Tacos al Pastor (Mexico City Spit-Roasted Pork, Made in a Loaf Pan)
Thin sheets of chile-and-achiote-marinated pork layered with bacon, slow-roasted into a sliceable loaf like a trompo, shaved, crisped and served with roasted pineapple, onion and cilantro.
Al pastor is spit-roasted pork, and its vertical spit came from the Middle East. Wikipedia's al pastor article says Lebanese immigrants brought shawarma to Mexico, that lamb was largely swapped for pork by the 1920s, and that "tacos árabes" grew up in Puebla in the 1930s; in Mexico City cooks added a chile adobo marinade and corn tortillas. El Universal, citing food historian Jeffrey Pilcher, dates the Lebanese tacos árabes of Puebla to the 1920s and the al pastor trade in Mexico City to the 1960s (Nayeli Reyes, 2017:). Which taqueria made the first one is DISPUTED (see Rules).
At a taqueria the marinated slices are stacked on a vertical skewer into a cone called a trompo (spinning top), topped with pineapple, and shaved off as the outside crisps. J. Kenji López-Alt notes the resemblance to shawarma and doner kebab "because the concept was first introduced to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants".
🇲🇽 The original
Thin sheets of chile-and-achiote-marinated pork layered with bacon, slow-roasted into a sliceable loaf like a trompo, shaved, crisped and served with roasted pineapple, onion and cilantro.
🇺🇸 The American version
America fried the tortilla into a crunchy U, filled it with seasoned ground beef, cheddar, lettuce and tomato, and made Tuesday taco night. See the Hard-Shell Ground Beef Tacos (Home-Fried Shells) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Salt makes it sliceable
Kenji explains that salt in the marinade dissolves some of the meat's proteins so the layers stick together, which lets the chilled loaf slice into coherent, almost bacon-like shavings instead of crumbles.
A loaf pan stands in for the trompo
Stacking thin, pounded pork with bacon and roasting it slowly gives the same cohesive, fat-basted block a vertical spit makes, and a hot skillet supplies the crisp edges.
Step by step
- Step 1
Toast the dried chiles in a dry saucepan over medium-high heat, turning, about 5 minutes, until puffed, pliable and fragrant. Add the broth (it should boil at once), tip everything into a small bowl and cover.
- Step 2
Wipe out the pan, add the oil and heat over medium-high until shimmering. Stir in the cumin, oregano and achiote for 30 seconds, until aromatic but not brown, then the chipotle and adobo for 30 seconds more. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vinegar, salt and sugar. Blend with the garlic and the chiles and their liquid until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Let cool.
- Step 3
Slice the pork as thin as you can (15 minutes in the freezer helps). One slice at a time, pound it inside a split zipper-lock bag to under 1/4 inch. Toss all the slices with the marinade.
- Step 4
Line the bottom of a small (about 8 by 4 inch) disposable loaf pan with bacon, add a layer of pork, and keep alternating until everything is used. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 36 hours.
- Step 5
Heat the oven to 275°F. Set the uncovered pan on a foil-lined rimmed sheet and roast about 3 hours, until the meat is completely tender and the center reads 180 to 190°F (far past the 145°F pork minimum). Cool slightly, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight, so the loaf firms up for slicing.
- Step 6
Heat the oven to 350°F. Lift the loaf out, saving the fat and jellied juices separately. Slice the loaf as thin as possible into shavings. Brush the pineapple with some melted fat and roast on a foil-lined sheet about 25 minutes, until tender.
- Step 7
While the pineapple finishes, heat the shaved meat with 1 tbsp of the fat in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high, stirring now and then, 5 to 8 minutes, until crisp and browned in spots. Add the saved juices and toss until they reduce to a glaze.
- Step 8
Chop the pineapple. Pile the meat into doubled warm tortillas and top with pineapple, onion, cilantro, salsa and a squeeze of lime.
