Name: Tacos al pastor (Tapatio) (home recipe)
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 4 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 800 g pork shoulder, sliced thin (3 mm); 3 guajillo chiles, seeded; 2 ancho chiles, seeded; 3 garlic cloves; 1 tbsp achiote paste; 2 tbsp white vinegar; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp salt; Juice of 1 orange; 1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, in 5 mm slices; 16 small corn tortillas; Chopped white onion, cilantro and lime for serving; Chile-de-arbol salsa for serving

Tacos al pastor (Tapatio) — Photo: Popo le Chien · CC BY-SA 3.0

History

Tacos al pastor descend from the shawarma tradition brought by Lebanese and Syrian immigrants to Mexico in the early 20th century. The Mexican adaptation replaced the lamb with achiote-marinated pork, kept the vertical trompo spit and added pineapple to the top of the cone. Mexico City claims invention in the 1960s, but Tapatio late-night taquerias developed their own style: smaller trompos, more chile-de-arbol salsa and a slice of pineapple per taco. Tacos Providencia and Los Pinches Tacos are the canonical Guadalajara late-night addresses.

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Common allergens: Wheat (some tortillas)

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

800 g pork shoulder, sliced thin (3 mm)
3 guajillo chiles, seeded
2 ancho chiles, seeded
3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp achiote paste
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
Juice of 1 orange
1/2 fresh pineapple, peeled, in 5 mm slices
16 small corn tortillas
Chopped white onion, cilantro and lime for serving
Chile-de-arbol salsa for serving

Method

Toast the chiles, soak in hot water 15 minutes, then blend with garlic, achiote, vinegar, oregano, cumin, salt and orange juice into a smooth marinade.
Coat the sliced pork in the marinade and refrigerate at least 3 hours (overnight is better).
Heat a heavy skillet over high heat. Cook the pork in batches until charred at the edges, about 4 minutes per batch.
Char the pineapple slices in the same pan, then dice.
Chop the pork finely.
Warm the tortillas on a comal, fill with pork, top with diced pineapple, chopped onion, cilantro, lime juice and chile-de-arbol salsa.

Tip from the editors. A home oven broiler under a vertical skewer setup approximates the trompo. Otherwise, the high-heat skillet char gets close enough.