Home-style Tacos al Pastor (Chile and Pineapple Pork Tacos)

4.6
(38)
26 Reviews
10 Photos

Home-style tacos al pastor (chile and pineapple pork tacos) are a favorite in Mexico and Mexican restaurants throughout the world for good reason: The mixture of smoky, spicy chiles, sweet pineapples, fresh onions, and cilantro is taco perfection. Traditionally, tacos al pastor are made by marinating pork in chile sauce, layering the meat on a vertical rotisserie, adorning it with a pineapple, and roasting it slowly for hours—a process that's almost impossible to replicate at home. So we've taken the delicious, authentic flavors that make these tacos so special and adapted the recipe for your home kitchen so you can enjoy it whenever a craving strikes!

Submitted by Goya
Updated on October 14, 2024
10
10
10
10
Prep Time:
25 mins
Cook Time:
35 mins
Additional Time:
2 hrs
Total Time:
3 hrs
Servings:
6
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

For the pork:

  • 5 Goya guajillo chiles

  • 5 Goya pasilla chiles or Goya ancho chiles

  • 1 (20 ounce) can Goya pineapple chunks

  • 1 medium white onion

  • ¼ cup Goya white vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons Goya minced garlic

  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

  • 1 teaspoon Goya ground cumin

  • Goya adobo with pepper, to taste

  • 1 (2 1/2 pound) boneless, skinless pork butt, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

  • 2 tablespoons Goya vegetable oil

For the tacos:

  • 1 (10 ounce) package Goya corn tortillas, warmed

  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

  • 1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions

  1. Bring 2 cups water in a medium saucepan to a boil over medium-high heat. Add guajillo and pasilla chiles. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until chiles soften, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate; remove and discard stems and seeds.

  2. Meanwhile, strain pineapple; reserve juice and pineapple chunks separately. Coarsely chop 1/2 onion; slice remaining 1/2 onion and set aside.

  3. Combine guajillo chiles, pasilla chiles, pineapple juice, chopped 1/2 onion, vinegar, garlic, chipotle, and cumin in the bowl of a food processor; purée until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cook until chile paste loses raw onion taste, about 2 minutes. Season with Adobo; cool.

  4. Combine pork cubes, cooled chile paste, and pineapple chunks in a large glass or ceramic bowl with a lid or a large resealable plastic bag; toss to coat (cover bowl or squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag). Marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.

  5. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Strain pork and pineapple; discard marinade. Cook pork and pineapple in batches in skillet until dark golden brown on all sides and cooked through, about 15 minutes; transfer to a large serving plate.

  6. Serve pork and pineapple in warm tortillas with sliced onion, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Cooking tip from La Cocina Goya

Warm, soft tortillas, every time! Achieving perfectly warm and pliable tortillas can be tricky business: We find the microwave results in gummy, chewy rounds while the oven dries them out. Our tried-and-true method: steaming. To do, fill a steamer with 1/2 inch water; bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. In the meantime, wrap the tortillas in a dish towel. Then, place the bundle in the steamer, cover with a tight-fitting lid and heat until warm, about 10 minutes.

69 home cooks made it!