Smoked Al Pastor Tacos

A tray of tacos al pastor with limes and crema.

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5 from 5 votes

Delicious pork tacos made with your favorite Mexican flavors!

Prep Time20

Cook Time8

Marinating time4

Total Time12 20

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 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

toppings

sliced limes
small tortilla shells
fresh pineapple or pinapple salsa

Instructions

Prep and Marinating

In a small sauce pan boil pasilla chile and guajillo chiles until guajillo chile is soft. about 10 minutes.
Take chiles out, remove stems and seeds.
Place in blender with vinegar, orange juice, pineapple,garlic, onion, cumin, lime, chipotle, adobe sauce, vinegar, pineapple, salt, oregano, and sugar. Blend until smooth. Divide in to two.
Using an injector- inject ½ of the marinade into the pork.
Start by injecting your meat. Place in the needle and move it 4 different directions squirting marinade into each direction.
Continue this all over the pork shoulder until you have used about ½ the marinade OR you have put all that you can into the meat. Pour the remaining al pastor sauce over and under the pork butt.
Allow to marinate 4 hours to overnight.

How to Smoke Al Pastor

Preheat the smoker to 270, and wait until it burns clean.
Put your pork fat side up on the smoker. Also place a dish of water to the side. Let smoke for 3 hours at 270.
At hour 3 spritz with apple cider vinegar every hour. You can also place pineapple on the top if desired.
To remove from the smoker use a clean dry bowl and pick it up. Using a towel, instead of tongs will keep the meat from squeezing and juices excreting.
At about hour 6-7 you should see the fat cap separating and splitting at that point you will want to remove the pork from the smoker and wrap it in foil.
Once foil wrapped place back on the smoker for another at 270 for one house. Raise the temp to 290 and keep on smoker until the internal temp is about 200-204. Remove from smoker. Let rest.

Notes

Make sure to use a bone-in pork shoulder or butt! The bone helps keep the meat from drying out and also adds flavor.

Serve up tacos al pastor however you want! But traditionally the meat is served in a corn tortilla and topped with diced onions, cilantro, and fresh pineapple.

Give yourself time and plan ahead! This is a slow-cooking recipe and the flavor will be so much better if you marinate overnight and cook the next day.

Let the meat rest when you take it off the grill. This allows the juices to absorb back into the meat rather than running out when you start to cut it.

Nutrition