These Pulled Pork Tacos al Pastor bring bold street-style flavor straight to your backyard. Traditionally cooked on a vertical spit, this Mexican favorite is known for its tender marinated pork, caramelized pineapple, and smoky char. With this grill friendly version, you get all the signature flavors, sweet, savory, tangy, and just a little spicy, without needing special equipment.
Looking for a quick taco dinner, try my Fast and Easy al Pastor tacos. For more flavorful Mexican inspired dishes, try my Grilled Tortilla Beef Kebabs, easy Creamy Chicken Enchilada Skillet or flavorful Iberico Pork Tacos.
What are Tacos Al Pastor?
A traditional Mexican recipe that is grilled on a vertical skewer or spit. Tacos al Pastor use sliced pork shoulder that is marinated in adobo sauce and stacked on a vertical skewer and slow cooked resulting in very tender meat. This sweet and savory taco is served with pineapple, white onion and cilantro.
Ingredient list for Easy Al Pastor Tacos
- Pork Shoulder: I used a boneless pork should that I cut up a pork shoulder into smaller pieces, seared first then braised.
- Canned pineapple: canned pineapple is perfect for this recipe.
- Dried chilies: a mix of guajillo, arbol and chipotle chilies are needed for the sauce.
- Corn tacos: traditionally al pastor tacos are enjoyed on corn tortillas.
- Chilies in adobo sauce: smoked heat for the sauce.
- Achiote paste: adds creaminess and thickness to the sauce.
- Seasoning: a mix of garlic, cinnamon, all purpose rub, bay leaves and Mexican oregano are used to season the sauce.
Why you will love these Pulled Pork Tacos Al Pastor
- Authentic flavor without special equipment
- Sweet and smoky caramelization from the grill
- Tender, juicy marinated pork
- Perfect balance of pineapple and spice
- Great for family dinners, parties, and taco nights
The grill adds subtle char that pairs perfectly with the sweet pineapple and savory adobo sauce.
Make homemade Adobo sauce
All the flavor in these Pulled Pork Tacos al Pastor are in the homemade sauce. That’s where the recipe should start.
To start, remove the stems and seeds from the dried chilies. Place them in a saucepan with garlic cloves, onion, cinnamon stick, Mexican oregano and cover with water. Bring the water to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until the chilies are soft.
Next, transfer the chilies and veggies from the water to a blender. Make sure to discard the cinnamon stick. Add achiote paste, pineapple juice and water from the chilies. Blend everything together until smooth.
Sear Pork First
Most of us don’t have a vertical spit that is used to make traditional Tacos al Pastor recipe. But you don’t need all the tools to get the same authentic flavors. I made this recipe with a BBQ twist that made this Mexican inspired meal out of this world!
Traditionally, Tacos al Pastor are made with a boneless pork shoulder which is exactly what I used. I decided to first sear the meat to build the flavorful crust you would normally have from the spit.
To ensure more char, I decided to cut it into smaller pieces. Not only will this provide more of that grilled flavor, but will help braise faster in step 2 of this cooking process.
Next, I generously seasoned the pork chunks with Dad’s Taco seasoning and Dad’s All Purpose seasoning. The taco rub adds authentic Mexican flavors of cumin, lime and chili, while the All Purpose adds savory notes that perfectly enhance the natural flavor of pork.
Preheat the grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and set up for direct heat. Place the seasoned pork directly on the grates and sear 2-3 minutes per side. Continue flipping until you get a nice dark crust on all sides without burning it.
Dad’s Seasonings
Must have grillin seasonings!
Braise the Grilled Pork in Adobo Sauce
The second phase of this recipe is the braising process. This will tenderize the meat and infuse it with all those amazing al Pastor flavors for the perfect Pulled Pork Tacos al Pastor.
In a dutch oven, add the pork, 1 stick of butter, our adobo sauce, close the lid and put it back on the grill.
Place it on the indirect side and cook until the meat is fork tender. You are NOT going for a temperature or time. Why? Because you just need to braise long enough until the meat is fork tender and shreddable. This will take between 2-3 hours. Also, the time will depend on the size of the pork and cooking vessel. Cook the pork in the Dutch oven until a fork goes in without any resistance. Like a hot knife through butter.
Shred the Meat
Just like you would with a BBQ Pulled Pork recipe, it’s time to shred the meat! Be careful here, that braised pork should is super hot!
