The Spanish word pastor means shepherd, so these tacos translate to shepherd style tacos.
Have you ever tried tacos al pastor? If you have then I’m sure you’d agree that they are the best tacos in the world! Those of you that have never tasted these scrumptious flavours have been missing out. These tacos are unlike any other both in taste and origin. First let’s talk about their origin, tacos al pastor are the new world cousin to the Lebanese shawarma. Lebanese immigrants introduced the method of cooking meats on vertical spits to Mexico. The method is a traditional way of cooking meats like shawarma or kebabs in the Middle East. The immigrants cooked lamb that was marinaded with local Mexican herbs and spices that then had pineapple placed on top of it before being roasted on the spit. Once the meat had cooked through it was sliced thinly and served on top of a corn tortilla. Over time the meat changed from lamb to pork, more typical of Mexican cuisine, to end up with what we now know as tacos al pastor.
The popularity of these tacos grew and overtime spread around the country. Different regions of Mexico will incorporate or change the recipe to use ingredients typical to the region. Tacos al pastor are one of those dishes where everyone has their own guarded personal recipes. In fact taquerias (taquerias are restaurants specializing in tacos), highly guard their recipes and will never share what makes their tacos unique from the taqueria down the street. The tacos can have an array of ingredients such as oregano, cumin, cloves, chile guajillo, chile ancho, vinegar, pineapple juice, or fresh pineapple, orange juice, soda and/or achiote paste. It is these combinations of herbs, spices, juices, and cooking methods that give tacos al pastor their unique taste. They are mild, tender with a hint of sweet pineapple and guaranteed to satisfy every palette.
My recipe is a slightly evolved one based on one I was given by my sister. This is a 2 day process and I highly recommend that you do not cut the marinading time short. The flavors of the chiles and spices will be best absorbed by the pork if allowed to sit overnight. Additionally the long marinading time allows the bromelain in the pineapple to tenderize the pork. Since the tacos are mild I will, depending on my mood, add a few chiles de arbol to spice it up. I’ve also read some recipes where people have used chipotle peppers to make the tacos extra spicy — I wouldn’t recommend them because while they taste great, they will overpower the other chiles and spices and not taste how tacos al pastor should. Another ingredient I will occasionally add to give the pork a more vibrant colour is achiote paste, this is totally optional and will not affect the taste either way. You all know that Mexican tacos are always topped with finely chopped cilantro and onion, the same applies here. Some people also like to add fresh finely chopped pineapple to the tacos, I never do but it’s your choice. Oh yes, and don’t forget to serve a salsa on the side — green will go great. What the heck add an ice cold Corona for a truly heavenly experience.
- 1 kilo or 2.2 lb pork meat: boneless and all extra fat removed, chopped into bite size pieces
- 3 dried chile guajillos
- 2 dried chiles anchos
- 2 dried chiles de arbol, for an extra spicy option (fee free to omit)
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 tsp whole cumin seed
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 small white onion, peeled and halved
- pinch black pepper
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup fresh pineapple, finely chopped*
- fresh finely chopped cilantro
- finely chopped white onion
- lime wedges
- salsa of choice
- corn tortillas
- Soak chiles in hot water for 15 minutes. In mean time blacken the tomato, onion and garlic cloves on top of a hot griddle or grill. Peel the tomato skin and remove seeds, place in blender. Add the onion and garlic cloves to the blender as well as the spices. Remove the chiles from the hot water and reserved the water. Remove the stems and seed from the chiles then place in blender. Add about ⅓ cup of the boiling water to the blender. Blend into a smooth salsa.
- Place the bite size pork pieces and pineapple inside a container. Pour the salsa over the meat and add the pineapples. Stir until well combined, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
- Next day, drain extra liquid from the meat. Heat a little bit of oil in a large pan and cook the pork until it has cooked all the way through, about 20 minutes. Allow to simmer under low heat until ready to serve.
- Scoop a small amount into the middle of a corn tortilla, top with finely chopped onion, cilantro and lime wedges on the side. Please notice that a standard Mexican taco tortilla is smaller than a more common commercial sized corn tortilla, if using the smaller tortillas two can be stacked on top of each other before topping with the filling. The stacking prevents breakage and a messy eating experience.
The process is really quite simple, all you need is a little planning ahead. Trust me you won’t mind spending the time because homemade tacos al pastor are a wonderful reward for your whole family and/or dinner guests. ¡buen provecho!
As usual exquisite presentation and this looks hot hot hot! In a good good way!!!!
Hi Claudia, Thank you :))!
How have I never heard of these? I love tacos and I love shawarma – you just made my day!
Hi Ruby, They don't seem to be too well know by many non-Mexican. I'm not really sure why. But either way glad to hear it and I hope you will try them soon.
Simply beautiful! I've enjoyed tacos al pastor before, or something called that, but it was much plainer than this, made with grilled meat much like tacos al carbón. Also good, but this is a must try!
By the way, I always wondered about the name… Shouldn't shepard's tacos be made with lamb?
Hi Frank, Yes the shepherd name stuck or comes from the original way they were made with lamb by the Lebanese immigrants to Mexico. But Pork is more common than lamb so pork is what became the standard meat to use.
Stunning photos!! These tacos look amazing…and I love the use of pineapple to tenderize…mmmmm.
Hi Lizzy, Thank you :)
Beautiful! One of the best tacos I've ever seen!
Wow I never knew this connection between mexico and lebanese! What would you suggest as meat of choice if one doesn't eat pig?