Tacos al Pastor (Mexico City Spit-Roasted Pork, Made in a Loaf Pan)
Serves 4 (4 to 6 doubled-tortilla tacos each) · about 16 to 24 tacos · 10 hr 15 min total
Adobo marinade
- 1 dried ancho chile, stem and seeds removed
- 1 dried pasilla or guajillo chile, stem and seeds removed
- 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp achiote powder or paste
- 1/2 canned chipotle chile in adobo plus 1 tsp of the adobo sauce
- 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
- 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 cloves garlic
Pork
- 1 lb boneless pork sirloin or blade-end loin roast
- 4 oz sliced bacon
To serve
- 1/2 small pineapple, peeled, cored and cut lengthwise into 2 long pieces
- 16 to 24 corn tortillas, warmed (two per taco)
- 1/2 cup finely diced white onion
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro
- 1/2 cup salsa verde
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
Method
- Toast the dried chiles in a dry saucepan over medium-high heat, turning, about 5 minutes, until puffed, pliable and fragrant. Add the broth (it should boil at once), tip everything into a small bowl and cover.
- Wipe out the pan, add the oil and heat over medium-high until shimmering. Stir in the cumin, oregano and achiote for 30 seconds, until aromatic but not brown, then the chipotle and adobo for 30 seconds more. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vinegar, salt and sugar. Blend with the garlic and the chiles and their liquid until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Let cool.
- Slice the pork as thin as you can (15 minutes in the freezer helps). One slice at a time, pound it inside a split zipper-lock bag to under 1/4 inch. Toss all the slices with the marinade.
- Line the bottom of a small (about 8 by 4 inch) disposable loaf pan with bacon, add a layer of pork, and keep alternating until everything is used. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 36 hours.
- Heat the oven to 275°F. Set the uncovered pan on a foil-lined rimmed sheet and roast about 3 hours, until the meat is completely tender and the center reads 180 to 190°F (far past the 145°F pork minimum). Cool slightly, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight, so the loaf firms up for slicing.
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Lift the loaf out, saving the fat and jellied juices separately. Slice the loaf as thin as possible into shavings. Brush the pineapple with some melted fat and roast on a foil-lined sheet about 25 minutes, until tender.
- While the pineapple finishes, heat the shaved meat with 1 tbsp of the fat in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high, stirring now and then, 5 to 8 minutes, until crisp and browned in spots. Add the saved juices and toss until they reduce to a glaze.
- Chop the pineapple. Pile the meat into doubled warm tortillas and top with pineapple, onion, cilantro, salsa and a squeeze of lime.
Adapted from Serious Eats, "Homemade Tacos al Pastor" by J. Kenji López-Alt (2013, updated 2026), halved from 8 servings to 4. Kenji's full loaf roasts about 4 hours at 275°F; the 3 hour time for a half loaf is our estimate, so use his doneness cue (center 180 to 190°F, completely tender). History from Wikipedia and El Universal (link in Story). Serious Eats. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- Kenji uses sirloin because it is far easier to slice than shoulder, and the bacon replaces the fat sirloin lacks.
- If your dried chiles crack instead of bend, they are old; Kenji says to buy fresh ones.
- Ask for your meat "extra crispy" at a taqueria and you get the plancha-crisped version step 7 copies.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Pineapple on top. Documented as standard (Wikipedia; Kenji). Who added it first is Disputed: El Tizoncito (founded 1966) claims it, and El Universal itself says "se cuenta" (it is said).
- Who invented al pastor. Disputed: El Tizoncito calls itself the creator; El Huequito says it sold al pastor from 1959 (both per El Universal); Puebla's tacos árabes came earlier (Wikipedia).
- Lebanese immigrants brought the spit. Disputed in detail: Wikipedia and Kenji say Lebanese; José R. Ralat writes "Lebanese immigrants, or Iraqi immigrants, depending on who you ask".
- "Al pastor" means shepherd style. Documented (Wikipedia, which traces "asado al pastor" to Mexican cookbooks of the 1840s).
- It has to come off a trompo. Folklore for home cooks: Kenji's loaf pan gets the same shaved, crisp texture.
