Authentic Tacos Al Pastor

This al pastor recipe features thinly sliced, marinated pork, pineapple and spices cooked to juicy perfection for the best tacos al pastor!

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Ingredients
5 lbs pork shoulder (boneless)
1 large pineapple (See Note 1)

Marinade
1/3 cup chili seasoning (powder) (see below for quick option)
2 tbsp achiote paste (optional, See note 2)
1 white onion peeled and halved
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup white vinegar
5 cloves garlic
3 tsp salt
1 tsp Mexican oregano (See Note 3)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground clove
2 tsp epazote (optional, See Note 4)

Assembly
flour or corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple diced (from above pineapple)
1 white onion sliced or diced
1 bunch cilantro chopped
limes quartered
Salsa Verde
Roasted Tomato Salsa
Pico de Gallo

Homemade Chili Powder (optional)
3 pasilla (negro) dried chiles (2.5 tablespoons ground/powdered)
3 dried Guajillo chiles (2.5 tablespoons ground/powdered)
2 dried chiles de arbol (1 teaspoon ground/powdered)

Instructions
If grilling or roasting in the oven, slice pork shoulder into 1/4 inch slices. For other methods, trim fat from the pork shoulder and cut meat into 3 to 4 inch chunks.

Chile powder
If using your own chili powder, skip this step and make the marinade.
Using gloves, remove the stems and scrape out the seeds from the dried chiles. Toast over low heat in a dry skillet for a few minutes.
Allow chiles to cool, then grind to a powder in a spice/coffee grinder. Alternatively, soak the peppers in hot water for 20 minutes, then blend with the marinade ingredients.

Marinade
To a blender, add the chili powder, achiote paste, onion, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, Mexican oregano, cinnamon, clove and epazote (optional). Blend until pureed.
If grilling or roasting in the oven, slice pork shoulder into 1/4 inch slices. For other methods, trim fat from the pork shoulder and cut meat into 3 to 4 inch chunks.
Place pork in a sealable food storage bag or container that can be covered with a lid. Pour the chile marinade over the pork.
Wearing kitchen gloves, use your hands to toss the chile marinade and pork together, then cover container.
Chill in refrigerator a minimum of 4 hours, or up to 10 hours.
Allow meat to come to room temp prior to cooking.

For the Grill or Smoker: (See Note 5)
Preheat grill to 250°F.
Shake off excess marinade. Place cut pineapple bottoms into a cast iron skillet or shallow baking pan.
Insert a wooden or metal skewer or long wooden chopstick through the center of the pineapple.
Start layering slices of marinated pork, repeating until meat is used, or you have 1 inch of skewer left. Leave 1 inch of skewer on top and cap it with trimmed pineapple top.
Grill at 250°F for 3 1/2 hours, or until internal temp reaches 145°F-150°F. (See Note 5). Start basting with pan juices in last hour.
Outside should be caramelized and crispy. Use a sharp chef's or serrated knife to slice meat in downward motion. Put pan back on grill to crisp up the edges as you continue to slice remaining meat.

***For other cooking methods (Oven, Slow Cooker and Instant Pot) see via website link to recipe above. There was not enough space here to list it all.

Serving:
Serve in small tortillas topped with chopped onion, cilantro, squeeze of lime juice and hot salsa. I like diced pineapple on top as well, but this is optional.

Notes
1. I used 1 large pineapple. Trim the green top off and cut the top about 2 inches down and do the same from the bottom. These will be the bases for the skewers to stand in and the meat is then placed on top. Top the meat with 2 more 2-inch pieces of trimmed pineapple rings (as seen in video). The remaining is trimmed, diced and used for serving (about 1 1/2 cups).
2. Achiote paste can be found in most Mexican markets, or you can make your own achiote paste. It creates the authentic deep red color and flavor that al pastor is known for.
3. Mexican oregano is a relative of Lemon Verbena and is native to Mexico, with notes of mild licorice and citrus.Mediterranean oregano is a member of the mint family and most often is used in Greek and Italian recipes. Mediterranean oregano is the one most found in spice racks at supermarkets.
4. Epazote is similar to oregano and fennel with minty notes. It’s found in Mexican cooking and is typically used in beans for flavor and helping reduce their tendency to cause flatulence.
5. I grill in a Traeger smoker on the lowest rack because it allows me to fine tune and control the heat at lower temperatures better than regulating a charcoal or gas grill. When grilling, times may vary depending on what type of grill you are using. Pork is done when internal temperature of pork is is 145°F to 150°F.