Tacos al Pastor

Make Ahead and Storage

Cooked pork keeps 4 days refrigerated and freezes 3 months. Reheat in a screaming-hot dry pan to re-crisp the edges.

Making Tacos al Pastor

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1. Toast the dried chillies in a dry pan for 30 seconds a side until fragrant but not blackened, then soak in hot water for 20 minutes.

   Mark done Start 30 sec timer

2. Blend the drained chillies with the chipotles, achiote, garlic, pineapple juice, vinegar, oregano, cumin and salt into a smooth, thick paste.

   Mark done

3. Toss the pork slices in the marinade until every piece is coated. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

   Mark done

4. Stack the pork slices tightly onto two long metal skewers driven through a base of pineapple rings, building a compact 15 cm tower. Top with more pineapple.

   Mark done

5. Stand the skewers upright in a roasting tin — an onion half makes a good stand — and roast at 220°C / 430°F for 45 to 55 minutes, until the outside is charred and the interior reaches 71°C / 160°F.

   Mark done Start 45 min timer

6. Grill the remaining pineapple rings hard on both sides until blackened at the edges, then dice.

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7. Rest the meat for 10 minutes, then shave thin slices off the outside of the stack with a sharp knife, exactly as a taquero would.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

8. Warm the tortillas on a dry comal for 20 seconds a side, doubling them up.

   Mark done

9. Fill with pork, charred pineapple, onion and coriander. Serve with lime and salsa verde.

   Mark done

Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Worth Knowing

• Ask the butcher to slice the shoulder thinly on a slicer. Doing it by hand is possible if you half-freeze the meat first.
• Do not marinate longer than 24 hours — the pineapple enzymes will turn the pork mushy.
• Double the tortillas. One will always tear, and that is how it is served in Mexico City anyway.

Why the Method Is What It Is

Pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down muscle protein — which is why it only goes into the marinade briefly and mostly onto the grill. Stacking the pork slices tightly on a skewer recreates the trompo effect: the outside chars while the interior steams in its own juices.

Serving Ideas

A cold Mexican lager with lime, or a margarita · Serve with charro beans and grilled spring onions · Finish with churros

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Instant Pot Black Beans, One Pan Mexican Rice, Pan de Muerto.

Changing the Recipe

• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for limes in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Tacos al Pastor FAQ

The Numbers per Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.

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