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Tacos al Pastor

This tacos al pastor recipe is sure to impress your family and friends. A good taco al pastor is very hard to come by in the States. Now you can enjoy them in the comfort of your own home anytime!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 8 hours 50 minutes
Servings 8 people

Equipment

  • 2 Mixing Bowls For soaking chiles and marinating pork.
  • 1 Saucepan For preparing the chile paste.
  • 1 Large Skillet or Comal For cooking the pork and warming tortillas.
  • 1 Fork or Mortar & Pestle For mashing chiles.
  • 1 Plate or shallow dish For stacking marinated pork.

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 8 dried pasilla chiles seeded and torn to pieces
  • 8 dried guajillo chiles seeded and torn to pieces
  • 8 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 teaspoon achiote powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • salt to taste
  • 2 pounds pork tenderloin thinly sliced
  • ½ cup chopped pineapple
  • 32 5 inch corn tortillas
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 4 limes cut in wedges

Instructions
 

  • Soak pasilla chiles and guajillo chiles in a bowl with hot water until softened, about 10 minutes; drain. Mash chiles, garlic, achiote powder, cumin, and cloves in a saucepan with a fork.
  • Add vinegar to saucepan and bring to a boil; cook and stir until mixture becomes a thick paste. Season with salt. Rub chile paste over sliced pork, stacking meat on a plate. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours to overnight.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add marinated pork and pineapple; cook and stir until pork is browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Divide pork mixture over stacks of two corn tortillas; serve with onion, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Notes

For richer flavor, lightly toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet before soaking; this deepens their complexity. Ensure the chile paste is smooth; a blender or food processor can achieve this better than a fork. Don't rush the marinade; 8 hours to overnight is crucial for the pork to absorb the vibrant al pastor flavors. When cooking, sear the pork in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan, which can steam rather than brown the meat. High heat is key for a good sear. Warm tortillas on a comal or dry skillet until pliable for the best taco experience.