Tacos Al Pastor

These are my favorite tacos! Marinating the pork in achiote paste, vinegar, and pineapple juice gives the meat a delicious sweet and savory flavor, and topping the tacos with pineapple in addition to your normal taco toppings adds some complexity to your usual taco.

Tacos Al Pastor

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb pork (I usually use boneless pork loin, but you could use shoulder or tenderloin)
• 1 tablespoons achiote paste (I found mine on Amazon.)
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/3 cup pineapple juice
• Pineapple slices
• Corn tortillas, cheese, tomatoes, salsa, cilantro, avocado, onion, etc.

Directions

Slice the pork into very thin slices (1/4-1/2 inch). Place in a ziploc bag.

Mix achiote paste, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, vinegar, and pineapple juice together in a bowl. You may need to let it sit for a while to dissolve the achiote paste, and then mash and stir a bit. Pour into the ziploc bag with the pork and let marinate for several hours.

On a skewer, place 2 pineapple slices, then layer the pork slices on top of each other, then place 2 more pineapple slices on top. Put all of this in an oven-safe pan with the skewer pointing vertically. You can drizzle a little of the marinade to keep the meat moist. Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours.

When the meat is fully cooked, remove the pineapple slices and cut into small pieces. Slice the meat up into small strips.

To serve, place the meat on the tortillas and add pineapple and your favorite taco toppings. I also like to brush the tortillas with a little oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and cook them in a skillet until crispy.

This is probably enough to feed a family of six (if your kids will eat meat--mine usually won't). If you want to feed a crowd you could triple the recipe. I bet this would be delicious cooked in a smoker!