Tacos Al Pastor Recipe

This Tacos Al Pastor Recipe is a flavor-packed favorite made with marinated pork cooked low and slow in the smoker until tender and juicy. It’s the perfect way to take taco night to the next level!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Irresistible Flavor: The combination of dried chiles, citrus, spices, and pineapple creates a rich, savory-sweet flavor for these al pastor street tacos.
• Great for Leftovers: This recipe for al pastor tacos makes a large batch, making it great for feeding a crowd or meal prepping.
• Classic Taste: Slow-cooked pork with traditional al pastor taco toppings like pineapple, onion, and cilantro gives you an authentic al pastor experience right at home.

For more tasty tacos, try our breaded fish tacos and our crockpot pulled chicken tacos next. 

Ingredients

• Pork: A bone-in pork butt or shoulder works best for this recipe, as the bone keeps the meat from drying out and adds flavor.
• Chiles: Pasilla and guajillo chiles form the base of the marinade and give the pork its signature deep red color and smoky flavor.
• Aromatics: Garlic and onion add depth and balance to the marinade.
• Acidic Liquids: Lime juice, orange juice, and vinegar help tenderize the meat while also adding a bright, tangy flavor.
• Pineapple: Fresh pineapple adds natural sweetness and helps balance the savory and smoky flavors.
• Chipotle & Adobo Sauce: Add a subtle heat and smokiness to the marinade.
• Seasonings: I used cumin, Mexican oregano, salt, and sugar in this tacos al pastor recipe.
• Tortillas: Corn tortillas are traditionally used for Mexican tacos al pastor, but if you prefer, you can use homemade flour tortillas instead.
• Toppings: Classic toppings include fresh pineapple, diced onion, cilantro, and lime wedges for serving.

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

Variations

• Try Chicken Thighs: Swap the pork shoulder for boneless, skinless chicken thighs for a quicker version that will still absorb the flavors of the marinade.
• Spice it Up: Add an extra chipotle pepper to the marinade and/or add a pinch of cayenne for an extra kick of heat.
• More Citrus Flavor: Add extra lime juice or orange juice after cooking to brighten up the Mexican meat with pineapple, adding a more citrus-forward flavor.

How to Make Al Pastor Tacos

Before you get started making these pastor street tacos, be sure to allow yourself enough time for marinating and smoking the meat, as this is a lengthy process, but totally worth it!

1. Step 1: Boil the chiles. Add the pasilla and guajillo chiles to a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
2. Step 2: Make the marinade. Remove the stems and seeds from the softened chiles and add them to a blender along with the vinegar, orange juice, pineapple, garlic, onion, cumin, lime juice, chipotle, adobo sauce, salt, oregano, and sugar. Blend until the marinade mixture is smooth.

3. Step 3: Inject the marinade into the meat. Use a meat injector to inject half of the marinade into the pork.
4. Step 4: Marinate. Use the remaining marinade to coat the pork on all sides. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
5. Step 5: Place on the smoker. Preheat your smoker to 270°F and allow it to burn clean. Place a pan of water in the smoker. Then transfer the marinated pork to the smoker, fat side up, and smoke for 3 hours, spritzing with apple cider vinegar every hour. You could also place some pineapple on top for more flavor.
6. Step 6: Remove and wrap the pork. When the fat cap starts to split (about 6-7 hours into cooking), remove the meat from the smoker and wrap it tightly in foil.

7. Step 7: Continue cooking. Place the wrapped pork back in the smoker and cook for another hour. Raise the heat to 290°F and keep cooking until the internal temperature reaches 200- 204°F.
8. Step 8: Shred and serve. Give the meat some time to rest, then shred and serve in corn tortillas with your desired toppings. This pineapple mango salsa is one of our favorites!

Expert Tips

• Marinate overnight for best flavor: While a few hours will work, letting the pork marinate overnight allows the flavors to fully penetrate the meat.
• No meat injector? No problem: If you don’t have a meat injector, simply turn the meat occasionally while it’s marinating so the flavors can soak in as much as possible.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container: Store leftover pork (without tortillas and toppings) in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave along with some of the juices to keep it moist.

Tacos Al Pastor Recipe FAQs

Tacos Al Pastor Recipe

This Tacos Al Pastor Recipe is made with savory, smoky, and sweet marinated pork. It’s cooked low and slow until incredibly tender, juicy, and flavorful. Serve stuffed in corn tortillas with classic toppings like pineapple, onion, and cilantro for a crowd-pleasing taco night favorite.

5 from 5 votes

Print Rate

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours hours

Marinating time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 12 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 187kcal

Author: Kadee & Desarae

Ingredients

• ▢ 3-4 lbs Pork butt or pork shoulder

Marinade

• ▢ 2 large pasilla chile
• ▢ 5-6 guajillo chiles
• ▢ 6 garlic cloves
• ▢ 2 teaspoon cumin
• ▢ 2 limes juiced
• ▢ 2 chipotle from can of adobe
• ▢ 2 tablespoons of adobe sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup vinegar
• ▢ 3 cups fresh pineapple
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons coarse salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon mexican oregano
• ▢ 1 large onion
• ▢ 1 cup orange juice

Serving

• ▢ sliced limes
• ▢ small tortilla shells
• ▢ fresh pineapple or pinapple salsa

Instructions

Prep

• Boil the pasilla and guajillo chiles in a small saucepan for about 10 minutes, until softened. Remove from water and discard stems and seeds.
• Add the chiles to a blender with vinegar, orange juice, pineapple, garlic, onion, cumin, lime juice, chipotle, adobo sauce, salt, oregano, and sugar. Blend until smooth, then divide the marinade in half.

Inject & Marinate

• Using a meat injector, inject half of the marinade into the pork shoulder, moving the needle in different directions to evenly distribute throughout the meat.
• Pour the remaining marinade over and under the pork. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight for best flavor.

Smoking the Pork

• Preheat your smoker to 270°F and let it burn clean. Place the pork fat side up on the smoker with a pan of water nearby. Smoke for 3 hours, then spritz with apple cider vinegar every hour. Optional: add pineapple on top for extra flavor.
• Around 6 to 7 hours, when the fat cap starts to split, remove the pork and wrap it tightly in foil.
• Return the wrapped pork to the smoker at 270°F for 1 hour. Then increase the temperature to 290°F and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 200 to 204°F.
• Remove from the smoker and let the pork rest. Then shred. It should fall apart into juicy, tender pieces with crispy edges and that rich red marinade throughout.
• Build your tacos. Add fresh pineapple, crema, cilantro, and onion for a classic al pastor feel. Or go all in with a pineapple mango salsa. It is next level good.

Notes

• For the best flavor, allow enough time for the meat to marinate, preferably overnight.
• If you do not own a meat injector or cannot find one, you’ll need to keep turning the meat every so often while it is marinating to thoroughly infuse the flavors.
• Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 4oz | Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3504mg | Potassium: 538mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 1598IU | Vitamin C: 138mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 2mg

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