Tacos al pastor
Juicy, achiote‑and‑pineapple marinated pork, charred and piled into warmed corn tortillas with fresh pineapple salsa.
Tacos al pastor are the crowd‑pleasing street tacos of Mexico — richly spiced pork marinated with achiote and pineapple, charred until sticky and slightly smoky. This home‑cook version captures those flavours without a vertical spit: we roast and finish under the grill for the same caramelised edges.
Make them for a weekend feast or when friends pop round; they’re fun to assemble and infinitely more satisfying than takeaway taco kits.
Ingredients
- 700 g pork shoulder
- 4 dried guajillo chillies
- 2 dried ancho chillies
- 30 g achiote paste
- 3 garlic cloves — peeled
- 60 ml white wine vinegar
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 300 g pineapple — peeled and core removed
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 15 ml brown sugar
- 10 ml sea salt
- 12 corn tortillas — about 6–8 cm / small tacos
- 1 white onion — use half finely diced for salsa and half sliced to top tacos
- 20 g fresh coriander — leaves chopped
- 2 limes — one for salsa, one to serve
- 200 ml water — hot water for soaking chillies
Equipment
- blender
- baking tray
- tongs
Instructions
Prepare the chillies: remove stems and seeds from the dried guajillo and ancho chillies. Toast in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 20–30 seconds each side until aromatic but not blackened. Transfer to a heatproof bowl, pour over the hot water to cover and leave to soak for 20 minutes.
Make the marinade: drain the chillies (reserve about 100 ml of the soaking liquid). In a blender combine the drained chillies, achiote paste, garlic cloves, white wine vinegar, vegetable oil, 100 g of the pineapple, the reserved soaking liquid (about 100 ml), ground cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, brown sugar and 1 tsp of the sea salt. Blend to a smooth, pourable paste — add a splash more water if needed.
Slice the pork: pat the pork shoulder dry and cut into very thin slices, about 3–4 mm thick — thicker pieces will take longer to char and may be chewier.
Marinate the pork: place the sliced pork in a large bowl, pour over the blended marinade and add the remaining pineapple (cut into 1–2 cm pieces). Mix thoroughly so every slice is coated, cover and chill in the fridge for 8 hours (or overnight) to let the flavours develop.
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional. Spread the marinated pork and pineapple pieces in a single layer on a baking tray lined with foil or greaseproof paper — do not overcrowd the tray or the meat will steam rather than char. Roast for 30 minutes, turning once halfway, until juices run clear and edges are darkening.
Finish under a hot grill for extra char: transfer the tray under a high grill for 2–3 minutes until the meat and pineapple have a few blackened spots. Watch constantly to avoid burning.
Chop and crisp: remove the meat from the tray, roughly chop into small chunks and quickly crisp in a hot frying pan with 1 tbsp vegetable oil for 3–4 minutes so the edges caramelise.
Make the pineapple salsa: finely dice about 80 g of the raw pineapple (from the total), finely dice half the white onion, chop the fresh coriander, squeeze in the juice of one lime and season with a pinch of sea salt. Mix and leave for 5 minutes to marry.
Warm the tortillas: heat a clean frying pan until very hot. Warm each corn tortilla for about 30 seconds per side until pliable and slightly charred; keep wrapped in a clean tea towel to stay soft.
Assemble the tacos: place a generous spoonful of the chopped pork on each warm tortilla, top with pineapple salsa, a few slices of the remaining raw white onion, a sprinkle of fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Thinly slicing the pork is key — about 3–4 mm. If your knife struggles, chill the meat in the fridge for 15–20 minutes first.
- Reserve a little of the pineapple for fresh salsa to balance the smoky, sweet cooked fruit.
- Don’t overcrowd the tray when roasting. Space gives you the caramelisation that defines al pastor.
- Make the marinade a day ahead and marinate overnight for deeper flavour; keep total marinating time under 24 hours to avoid overly soft meat.
- Leftovers reheat well in a hot frying pan to revive the crisp edges; store separately from salsa for best texture.
Substitutions
pork shoulder → boneless pork leg, same weight
Stays closeachiote paste → 2 tsp smoked paprika + 1 tsp tomato purée (adds colour and some smokiness but loses the classic annatto flavour)
Noticeably differentcorn tortillas → small flour tortillas, same count
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 530
- Calories
- 30 g
- Protein
- 35 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this without achiote paste?
Yes — use smoked paprika plus a little tomato purée as a substitute. The colour will be paler and the annatto flavour missing, but the result is still tasty.
How spicy is this?
Moderately spicy from the guajillo and ancho chillies. Remove seeds before soaking for milder heat, or add a small dried chilli if you like it hotter.
Can I cook this only on the hob?
Yes. After marinating, cook the pork in a very hot frying pan in batches for 6–8 minutes until charred and cooked through — keep batches small so the meat colours rather than steams.
How long will leftovers keep?
Store cooked pork and salsa separately in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the pork in a hot frying pan to restore crisp edges.
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