The Ultimate Spicy Tacos Al Pastor Recipe

This Spicy Tacos Al Pastor recipe is perfect for serving a crowd. You can bake it in an oven or on the grill. It’s impressive to look at and even more delicious to eat.

John and I love to make our Sunday dinners together. He is my grill guy and I’m usually his sous chef responsible for a side dish or salad. When he ran across a recipe for Tacos Al Pastor, we knew we had to give it a try.

I’ve never heard of anyone that doesn’t like Mexican food. We all have our favorite style and John and I tend to enjoy the authentic recipes versus “Tex-Mex”. Especially if we can eat it in Mexico! We’ve been to different areas and love the culture and its people.

I don’t know how authentic this Spicy Tacos Al Pastor recipe is but it sure is delicious. The meat is marinated and so tender and flavorful. John chose to put it on the grill by setting it in a cast iron dutch oven. The meat was so lean that we didn’t get a lot of dripping. A skillet would have worked well too. I just loved the char that some of the meat got. John sliced it thin and we served it on corn tortillas topped with the simplest of toppings.

We love celebrating Cinco de Mayo. Actually, it’s just an excuse to enjoy Mexican food and maybe a Margarita or two with our friends. I can’t wait to serve this one. The pictures may look impressive or a little intimidating like it was to me, but it’s a very simple recipe to make. I know my friends are going to love it!

Don’t have time to make it now? Pin it for later!

The Ultimate Spicy Tacos Al Pastor Recipe

Author: Hostess At Heart

This Spicy Tacos Al Pastor recipe is perfect for serving a crowd. You can bake it in an oven or on the grill. It's impressive to see and even more delicious to eat.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword: Spicy Tacos Al Pastor

Servings: 12

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 lbs boneless pork shoulder cut into just under 1/2 inch (3/8) slices
• 3 tbsp achiote paste
• 2 tbsp guajillo chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1 pineapple

Toppings

• Fresh cilantro chopped
• Green onion diced
• Cotija cheese crumbled
• Tomatoes seeded and diced
• Corn tortillas

Other

• 1 thick wooden skewer or wooden dowel soaked in water 20 minutes.

Instructions

 

• In a large glass bowl combine achiote paste with vinegar and stir until no large lumps exist. Stir in Guaillo powder, garlic powder, Mexican oregano, cumin, salt and pepper and pineapple juice. Add meat, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Skin the pineapple and slice into 1-inch rounds. Thread one pineapple round onto the wooden skewer and if baking in the oven, set it on a rimmed baking sheet covered with foil. You can also set it in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven and place it on the grill as we did. Layer slices of pork onto the skewer until 1 inch remains at the top. Place another slice of pineapple over the top.
• Preheat oven to 350°F oven for approximately 90 minutes or until the outside is slightly charred on the outside. Briefly grill remaining pineapple slices or bake for 15 minutes until they begin to brown.
• Remove the meat and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Slice meat thinly. Assemble tacos and serve immediately.

Notes

Prep time includes inactive marinating time. 

Nutritional information doesn't include whole pineapple or tortillas.

Nutrition

Calories: 146kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 17gFat: 2gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 452mgPotassium: 415mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 445IUVitamin C: 37mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1.4mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

Here are some more amazing Mexican recipes that we love:

Crockpot Chipotle Chicken Tacos

Raspberry Jalapeno Shrimp Tacos

Homemade Jalapeno Tortilla Recipe

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