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Tacos Al Pastor

Have y’all ever tried Tacos Al Pastor? I mean, talk about a taco! So dang good. 

Tacos al Pastor are the ultimate taco experience. Pork marinated in a delicious guajillo chile sauce overnight, then cooked with diced pineapple for a fantastic spicy + refreshing flavor explosion! Tacos Al Pastor

Our nanny, Martha, is a fantastic cook and was born and raised in Leon, Mexico. She loves watching me cook in the kitchen for my blog and is always offering helpful tips and tricks in the kitchen, especially when I am making Tex-Mex or Mexican inspired food. Pretty much, this Texan is doing it all wrong! ha! I asked Martha what her very favorite tacos were, and she immediately said Tacos Al Pastor and said she’d love to share the recipe with us.

Some of these ingredients (mainly the chiles) may not be familiar to your pantry, but I can’t encourage you enough to buy some and make these tacos this summer! They are perfect for entertaining and will really wow your guests!

Thank you, Martha, for teaching us to make your Tacos al Pastor. You are one heck of a cook!Tacos Al Pastor

SHOP THE POST.

For another taco recipe with a kick, try my Spicy Chicken Tikka Tacos!

Tacos al Pastor
Serves 6
Game-changing pineapple and pork tacos that will make your taco Tuesday ridiculously great!
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
50 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
50 min
For the Marinade
  1. 4 dried guajillo peppers
  2. 4 dried ancho chiles
  3. 4 cloves garlic
  4. 2 whole cloves
  5. 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  6. kosher salt, to taste
  7. black pepper, to taste
  8. 1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
  9. 1/4 cup orange juice
  10. 2 tbsp. lime juice
  11. 2 tbsp. Achiote paste
  12. 1/4 cup cubed pineapple
  13. 1/2 white onion, cut in half
  14. 1.5 cups reserved water from softening the chiles
For the Pork Tacos
  1. 3-4 lbs. pork shoulder
  2. 3 cups pineapple, diced into 1/2 inch cubes (plus more for serving)
  3. cilantro, for serving
  4. Tortillas or butter lettuce leaves, for serving
  5. 1/4 head purple cabbage, shredded fine
  6. lime wedges
  7. finely diced red onion
Instructions
  1. Remove stem and seeds from the dried chiles.
  2. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Once water reaches a boil, remove from heat and add the chiles to the hot water. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until softened.
  3. Meanwhile, place remaining marinade ingredients in a blender. When the chiles are softened, using tongs transfer to the blender along with 1.5 cups of the liquid from the sauce pan that you softened the chiles in.
  4. Blend until very smooth. Set aside to allow to cool.
  5. Meanwhile, trim off excess fat from the pork, then dice into 1/2 inch-sized cubes.
  6. Place cubed pork in a large bowl. Pour enough of the cooled marinade over the pork to just cover. Toss to coat, cover and let marinade overnight. (you can freeze leftover marinade).
  7. When ready to cook, heat a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. When hot, add the pork in a single layer (you may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your skillet) with the diced pineapple. Saute on all sides until the pork is cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
  8. Serve in warm tortillas, in butter lettuce leaves, or on top of rice.
  9. Top with fresh diced red onion, shredded purple cabbage, more pineapple, cilantro and lime wedges.
  10. Enjoy!
The Defined Dish https://thedefineddish.com/


Welcome! I’m Alex.

I’m a food lover sharing healthy, simple, delicious, recipes from my kitchen to yours. Here you’ll find lots of Whole30, lots of healthy, and a little indulgence here and there because…it’s all about balance y’all!


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