Tacos al pastor recipe: Mexico City's spit-roast taco at home

This tacos al pastor recipe brings Mexico City's most famous taco into a home kitchen: pork marinated in guajillo, ancho and achiote, seared hard in a very hot cast-iron pan and chopped with charred pineapple. The key is heat and small batches, so the meat chars at the edges the way it does on a taquería's spit.

Al pastor descends from the shawarma that Lebanese immigrants brought to Puebla in the early 20th century; in Mexico City the lamb became pork, the spices became dried chillies and achiote, and a pineapple went on top of the trompo. Taquerías such as El Vilsito in Narvarte still carve it to order; our guide to what to eat in Mexico City lists where. Without a spit, the skillet method popularised by cook Pati Jinich gets close. If you want a side from the same street stalls, add elote, grilled corn with chile and lime.

Ingredients

Crowd the pan and the pork steams; give it space and it chars like the spit.

• 900 g boneless pork shoulder, sliced 1 cm thick
• 4 dried guajillo chillies, stemmed and seeded
• 2 dried ancho chillies, stemmed and seeded
• 50 g achiote paste
• 120 ml pineapple juice
• 60 ml white wine vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 2 whole cloves
• 1½ tsp fine salt
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• ½ small pineapple, peeled and sliced 1 cm thick
• 12 small corn tortillas (about 12 cm)
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 1 small bunch coriander, chopped
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• Salsa verde, to serve

Method

1. Toast the guajillo and ancho chillies in a dry pan for 20 to 30 seconds a side, until fragrant, then soak in just-boiled water for 15 minutes. Longer toasting turns them bitter.
2. Blend the drained chillies with the achiote, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, cumin, cloves, salt and 1 tbsp oil until completely smooth, loosening with a little soaking water. Set aside 4 tbsp of marinade before it touches raw meat.
3. Coat the pork slices in the rest and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 24. The acid seasons the meat all the way through.
4. Heat a cast-iron pan until very hot. Brush the pineapple with the reserved marinade and char for about 3 minutes a side, then chop into small pieces.
5. Sear the pork in batches with a little oil, 2 to 3 minutes a side. Crowding the pan makes it steam instead of char.
6. Rest the meat for 5 minutes, chop it finely, then return it to the pan with the pineapple for a minute so the juices glaze everything.
7. Warm the tortillas on a dry pan for 30 to 45 seconds a side and keep them wrapped in a cloth.
8. Fill two stacked tortillas per taco with meat and pineapple, then add onion, coriander, lime and salsa.

Getting the trompo char at home

Slice the pork no thicker than 1 cm and pat off excess marinade before searing: wet meat cannot brown. For a closer copy of the spit, stack the marinated slices on a skewer set in a loaf tin, roast at 200 °C for about 1 hour 15 minutes, then shave and crisp the slices in the pan.

Tacos al pastor recipe FAQ

Can I marinate the pork overnight? Yes. Between 12 and 24 hours gives the deepest flavour; beyond that the vinegar starts to soften the surface of the meat.

What can I use instead of achiote paste? Achiote gives colour and an earthy note. Without it, add 1 tbsp sweet paprika and an extra splash of vinegar; the flavour is flatter but still recognisable.

Can I use chicken? Boneless chicken thighs work with the same marinade. Marinate for 4 to 8 hours and sear until cooked through, about 4 minutes a side.