Tacos al Pastor with Pineapple and Achiote
Sweet, smoky and properly homemade
Real tacos al pastor are built around a spit you don’t have at home, so this version recreates the magic in a hot pan instead. A homemade marinade of guajillo chilli and earthy achiote stains the pork a deep red and lends its signature savoury warmth, while chunks of pineapple, caramelised until golden, bring the essential sweet-and-smoky counterpoint. Pile it into warm corn tortillas with onion, coriander and a squeeze of lime.
Tacos al Pastor with Pineapple and Achiote
Ingredients
- 800g pork shoulder, thinly sliced
- 3 dried guajillo chillies, stems and seeds removed
- 2 tbsp achiote (annatto) paste
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp pineapple juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 300g fresh pineapple, cut into thick rings
- 12 small corn tortillas, to serve
- 1 small white onion, finely chopped, to serve
- Small bunch of coriander, chopped, to serve
- Lime wedges, to serve
Method
- Soak the dried guajillo chillies in just-boiled water for 15 minutes until soft, then drain.
- Blend the soaked chillies with the achiote paste, garlic, oregano, cumin, vinegar, pineapple juice, oil and salt into a smooth marinade.
- Coat the sliced pork thoroughly in the marinade and leave to sit for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
- Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle until very hot. Cook the pork in batches for 3-4 minutes per side until charred at the edges and cooked through.
- Rest the cooked pork briefly, then chop into small pieces.
- Grill or fry the pineapple rings for 2-3 minutes per side until caramelised and golden, then chop into small chunks.
- Warm the corn tortillas in a dry pan until soft and pliable.
- Pile the chopped pork onto the tortillas and top with the caramelised pineapple.
- Finish with chopped white onion and coriander, and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over.
3 The Story
Tacos al pastor are one of Mexico City’s most beloved street foods, and their story is a tale of culinary migration. The name means “shepherd style”, and the technique behind them was brought to Mexico in the early twentieth century by Lebanese immigrants, who introduced shawarma, spiced lamb stacked on a vertical rotisserie and shaved off as it cooked. Mexican cooks adapted the idea, swapping the lamb for marinated pork and the Middle Eastern spicing for local chillies, and a new classic was born.
The vertical spit on which the meat cooks is called a trompo. The thin slices of marinated pork are layered into a tall cone, and a pineapple is often perched on top, dripping its juices down as the outer layer crisps and chars. The taquero shaves the meat straight into a small tortilla, sometimes flicking pieces of charred pineapple along with it. Recreating that at home means trading the spit for a very hot pan, but the flavours can be honoured faithfully.
The colour and character come from achiote, a paste built around annatto seeds. Those small red seeds give the meat its distinctive brick-red hue and an earthy, peppery, slightly sweet flavour that is central to the cooking of southern Mexico and the Yucatán. Achiote paste is sold in blocks in Latin American shops and increasingly in larger supermarkets, and it is well worth seeking out. Guajillo chillies, dried and fruity rather than fiercely hot, round out the marinade with a gentle, raisiny warmth.
Pineapple is not a garnish here but a defining flavour. Caramelising it concentrates its sugars and adds a smoky edge from the pan, and that sweet-sharp fruit cutting through rich, spiced pork is the heart of what makes al pastor so addictive.
A couple of points make all the difference. Slice the pork shoulder thinly so it cooks quickly and crisps at the edges, and give it real heat in the pan, working in batches so the meat sears rather than steams. Warm the corn tortillas properly until soft and pliable, double them up if they are thin, and keep the toppings simple. Finely chopped white onion, fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime are all the brightness these tacos need.
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