Authentic Tacos al Pastor
This is a tribute to the street food of Mexico City, capturing that signature smoky-sweet profile with tender marinated pork and charred pineapple.
mostly unattended — the clock does the work
Reverse-engineered from Masa y Fuego Taquería · Mexico City
Ingredients
for 4 servings
- 1 kgpork shoulder — cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tbspachiote paste
- 3chipotle peppers in adobo — chopped
- 0.5 cuporange juice
- 0.25 cupapple cider vinegar
- 4 clovesgarlic — smashed and minced
- 1 tspcumin
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 1 tspground cinnamon
- 1pineapple — sliced into wedges
- 1 bunchfresh cilantro — chopped
- 1white onion — finely diced
- 12corn tortillas
- 1lime — cut into wedges
Equipment
checked against your kitchen
- ✓stovetop
What cooks learned
Only 3 cooks have logged this one in Cook Mode so far — not enough to say anything about where it goes wrong.
Method
- 1
In a large bowl, whisk together the achiote paste, chopped chipotles, orange juice, vinegar, minced garlic, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon to create the marinade.
5 min→ marinade
- 2
Add the cubed pork shoulder to the marinade and toss to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 24 hours).
1 h · 5 min attention - 3parallel track
In a small bowl, toss the chopped cilantro and diced onion with lime juice to create a fresh salsa garnish.
10 min→ garnish
- 4
waits for: step 2
Preheat oven to 200C. Spread the marinated pork onto a parchment-lined tray or heavy skillet and roast until the meat is tender and edges are slightly crispy.
45 min · 10 min attention200°C internal⏱ meat pulls away easily from the fork · 45 minDone when: meat pulls away easily from the fork
- 5
waits for: step 3
While meat roasts, sear the pineapple wedges in a hot skillet with a drizzle of oil until deeply charred and caramelized.
8 minDone when: distinct grill marks appear on the fruit
- 6
waits for: steps 4 and 5
Shred the roasted pork, warm the tortillas over an open flame, and assemble tacos with the meat, charred pineapple, and garnish.
10 minDone when: perfectly assembled tacos