{"id":38138,"date":"2025-05-18T00:05:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T07:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/?p=38138"},"modified":"2025-05-17T22:13:29","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T05:13:29","slug":"al-pastor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/al-pastor\/","title":{"rendered":"Easy 7 Ingredient Homemade Al Pastor"},"content":{"rendered":"

By far the best taco filling you can make at home, in only 7 ingredients.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your local Mexican place is always going to have the best tacos, but for those times you can\u2019t (or don’t want to) go out, this al pastor recipe is so good you\u2019ll feel like you\u2019re back wherever your taco heart belongs. It’s so easy to make this smoky spicy and juicy pork you’ll even use it for more than just tacos. Best of all, this recipe only requires 7 ingredients that you can get at any supermarket.<\/p>\n

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What is al pastor<\/h2>\n

Al pastor is a Mexican dish with pork that’s been slow roasted on a vertical spit. Vertical spits are often associated with middle eastern food and this is no exception: legend says that Lebanese immigrants brought the cooking method to Mexico, where they paired it with traditional adobada to make the genius known as al pastor.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s served in all kinds of dishes, in tortas\/sandwiches, pizzas, and even on rice, but the most celebrated way to serve it is in tacos al pastor. The crisp smoky pork is sliced-to-order with a razor sharp knife as it’s flame crisped by the vertical spit. The meat falls right into each taco and topped with a flourish of slow-roasted pineapple. It\u2019s heaven in a tiny tortilla.<\/p>\n

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Because you probably don’t have a flame powered vertical spit at home, you can’t replicate it 100% perfectly. But that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t have an amazing, just-as-good version at home too, especially if you are far away from Mexico right now.<\/p>\n

The best homemade al pastor<\/h2>\n

Why this is the best homemade al pastor recipe: it\u2019s smoky, sweet, and super easy. I\u2019ve tried a lot of recipes on the internet and none of them really come close to what I love about al pastor – the smoky finish and the crisp edges. More importantly, a recipe that starts with “get your vertical spit” or “slice your pork with a commercial meat slicer” is a no go for me.<\/p>\n

This recipe has been in my back pocket for a long time now. It\u2019s our go-to for taco nights, but I\u2019ve never put it up until now because I always thought the ingredients were a little hard to come by. It\u2019s worth it though, this recipe is simple, tasty, and comes really close to the real street-side deal.<\/p>\n

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How to make al pastor<\/h2>\n
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  1. Soak your chiles.<\/strong> Guajillos come dried and soaking them makes them pliable and easy to deseed.<\/li>\n
  2. Slice and season your pork.<\/strong> I try to go for as thin of a slice as possible, so that there\u2019s more surface area to absorb the marinade.<\/li>\n
  3. Make the marinade.<\/strong> Blend the guajillos together with garlic, sugar, achiote, adobo, and pineapple juice until smooth.<\/li>\n
  4. Marinate.<\/strong> Marinate your pork for at least 30 minutes, but better yet, overnight.<\/li>\n
  5. Roast.<\/strong> You probably don\u2019t have a vertical spit at home, so the best way to achieve that combination of soft supple insides and crispy, smoky edges is to lay out the pork in a single layer and broil at 500\u00baF until cooked. Don\u2019t forget to roast your pineapples as well (on a separate baking sheet).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    How to make tacos al pastor<\/h2>\n
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    1. Prep your toppings.<\/strong> Dice your onions, chop your cilantro, slice your jalapenos, and portion out your salsas.<\/li>\n
    2. Chop it up.<\/strong> Roughly chop your pork so that the majority of the pieces are about 1\/2″ x 1\/2″.<\/li>\n
    3. Crisp up your al pastor.<\/strong> Frying it is optional but really intensifies the flavors, not to mention gets it nice and piping hot.<\/li>\n
    4. Prep your tortillas.<\/strong> If you\u2019re using flour tortillas, you should cook them now. If corn, cover 10-12 at a time with a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds (or use a tortilla warmer like we do), then let sit another 30 seconds to steam before you build.<\/li>\n
    5. Build and enjoy!<\/strong> Top with roast pineapples and all the other toppings you love.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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      Al pastor ingredients<\/h2>\n

      Guajillo chilies<\/h3>\n

      Guajillo are dried mirasol chiles that are sweet, smoky, and not very spicy. One of the most common chiles for Mexican food and one of our favorites. I\u2019ve found the easiest way to buy the best quality chiles is online<\/a>, where it\u2019s far superior to anything outside of a good Mexican grocery store.<\/p>\n

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      Achiote paste<\/h3>\n

      A blend of spices featuring annatto that goes great in everything. Not at all spicy, just deeply flavorful. My favorite brand is El Yucateco.<\/a>\u00a0From a staining perspective,\u00a0annatto is just as bad as turmeric, so be careful not to get any on your clothes or white porous surfaces.<\/p>\n

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      Chipotle chilies in adobo<\/h3>\n

      These are smoky spicy dried chipotle chiles<\/a> (chipotle is smoked jalapeno) in adobo sauce – a sweet blend of tomatoes, vinegar, and spices. This recipe uses a whole can. Most people won\u2019t find chipotle in adobo very spicy, but if you don\u2019t prefer the spice level of jalapeno, it might be best to skip one or two of the pepper pods inside the can – the adobo part is a must however.<\/p>\n

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      Canned pineapple<\/h3>\n

      Al pastor is traditionally served with roasted pineapple cut from the top of the vertical spit. This recipe needs pineapple juice anyway, so I prefer to use canned chunk pineapple and roast them, rather than deal with a whole pineapple. Most 398ml\/13.5oz cans will yield exactly 1\/2 cup of juice, which is what is called for in this recipe.<\/p>\n

      Corn or flour tortillas<\/h3>\n

      A lot of people prefer corn but if you live in the Southwest, you know (fresh) flour is awesome. When I\u2019m not near really good flour tortillas, I try to buy locally made corn tortillas, but sometimes you’re just in a food desert and don’t have a lot of options other than national brands. In those cases, Mission is my go-to, both for corn and flour. Look for a street taco size.<\/a><\/p>\n

      Spice level<\/h2>\n

      This is not a spicy dish, but if you\u2019re the kind of person where black pepper is just on the edge of spicy to you, then you might want to leave out a chipotle chile or two from the can. If you really, really hate spice, you\u2019ll also want to deseed the guajillos. We use them for smoky flavor in this recipe, so you can remove all the seeds if you want to. The larger peppers are easier to deseed. Once softened, just turn them upside down and remove the stem, and 80-90% of them should fall right out.<\/p>\n

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      Grilling at the table<\/h2>\n

      For taco nights, we like to do the last warming part at the table with a small tabletop griddle<\/a>. You can warm your tortillas and the al pastor all at once, and it makes for a really fun night. Just prep all your toppings in little communal bowls, grab some drinks, and taco the night away.<\/p>\n

      What to serve with tacos al pastor<\/h2>\n