Pastor Taco Recipe

Prepare chiles

Remove stems and seeds from guajillo and ancho chiles. Toast them briefly in a dry skillet over medium heat for 20–30 seconds per side until fragrant but not burned.

Soak chiles

Place toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Let soak 15 minutes until softened, then drain, reserving a little soaking liquid.

Make adobo marinade

In a blender combine softened chiles, achiote paste, pineapple juice, orange juice, white vinegar, garlic cloves, chipotle in adobo, ground cumin, dried oregano, smoked paprika, kosher salt, black pepper and olive oil. Blend until smooth. If too thick, add up to 2 tablespoons reserved soaking liquid or water to reach a pourable paste.

Marinate pork

Place thinly sliced pork and 3/4 of the thin pineapple slices in a large bowl or zip-top bag. Pour marinade over pork, massaging to coat thoroughly. Cover or seal and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight for best flavor.

Cook pork

When ready to cook, remove pork from fridge 20 minutes to come toward room temperature. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or heavy griddle over medium-high heat until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil (or olive oil) and spread marinated pork in an even layer (work in batches to avoid crowding). Cook, stirring and pressing occasionally, 6–10 minutes depending on thickness, until edges are caramelized and pork is cooked through. During final 2–3 minutes add remaining reserved pineapple slices to the pan to caramelize alongside the pork. If you prefer, stack cooked slices and chop finely to mimic the traditional al pastor shave.

Finish and rest

Remove skillet from heat. Chop or shred the cooked pork into bite-size pieces and mix with any pan juices and caramelized pineapple. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt.

Warm tortillas

Heat a separate clean skillet or comal over medium-high heat. Lightly brush both sides of each corn tortilla with vegetable oil and warm 20–30 seconds per side until pliable and slightly charred in spots. Keep tortillas warm wrapped in a clean kitchen towel.

Assemble tacos

Place 2–3 tablespoons of the chopped pastor pork onto each warm tortilla. Top with a few pieces of the caramelized pineapple.

Add garnishes

Sprinkle chopped white onion and cilantro over each taco. Add a pinch of salt and a dash of crushed red pepper or hot sauce to taste. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing.

Serve

Serve immediately while hot. Leftover pork keeps 3–4 days refrigerated and reheats well in a skillet; warm tortillas separately.