Carefully, with heat resistance gloves, start shredding the pork pieces. Keep it in the adobo sauce, but remove any fatty pieces that did not render or cook down. Those will not be pleasant to bite into.
Serve Suggestions and Storage
Some might argue this is not a traditional al Pastor recipe. And yes, they are correct, but all the flavors are there. It’s not method that’s important but the flavors.
Warm up a few tortillas. Add a generous handful of the Pulled Pork al Pastor. Sprinkle with chopped white onion and cilantro. That’s all you need to enjoy this meal.
Looking for side? I have you covered.
- Street Corn - a must with any backyard cookout
- Salsa - easy, delicious and spicy. Good on anything.
Have any leftovers? No problem. This Pulled Pork Tacos al Pastor shredded meat can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Repurpose the meat on nachos, casserole or tacos again. Another option is to freeze for up to 4 months and enjoy a different day.
Final Thoughts
Pulled Pork Tacos al Pastor are everything you want in a backyard taco recipe, bold, smoky, juicy, and layered with sweet pineapple and warm spices. While traditional methods use a vertical spit, this grill version captures the same caramelized flavor in an approachable way.
Perfect for taco night, summer cookouts, or anytime you’re craving authentic street-style flavor at home.
Fire up the grill and bring the taste of Mexico to your backyard. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the difference between Al Pastor and Carnitas? Tacos al Pastor use grilled pork that is coated in a chili based sauce and is served with pineapple, while Carnitas is slow cooked pork that is flavored with orange and served in chunks or shredded.
What to do with leftover al pastor? A great way to re-use the sauce of meat sauce is enchiladas! Also, pour them over fries or make al pastor nachos!
Can I make tacos al pastor without a grill? Yes! You can cook the marinated pork in a cast iron skillet or under a broiler.
If you tried this Grilled Tacos Al Pastor or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the📝 comments. I love hearing from you!
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Pulled Pork Tacos al Pastor
If you’re looking for the best Pulled Pork Tacos al Pastor recipe, this one delivers authentic flavor with an easy backyard twist.
Course Appetizer, Main Course, lunch, dinner
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword grilled, spicy, pulled pork tacos al pastor, taco recipe, mexican inspired recipe, pulled pork, adobo sauce, grillin with dad recipes, charcoal grill recipe., pulled pork, taco
Prep Time 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time 3 hours hours
Servings 8 People
Calories 354kcal
Pork Ingredients
- 4 lbs Boneless pork shoulder
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Taco seasoning
- 2 tbsp All purpose seasoning
Adobo Sauce Ingredients
- 7-9 Dried guajillo chilies
- 3 Dried arbol chilies - these are spicy
- 3 Dried chipotle chilies
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 6 Garlic cloves
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 1/2 White onion
- 6 oz Can of pineapple juice
- 2 tbsp Achiote paste
- 1 stick Unsalted butter
- 1/2 tbsp Salt
Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chilies.
Place the chilies in a sauce pan with the garlic, onion, cinnamon stick, oregano and cover with water. Bring the water to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes until the chilies are soft.
Transfer the chilies and veggies from the water to a blender. Throw out the cinnamon stick and save about 1 cup of the water.
To the blender, add achiote paste, salt, pineapple juice and 1 cup of water from the chilies. Blend everything together until smooth.
Cut the boneless pork shoulder into smaller chunks. Drizzle olive oil and season with the taco and all purpose seasonings.
Preheat the grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and set up for direct heat. Place the seasoned pork directly on the grates and sear 2-3 minutes per side. Continue flipping until you get a nice dark crust on all sides without burning it.
In a dutch oven add the pork, 1 stick of butter, adobo sauce, close the lid and put it back on the grill. Cook over indirect heat 2-3 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
Carefully, with heat resistance gloves, start shredding the pork pieces. Keep it in the adobo sauce, but remove any fatty pieces.
Assemble the Pulled Pork Tacos al Pastor with some warm tortillas, pulled pork, chopped white onion and cilantro. Enjoy!
Canned pineapple is a great way to guarantee soft and sweet pineapple chunks and juice.
If you are not a fan of corn tortillas, swap them for the street flour ones. They are the single serve size.
Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 228mg | Potassium: 937mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 281IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 4mg
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