Every other taco
Carnitas (Michoacán-Style Pork Tacos)
Thick slabs of pork shoulder braised in their own juices, then roasted hot until the fat renders and the edges turn golden and crisp, pulled into chunks for corn tortillas.
Quesabirria Tacos (Birria de Res with Consomé)
Beef chuck braised in a guajillo chile broth, shredded, tucked into fat-dipped corn tortillas with melted cheese, griddled crisp and dunked in a cup of the red consomé.
Tacos de Canasta (Basket Tacos)
Corn tortillas flashed through garlic-and-onion-scented oil, filled with a warm tomato, chile and fresh cheese mixture, then stacked in a towel-lined basket to steam soft.
Baja Fish Tacos (Ensenada-Style Battered Fish)
Fingers of white fish soaked briefly in salt and vinegar, dipped in a light pancake-mix batter, fried crisp and tucked into corn tortillas with creamy slaw, a fried serrano salsa and a mayo-ketchup sauce.
Sonora-Style Carne Asada Tacos
Half-inch beef steaks seasoned with nothing but salt, seared over a hot fire, chopped and piled into warm flour tortillas with refried beans, salsa and guacamole.
Hard-Shell Ground Beef Tacos (Home-Fried Shells)
The Taco Tuesday classic done properly: corn tortillas fried into U-shaped shells at home and filled with a saucy spiced ground beef, cheddar, lettuce and tomato.
San Antonio Puffy Tacos
Raw masa pressed thin and dropped into hot oil, where it puffs into a light, crisp-chewy shell that is creased into a taco and filled with a beef and potato picadillo.
Korean BBQ Short Rib Tacos (Kalbi Tacos)
Thin-cut short ribs marinated overnight in a soy, pear, orange and sesame purée, charred on a hot grill and tucked into corn tortillas with a crunchy cabbage slaw and a chile-sesame salsa.
Texas Breakfast Tacos (Crispy Potato, Chorizo and Egg)
Parboiled potatoes crisped in rendered chorizo fat with serrano and scallion, topped with a fried egg and roasted tomato salsa in warm flour tortillas.
30-Minute Weeknight Chicken Tinga Tacos
Boneless chicken thighs simmered right in a smoky chipotle and fire-roasted tomato sauce, shredded and tossed back in, with avocado, Cotija and scallions on top. Dinner in about 30 minutes.
Crunchy Seasoned Beef Tacos, Inspired by Taco Bell
Finely crumbled, saucy seasoned ground beef in a crunchy corn shell with shredded iceberg and a little cheddar, the drive-thru build at home. Inspired by, not official.
Meatballs of the World
Italian-American Meatballs
Big, tender meatballs braised for an hour in red sauce over spaghetti. The one most Americans grew up with.
Pallottine (Abruzzo Meatballs)
Tiny meatballs, smaller than a marble, tossed right through square spaghetti alla chitarra. No bread at all.
Swedish Meatballs (Köttbullar)
Small, soft meatballs browned in butter, in a cream sauce made from the same pan, with lingonberry jam on the plate.
Danish Frikadeller
Pork meatballs shaped with a spoon and fried slowly in butter, crusty outside and soft in the middle.
Königsberger Klopse
German meatballs that are never fried: poached, then served in a creamy white sauce with capers.
Spanish Albóndigas in Almond Saffron Sauce
The tapas bar classic: small meatballs in a golden sauce thickened with fried almonds and bread.
Mexican Albóndigas with Chipotle and Mint
Soft meatballs with rice and fresh mint inside, simmered in a smoky tomato and chipotle broth.
Izgara Köfte (Turkish Grilled Meatballs)
Small, flat meatballs kneaded hard, rested cold, and charred on a hot grill pan.
Lion's Head Meatballs
Big, soft pork meatballs, stirred into a sticky paste, fried to set, then braised in a savory sauce.
Chicken Tsukune
Japan's chicken meatball: kneaded sticky, grilled on skewers, glazed with sweet soy tare, dipped in egg yolk.