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Super Easy Super Tasty Tacos al Pastor

Super easy, super tasty tacos al pastor - or tacos with marinated pork/chicken and pineapple. It's usually made as a rotissiere, but we are simplifying the method yet maximizing the flavors today!

 

Easy Tacos al Pastor

 

I'm still waiting for pumpkins to arrive in Norwegian grocery stores (which feels like foreverrr) and thus I'm continuing with delicious summery foods for a tiny bit longer. I will continue to look for amazing recipes containing pumpkin (and shed a tear every now and then) but I'm still thrilled that pineapples are so good here now!

 

Tacos al Pastor is a Mexican dish derived from the Lebanese immigrants' shawarma. The meat is marinated in chiles, pineapple and other spices and slow cooked on a vertical rotisserie, with a pineapple on top. Sound like uh - a lot of work - so, today we are doing this super easy yet super tasty.

 

Easy Tacos al Pastor

 

The evil of canned pineapple

 

I've always been afraid of pineapple in savory dishes, until I tried tacos al pastor. I understood that with the right pineapple and the right dish, it could be an amazing combination. I found out it was the horrendous canned pineapple I despised - you should never use canned pineapple for this (nor anything else, actually).

 

The pineapple in this dish helps break down the meat, making it tender and juicy and it needs to be fresh. The canned stuff is watered down, high in sugars and the consistency is mushy and gross. No way, never again.

 

Easy Tacos al Pastor

 

So, I think you got it now. Let's continue, with our delicious fresh pineapple.

 

Super Easy Super Tasty Tacos al Pastor

 

Tacos al pastor is usually made with pork, and it is delicious that way too. However, I had chicken on hand and decided to give it a try. Guess what? Equally delicious! You can use whatever one you want, I've also heard of people using fish, but don't quote me on that.

 

Easy Tacos al Pastor

 

This recipe is adapted from No Recipes, however I decided to make this the easy way, because sometimes you just want delicious food without all the fuss. Don't get me wrong, I like fuss too, but who has time for that every day? So, instead of using a whole pork butt, putting it in the freezer, slice it up, add pineapple in between and then marinade it, we'll do it differently. We are hungry now, right?

 

You need to begin with the dried chiles. Remove the seeds if you want to, but I like the heat so I'm keeping mine. Boil water and pour over the chiles and allow them to rehydrate for around 10 minutes. The definite con of living on the west coast of Norway, is getting interesting ingredients. Especially Mexican.

 

I could not find acho chiles anywhere, but I found guajilos, luckily. So I've just been using 2 guajilo chiles instead of 1 guajilo and 2 ancho chiles. I've heard this combination is normal and they complement each other, so I suggest going for both if you can find them. If not, that's okay too. Still delicious.

 

Easy Tacos al Pastor

 

The Marinade

 

Put the rehydrated chiles in a food processor, along with all the other marinade ingredients and process until smooth. Pour the marinade into a pot and bring to a boil for around 5 minutes. This is important as it breaks some of the enzymes in the fresh pineapple, which could eventually turn your meat into mush (like canned pineapple, yuck).

 

Turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. I know, that sucks, but as the weather cools, maybe you could place the pot outside for a bit? The pros of cooler weather, maybe this is a Fall dish anyway!

 

Easy Tacos al Pastor

 

Marinade the meat for no more than an hour - the pineapple still has a lot of enzymes which tenderizes meat. Heat a pan and fry the meat until the meat is cooked through. To assemble; use small corn tortillas, minced shallot onion and cilantro, sour cream and a pineapple salsa. Finish off with lime wedges. You can also add in a little salsa verde, although I find the homemade pineapple salsa much more important than the salsa verde.

 

Homemade Pineapple Salsa

 

Easy Tacos al Pastor

 

Save some of the pineapple to make a fresh pineapple salsa. Cut the pineapple into small cubes, mix with chopped cilantro, cinnamon, cumin, oregano and maybe some fajitas spice if you have it on hand.  Awesome.

 

Enjoy! Please tell me how you did, what you made, and if you like this version of tacos al pastor. Comment in the comment section below or tag me on Instagram @thegingerwithspice. Don't forget to Pin it for later!

 

 

📖 Recipe

Easy Tacos al Pastor

Easy Tacos al Pastor

Yield: 4-6
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

I thought I didn't like pineapple in savory dishes until I tried tacos al pastor. The meat is marinaded with delicious ingredients such as cinnamon, pineapple and chiles and topped with a fresh pineapple salsa.

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 1 lb chicken breast or pork, cut into strips, 450g
  • 2 ancho chiles
  • 1 guajilo chile, (Or 2-3 guajilos if you cannot find ancho)
  • 1 ⅓ cup diced fresh pineapple, 200g
  • ½ yellow onion
  • 1 chipotle chile, (in adobo sauce)
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon oregano
  • ½ teaspoon paprika

Homemade Pineapple Salsa

  • 1 ⅓ cups diced fresh pineapple, or the rest of the pineapple you didn't use
  • handful chopped fresh cilantro
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin, to taste
  • ½ teaspoon oregano, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon fajitas spice, to taste (optional)

Assemble

  • 12-15 small corn tortillas
  • 2 shallot onions, chopped
  • handful chopped fresh cilantro
  • 4 lime wedges
  • sour cream
  • salsa verde
  • homemade pineapple salsa, see above

Instructions

  1. Dried chiles: Use either 2 ancho chiles and 1 guajilo or just 2-3 guajilos if you cannot find ancho. If you want you can remove the seeds. Boil water and pour over the chiles and allow them to rehydrate for around 10 minutes.
  2. Make marinade: Put the rehydrated chiles in a food processor, along with all the other marinade ingredients and process until smooth. Pour the marinade into a pot and bring to a boil for around 5 minutes. This is important as it breaks some of the enzymes in the fresh pineapple, which could eventually turn your meat into mush. Turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature.
  3. Marinate meat: Combine marinade with sliced chicken or pork. Marinate the meat for no more than an hour - the pineapple still has a lot of enzymes which tenderizes meat. Heat a pan to medium high and fry the meat until the meat is cooked through (5-7 minutes).
  4. Pineapple salsa: Cut the pineapple into small cubes, mix with chopped cilantro, cinnamon, cumin, oregano and maybe some fajitas spice if you have it on hand.
  5. Assemble: top small corn tortillas with the cooked meat, minced shallot onion and cilantro, sour cream and pineapple salsa. Finish off with a drizzle of lime juice. You can also add in a little salsa verde, although I find the homemade pineapple salsa much more important than the salsa verde.

Notes

Adapted from: No Recipes

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: ¼
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 215Total Fat: 3.5gSaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 1323mgCarbohydrates: 19.7gFiber: 3.7gSugar: 12.6gProtein: 26g

Nutrition information isn't always accurate, estimate for informational purposes only. It is only based on chicken and pineapple salsa, as the assembly ingredients may vary depending on what brands you choose for corn tortillas etc.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or tag @thegingerwithspice on Instagram, I'd love to see!

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