Smoked Al Pastor Tacos

You guys know we love our tacos! Oh My Goodness are these fantastic, we had leftovers and still made them twice in two weeks. Smoked Al Pastor Tacos will knock your socks off!

These aren’t necessarily an easy recipe, but it’s a worth it recipe. We love tacos, obviously, any one who says they don’t is a dang liar. We’ve been trying all the street tacos at all the places.

Carnitas has been one of my most favorite pork taco recipe, but these are full stop, better. You can’t get enough and the meat is great on salads, burritos and so much more! You’ll love this recipe, just trust.

Smoked Al Pastor Tacos

Ingredients

5 lb pork shoulder, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 pineapple cut into rings or spears
3 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup white onion diced
5 cloves garlic
1 cup chicken stock
1 dried ancho chili peppers
1 dried pasilla pepper
2 chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce
1 ½ Tablespoons achiote powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
⅓ cup white vinegar

Smoked Al Pastor Tacos

Directions

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock, ancho chili and pasilla peppers, and chipotle chili peppers with adobo sauce to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook the peppers and onions in the stock for about 4-5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the achiote powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, salt, sugar, and vinegar. Simmer the marinade for 4-5 more minutes.
Turn off the heat. Carefully remove the stems from the ancho chili peppers and place in a blender jar. Transfer the remaining contents of the pan to the blender jar, close the lid, and blend until completely smooth. Allow to cool to at least room temperature.
Place your sliced pork shoulder in a large bowl. Pour the cooled marinade over the pork and massage everything together to thoroughly coat each piece of pork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours.
Preheat your smoker to 275 degrees F using your favorite wood blend.
Using a vertical skewer or rotisserie attachment, slide the meat onto the skewer one piece at a time.
Place the assembled al pastor meat on the grill grates and close the lid. Smoke for about 4 to 5 hours, or until the internal temperature of the pork in the thickest portion reads 145 degrees F. If using a vertical skewer, baste the outside of the meat with the drippings from the pan every 30 minutes during the cooking process. I basted for 3 hours and then wrapped it in foil to bring it up to temperature.
Once temperature is reached on the pork, unwrap the foil and baste. Grill for 30 more minutes. Put the pineapple on the grill. Close the lid and cook, flipping once after 15 minutes.
Remove the al pastor and the pineapple from the smoker. Top the al pastor skewer with the pineapple top and chop up the grilled pineapple. Slice the al pastor from the spit with a sharp knife, using a light sawing motion to remove small, bite-sized pieces. Place the meat and pineapple in taco shells and top with pineapple, pico de gallo and some lime.