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Authentic Al Pastor Recipe
5 from 6 votes

Authentic Al Pastor Recipe

This Authentic Mexican Tacos al Pastor is sliced marinated pork roasted on a spit with pineapple for an unbelievably delicious recipe.

Prep Time
1 min
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 12
Calories: 327 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
  • 1 yellow onion peeled, roughly chopped
  • 10 garlic cloves
  • 3 ancho chile seeded
  • 2 guajillo chile seeded
  • 1 chipotle chile dry, seeded
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 10 peppercorns
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 teaspoons oregano dry
  • 2 cups water
  • orange zest of 1
  • lime zest of 1
  • 1 cup of orange juice about 3 fresh squeezed or juiced
  • ¼ cup lime juice about 2 fresh limes
  • 2 tablespoons achiote paste
  • ¼ cup white distilled vinegar
  • 6 pounds pork shoulder 1/4” thick slices, deboned, thinly sliced
  • 1 pineapple 1/2 thick, peeled, thickly sliced, fresh
  • salt coarse, to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Add the oil to a large saucepan over medium heat and caramelize the onions until browned while occasionally stirring, which takes about 10 to 15 minutes. Mix in the garlic and cook it until it is fragrant, which takes about 30 to 45 seconds.
  2. Stir in the cumin seeds, peppercorns, and cloves and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add seeded chiles and oregano and cook for 2 minutes to release some flavor.
  4. Pour in the water and cook the chiles until they are soft and the amount of liquid is reduced by one-half, which takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
  5. Transfer all the ingredients in the saucepan to a blender along with the zest of 1 orange and lime and orange and lime juice.
  6. Add the achiote paste, vinegar, and salt, and blend on high speed until it is very smooth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and briefly set it in the refrigerator to chill. You only need to get the marinade to room temperature. This marinade should be over-the-top flavorful.
  7. In the meantime, remove the bone from the pork shoulder and thinly slice the pork into roughly ¼” thick slices. Trim off any unwanted fat.
  8. Transfer the pork to a large bowl, pour in the slightly chilled marinade, and thoroughly mix for 3 to 4 minutes until the pork slices are completely covered on all sides.
  9. Cover and place it in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.
  10. Add the thin slices of marinated pork to a vertical spit until it is completely stacked up. Place the pineapple slices on top of the pork. If all the pineapple doesn’t fit on the spit, you can either cook the slices on a pan under the broiler on high for 3 to 4 minutes per side or directly on a hot grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until lightly charred. Medium dice them when they are done cooking.
  11. Cook the pork on the rotisserie over low heat until it is well browned and cooked to 160° internally, which takes about 90 minutes.
  12. As the al pastor cooks and browns on the vertical rotisserie you can slice it off as soon as it is done cooking. This will allow you to eat more quickly while the al pastor continues to cook as it is trimmed down to the spit.

Notes

  • Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 30 minutes ahead of time. Keep it warm in the oven, covered in foil, at low temperatures (200°) until it’s ready to be served.
  • How to Store: Cover and keep it in the refrigerator for five days. You can freeze this covered for up to 3 months. Thaw the al pastor in the refrigerator until thawed before reheating.
  • How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of al pastor to a medium-sized pan with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and heat over low heat until warm.
  • You can use thinly sliced pork loin as a leaner alternative option.
  • I seeded the chiles to reduce the amount of spice. Feel free to keep all or some of them in if you like heat.
  • If you want to use pineapple juice in the marinade instead of oranges and limes, you can, but it cannot be marinated for more than 4 hours, or else the bromelain enzyme in the pineapple will turn the pork into mush.
  • As the al pastor cooks and browns on the vertical rotisserie, you can slice it off as soon as it is done cooking. This will allow you to eat more quickly while the al pastor continues to cook as it is trimmed down to the spit.
  • You aren’t eating the marinade by itself. You’re using it for seasoning and flavoring something to make it taste delicious.

Nutrition Information

Calories 327kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 21g (7%) Protein 29g (58%) Fat 14g (22%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g (12%) Monounsaturated Fat 7g (35%) Cholesterol 93mg (31%) Sodium 119mg (5%) Potassium 809mg (17%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 14g (28%) Vitamin A 2578IU (52%) Vitamin C 53mg (59%) Calcium 53mg (5%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 327

% Daily Value*

Calories 327kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 21g 7%
Protein 29g 58%
Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 93mg 31%
Sodium 119mg 5%
Potassium 809mg 17%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 14g 28%
Vitamin A 2578IU 52%
Vitamin C 53mg 59%
Calcium 53mg 5%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.