Homemade Pastor-Style Tacos

• 500g pork loin in fillets
• 3 dried guajillo chilies
• 2 dried ancho chilies
• 1/2 onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 orange (juice)
• 100g natural pineapple
• Fresh cilantro
• Corn tortillas
• Green sauce

👨‍🍳 Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Soak the chilies in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain and blend with onion, garlic, orange juice, and spices.

2. 2

   Marinate the meat with the adobo for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight in the refrigerator.

3. 3

   Cook the meat in a very hot skillet or in the oven at 200°C until it's caramelized.

4. 4

   Chop the meat finely or into strips. Heat the tortillas on a griddle or dry skillet.

5. 5

   Serve in double tortillas with pineapple, chopped onion, cilantro, and green sauce.

💡 Chef's tip

Marinate the meat for at least 4 hours, overnight is better. For a home trompo effect: stack the slices on a skewer and roast in a 220°C oven for the last 10 minutes to get golden edges.

📝 Our take

The marinade is everything in this recipe. Dry-toasted guajillo chile, achiote, and pineapple are not optional—without them you have seasoned chicken, not pastor. At home without a trompo, the key is searing the meat over very high heat in a cast-iron pan to get the caramelised edges that separate a proper taco al pastor from a mediocre one.

🍷 Wine & food pairing

Fresh tamarind water or an ice-cold Mexican beer. Tacos al pastor call for refreshing drinks that cleanse the palate between bites.

Suggested wine: Cerveza mexicana Clara