Al pastor taco
Photo: Larry Miller · CC BY-SA 2.0

History

Al pastor, marinated pork on a vertical trompo spit, came to Mexico from Lebanese shawarma immigrants in 1920s Puebla, then crossed the border into Boyle Heights and East LA in the 1970s and 80s with Mexican migrant cooks. The LA trompo holds 30 to 50 pounds of pork shoulder marinated in achiote, dried chiles, vinegar, garlic and pineapple, slow-cooked vertically for hours, then shaved to order onto a doubled corn tortilla. A whole pineapple sits at the top of the spit, smoking and dropping juice down through the meat. Leo's Tacos, with three truck locations, popularised the late-night trompo on La Brea after 2012; Tacos Tamix has worked the Pico Union and Pico Boulevard corners since 2006.

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Common allergens: Corn

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 30 minTotal 24 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1.2kg pork shoulder, sliced into thin steaks
  • 4 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 2 dried chiles de arbol (optional)
  • 60ml white vinegar
  • 60ml fresh orange juice
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp achiote paste
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled and sliced into rings
  • 24 small corn tortillas
  • 1 white onion, finely diced
  • Fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Lime wedges, to serve

Method

  1. Toast the dried chiles in a dry pan 30 seconds per side until fragrant. Cover with boiling water and soak 20 minutes.
  2. Drain the chiles and blend with vinegar, orange juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, achiote and salt until smooth.
  3. Coat pork slices in the marinade, layer with pineapple rings in a container, cover and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours.
  4. Heat oven to 200C with rack in the middle. Stack the marinated pork slices and pineapple into a tight cylinder on a vertical skewer placed in a deep tray (or use a loaf tin if you have no skewer).
  5. Roast 90 minutes until the outer layer crisps and chars. Rest 10 minutes.
  6. Slice the outer crusty layer thin, like shaving from a spit, into a hot pan to refresh.
  7. Warm tortillas. Pile pork on, add a piece of caramelised pineapple, top with onion and cilantro. Serve with lime.

Tip from the editors. No skewer at home? Pack the meat tight into a loaf tin and roast: the same caramelised outer layer forms on the top, slice down through it.

Where to eat al pastor taco

Al pastor taco in Los Angeles

Leo's Tacos Truck ★ 4.7

$$ CalifornianUntil Daily until 02:00

Leo's Tacos Truck on La Brea, Los Angeles carves al pastor until 02:00 nightly. Three permanent truck locations, the La Brea stop is the busiest.

TryAl pastor and asada tacos

Directions

Tacos Tamix ★ 4.5

$ Street food

Tacos Tamix runs five LA trucks shaving al pastor off a wood-fire trompo since 2006, the Pico Union truck the most consistent for the late-night order.

TryAl pastor taco from the trompo

Directions

El Chato Taco Truck ★ 4.6

$ Street foodCash only

El Chato Taco Truck on Olympic and La Brea, Los Angeles has been parked at the same corner since 1972, slow-cooking cabeza and lengua tacos to order.

TryCabeza and lengua tacos

Directions

Tire Shop Taqueria ★ 4.7

$ Street foodCash only

Tire Shop Taqueria in South LA, Los Angeles operates from the lot of an actual tire shop on Avalon. Suadero and al pastor tacos until 01:30, cash only.

TryAl pastor and suadero tacos

Directions

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