I've never tried making tacos myself, only burritos so far ;). Your tacos look simply divine…:)!!
@pigpigscorner, Thank you!
@Kulsum, You can try chicken, that should be a good substitute :)
@Cooking Gallery, Thank you and you should make some tacos soon :)
Just gorgeous! The preparation is filled with love…the boys will be nuts over this :)
Hugs
Love Tacos – these sound amazing! Your pictures are stunning!
It's weird to salivate, is it? Too late. I am.
These look so delicious! You went through a lot of trouble to make these too:o) I love Tacos al Pastor, I will have to try making these sometime soon. Thanks for the inspiration!
The pineapple sure adds a zing into the dish!
I got hungry right now looking at your photos! What an awesome recipe, really!! My kids will love this..I will have to try it soon!!! Yummy!
Love the story behind it, these look so tasty :)
I had no clue how tacos al pastor are made, this is all very interesting!
They certainly look and sound so tasty!
Nancy, I absolutely love your take on this classic dish.
Delicious and gorgeous as always. Thank you for the post!!
Pure heaven.
These are my husbands' favorite tacos. He would be so happy if I made these for him. Can't wait, I will make a special trip to the Mexican market for some supplies. Hope you have a wonderful week.
-Gina-
Buen Provecho is right! The history of Tacos Al Pastor is an interesting one, they look beautiful and delicious. I would love to try them, maybe Gina will invite me over for dinner when she makes them for her husband;-)
People may think calling these The Best Tacos in The World an exaggeration but trust me it's not. This recipe strikes me as delicious.
Yum, yum and more yum. It sounds like the way we like gyro meat. We won't eat it unless they carve it off a vertical spit. This looks so amazingly wonderful. Thank you for sharing the history and the recipe.
I have never tried tacos al pastor before, but they look so good! Your post was so interesting and your photos are beautiful!
This looks amazing! Better than what we see in our restaurants here in San Diego!
Man, this sounds really good! Taco pastor is one of my favorite tacos (and steak taco)! Meat in a sauce looks super appetizing. I know the hubs will go crazy over this!
These look out-of-this-world delicious. I've always loved tacos al pastor, but I've never made them for myself. . . yet! ;) Thanks for the recipe–and beautiful photo tutorial.
Tacos de pastor are my papi's favorite!! Every winter when we stayed with my grandmother in Matamoros we had these at least once a week. Thanks for sharing, I really should make these for father's day!
sweetlife
Nancy, this looks amazing and well worth the two-day marinade. Really interesting background on tacos too!
Amazing that in the age we live in you have to warn people against skipping on marinading. Because we live in a 30 minute meal society. Sad.
The marinade, balance of spice, and cooking is on point.
Well done.
This is ridiculous! I LOVE tacos al pastor! They're way better than that shredded carnitas stuff. OMG, I can just taste the flavors. They're sooooooooo good! I must ask you–what kind of pork did you use in your recipe? Because you didn't specify what cut and I'd like to make some of this :-) I love a good pork shoulder.
Hi Hester, Glad to hear you love them too :) Really any cut that is lean will do but YES pork shoulder will work great. I hope you enjoy them.
We love tacos al pastor ….good recipe for pork.!!
Thanks!
I fall to pieces over Schawarma and to then turn it into a taco! Oh boy! Looks and sounds amazing. I will be passing this on to my sister, she’ll love it too. So glad to have found your website through NoshOnIt.
I am so happy I found this recipe!! I want to try it for Friday night – but one roadblock: my local Mexican grocer is out of dried chilies anchos but had ground anchos. Could I substitute and how much should I use?!
Thanks!!!
Hi Tess,
Yes, absolutely. I would use 1.5 to 2 tablespoons. You can taste the marinade before mixing it into the meat and adjust the seasonings if needed. Enjoy your tacos!
I’ve been buying Carne al Pastor from my nearest Mexican Meatmarket since we bought our previous home in Albuquerque. I now shop at La Michoacana, within a mile of our home. I love this recipe you provided, it sounds great. We’ll try it this next week. Thanks so much for your exploration and enjoyment of good food.
Wow, I love tacos el pastor, I wonder if one places secret ingredient isn’t the pineapple vinegar they make (and we can too) in mexico. I love the mix of chile you use, I use a similar mix to make some great enchilada sauce, but I love the complexity of using the different kinds both untoasted and toasted – it seems to bring out a full chord of flavor. I also like to use cilantro, green onions, and shredded cabbage for the topping. Beautiful pics and food as usual, I adore your site! What are your views on carne adovada?
Hi Tori! I would love to see if my favourite tacos al pastor places here in Mexico use that vinegar — sounds interesting. It sounds like you know your way around Mexican food quite well.:) As for carne adobada, I love it! Thank you for stopping by.
Thank you for such a nice recipe. Have a Great Week!
Thank you Liz and you too have a fantastic week!:)
Hi can’t wait to give this a try. I was wondering if you have ever made this with chicken? Also, do you have a good Spanish rice recipe? Thank you.
I made these tonight! The only changes i made were that I added a couple more guajillo peppers and a little extra pineapple. It was delicious and simple! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
Thank you, Amy! Glad to hear you enjoyed the tacos.:)
they are the bomb!!!
Thank you Joe!
I’m so excited to be making this recipe! I picked up some local organic pork shoulder at my farmer’s market and had all the chiles on hand in my pantry. The meat is marinating and I made a salsa verde with the tomatillos and habañero from my garden. I just know these will be fantastic (as are all your other recipes)!! Thank you for your blog, you have brought much joy to my mouth and belly!