Authentic Tacos Al Pastor
Tacos Al Pastor is definitely one of my favorite tacos. The the tender meat is marinated in a delicious sauce, then it is slowly grilled, thinly sliced, and then served with fresh pineapple, cilantro, and chopped onions. Al pastor also known as tacos Al Pastor. They are tacos made with spit-grilled meat. Bases on the lamb shawarma brought by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico. Alt Pastor features flavors that combine traditional Middle Eastern spices with those indigenous to Mexico. It is a popular street food that has spread across America.
I have been working on this recipe for longer than any other recipe I have ever worked on. At long last I am happy and pretty darn pleased with the result. Finally, this is the best best homemade tacos Al pastor out there, they are perfect for your weeknight family dinners, game day parties, or special occasions specially for budget conscious family.
It is no secret that the best tacos on earth come from Mexico. You can find many different varieties of tacos al pastor on every street corner and at every restaurant in Mexico. All of the tacos have few common elements, such as fresh corn tortillas, fresh chopped onion and cilantro.
Let’s face it we all love tacos! The flavors are incredible, the marinade is out of this world. Made with simple ingredients like guajillo chilies, Mexican spices, achiote paste. As you can tell, I am very happy to share my recipe with you, because it has quickly became my got to recipe.
What are Tacos Al Pastor?
If you are not familiar with al pastor tacos, they are pork tacos, made by marinated the pork with spices, chilis, pineapple juice and vinegar before cooking over a spit for hours. Classic Tacos al Pastor are generally made with boneless pork shoulder, which is perfect for this long, low and slow method of cooking. But you can use any kind of meat.
It was brought over by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico. They would cook their shawarma meat by grilling it on a spit. Then Mexicans adopted this process using their own spices and herbs on hand. So al pastor literally means “shepherd style” in Spanish. Now days, Tacos al pastor are very popular around the world.
Why you are going to love my Tacos Al Pastor
My homemade tacos al pastor recipe is the best out there period. Why? Because it is savory, sweet, smoky, and very easy to make from your own kitchen. I have tried many recipes the last few years, but nothing come closed. The crispy edges and the smoky finished, makes this recipe my got to recipe for taco night.
How to make my tacos al pastor
Authentic Tacos Al Pastor
DifficultyMedium
Servings4
Prep time30 minutes
Cook time40 minutes
Total time1 hour10 minutes
Easy, homemade Tacos Al Pastor perfect for your weeknight dinners, special occasions, get togethers or game day parties. Made with pork shoulder marinated in the most delicious restaurant-style, flavorful marinade that’s earthy, citrusy and slightly spicy! The meat is perfect for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas and more.
Ingredients
For the Marinade Meat
- 4 guajillo chili , seed removed
- 1 tablespoon achiote paste
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 5 cloves
For the Tomatillo Chipotle Sauce
- 3 tomatillos
- 1/4 onions
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 or 2 chipotle in adobo sauce, depending on your level of heat
- 4 tablespoons pineapple juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
For The Meat
- 1
- place guajillo peppers in a saucepan cover with water, simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes just to soften the peppers, let them cool a little bit
- 2
- place peppers, vinegar, pineapple juice, achiote, the spices, and a little bit of the water from boil guajillo peppers, in a blender. Process until you get a smooth texture, pour the sauce through a cheese cloth. Taste the sauce to make sure there is enough salt.
- 3
- put the meat in a bowl and season the with salt and pepper, pour the sauce over the meat and mix well, marinade for 4 hours or overnight.
- 4
- Remove the meat from the refrigerator grill the meat until cooked.
- 5
- then serve the sliced meat with finely chopped onions, cilantro, pieces of pineapple and whatever salsa you have on hand.
For the Tomatillo Chipotle Sauce
- 1
- roast the tomatillos, onion, and garlic in the oven at 450 degrees for about 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- 2
- blend with the rest of the ingredients except salt and pepper until well blended
- 3
- pour it in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
