar, orange juice (opens in a new tab), 150 g pineapple (opens in a new tab), achiote paste (opens in a new tab), cumin (opens in a new tab), oregano (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab) and salt until smooth.

  2. Step 2

    Coat the pork slices thoroughly with the marinade, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Marinate raw pork in the fridge, not at room temperature.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil in a large frying pan or griddle over high heat. Cook the pork in batches in a single layer until charred at the edges and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

    Food safety: Cook pork until no pink remains (71 °C).

    A flatbread cooking on a hot griddle
    How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Briefly sear the diced pineapple (opens in a new tab) in the hot pan. Chop the pork into small pieces.

    • 3 min
    • high heat
    Meat searing in a hot pan
    How it looks · Photo: Skylar Kang on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Pile the pork onto warm tortillas (opens in a new tab) and top with onion (opens in a new tab), cilantro (opens in a new tab) and pineapple (opens in a new tab). Serve with lime (opens in a new tab) wedges and salsa.

    • 2 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Puebla and Mexico City, Mexico · Well documentedDeveloped from the vertical-spit shawarma brought by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico; this is a home skillet version without the spit (trompo).Also popular in United StatesMore food from Mexico
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Street food · Main courses
Cooking method
Marinated / cured, Pan-fried
Taste
sweet & savoury, smoky, spicy (chilli heat), tangy
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Pork shoulder · Dried whole chillies · Pineapple · Garlic · Apple cider vinegar · Orange juice
Techniques
Searing · Pan-frying · Marinating · Curing

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

656 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 375 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 20%
  • Carbohydrate 32%
  • Fat 47%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy656 kcal175 kcal
Protein34 g9.1 g
Carbohydrate54 g14.4 g
Net carbohydrate45.3 g12.1 g
Sugars10.1 g2.7 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre8.7 g2.3 g
Fat34.8 g9.3 g
Saturated fat10.7 g2.9 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol114 mg30 mg
Sodium849 mg227 mg
Salt equivalent2.1 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
950 mg
Calcium
131 mg
Iron
4.4 mg
Magnesium
113 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
139 µg
Vitamin C
45 mg
Vitamin D
2.7 µg
Vitamin B12
1.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
39 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: lime, tomato salsa (jarred).
  • Achiote paste: Ground paprika (FDC 171329) used as a stand-in: achiote paste is ground annatto seed with spices, garlic and vinegar.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Partially freezing the pork for 30 minutes makes thin slicing much easier.

Common mistakes

  • Overcrowding the pan stews the meat and you lose the charred edges.

Serve with

  • Serve with salsa verde, radishes and grilled spring onions.

Storage

  • Refrigerate cooked pork up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Re-crisp in a very hot pan.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 5

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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