Trompo Al Pastor Tacos on Your Grill

Last Updated on March 5, 2024 by Carne Diem

Protein:

Origin: Mexican

Method: Grill or Smoker

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These homemade tacos al pastor recipe is made with tender and juicy slices of boneless pork shoulder marinated in achiote, pineapple juice and Mexican chiles.  The marinated ribbons of pork are then placed on a vertical spit and cooked on a smoker.  This specialty of Central Mexico is 100% our favorite Mexican recipe to make on a smoker.  In fact, we feel this just might be the best tacos al pastor recipe out there right now.

"Surround yourself with tacos, not negativity."

-someone very wise

Tacos. What can I say about them that has not been said before. They are one of the few foods that I feel like I could eat every single day and never get tired of them. They just always seem to take me to my happy place. Of all of the tacos, however, al pastor tacos always hold a special place in my heart. I still remember that first bite of that slightly crispy yet juicy pork, sweet, charred pineapple, onions and cilantro wrapped up in a warm tortilla. It was love at first bite. Thankfully, now I have learned to make this perfect culinary creation at home on our grill, simulating the way authentic taquerias prepare them. 

Traditionally al pastor tacos are cooked on a rotating vertical spit or vertical rotisserie called a trompo, similar to a doner kebab. This method of cooking was introduced to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants in Pueblo Mexico outside of Mexico City, who brought over their method of cooking shawarma from the Middle East. Gradually, over time, the lamb from the taco árabe was replaced by pork and the modern day al pastor pork tacos were born. Enough history let's make some tacos!

Making the Trompo Al Pastor Tacos

Best meat for your al pastor

You will need about 2-3 pounds of pork for this recipe, but you may adjust it depending on the size of your trompo. Over the years we have tried a number of different cuts of meat for our al pastor but always come back to pork butt/pork shoulder. The intramuscular fat in this cut of meat really helps keep the pork from drying out and imparts some great flavor. You can certainly use pork loin if you wish but it is very lean and thus will need to be pulled at temps closer to 145 degrees to keep it from drying out. This will also result in a shorter time on the grill and less of that coveted crispy outside of the cooked pork al pastor.

Have extra pork butt? Use it to make some Carolina Style Pulled Pork or some Hatch Chile Verde.

Slice your port butt into thin slices and place the pork slices in a large bowl. The thinner the slices the more surface area you are going to have to coat with the flavorful marinade so put those knife skills to work (or ask your butcher to slice it for you). Remove any large chunks of fat and the fat cap as well.

In addition to the pork, you will need onion and pineapple for the homemade smoked al pastor.  We always recommend using white onions for Mexican cooking, and fresh pineapple works best in the pastor taco recipe.  Optionally, we sometimes include some slices of bacon in the pastor.  Though this is not authentic, it is delicious.

Prepare your al pastor marinade

Now it is time to prepare the marinade for your Trompo Al Pastor Tacos. You will need a handful of ingredients for the pork marinade.  While most can be found in your local grocery store, a couple may require a trip to a Latin or Mexican market. 

Dried Chile Peppers: Guajillo chiles are the most important chile in making authentic al pastor tacos.  We also like to include some dried ancho or pasilla chiles as well to add to the depth of flavor of the al pastor marinade.  

When selecting dried chiles for this recipe try to use dried chiles that are still a little pliable when you bend them. If you attempt to bend the chile and it turns to dust like an ancient Egyptian artifact the peppers are likely really old and will have lost a lot of their flavor. If you have a Latin market near you that is where I would head.

Pineapple Juice:  In addition to providing some sweetness to the marinade for the pork pastor, pineapple juice also acts as a natural tenderizer for the marinated meat.

Achiote paste: Achiote paste, also called annatto paste, is what gives the pastor its characteristic color and taste.  It can also be found at most Latin or Mexican groceries.

You can also order it online on Amazon. Unfortunately, this is one ingredient that you really can't skip or substitute if you want to make authentic al pastor tacos.

Vinegar:  Vinegar adds some acidity to the marinade.  We find that white vinegar works best, but you can substitute other types of vinegar if desired.

Seasonings and Spices:  In addition to the great flavor from the dried chiles, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper round out the seasonings of the marinade.  If possible, use a dried Mexican oregano which has a more robust flavor that Italian oregano.   Some of my favorite al pastor tacos that I have tried, include a little bit of warming spice in the marinade, and a hint of cinnamon is a person favorite to include in the recipe.

Garlic:  You will need 2-4 fresh garlic cloves for the marinade recipe.

Toast the chiles

To release the flavor from the chiles you are going to want to give them a brief toast. The key is to just get them toasted without burning them, which will cause them to become bitter.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and toast the dried chiles until they begin to puff up or smell fragrant then flip and repeat with the other side. You will want your oven hood on for this. Note: if you were stuck buying those old crunchy dried chiles they may not plump up, so flip them when they become aromatic. Again, be careful not to burn them.

Move the toasted chiles to a bowl of hot water and soak for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes carefully remove the chiles from the water and remove the stems and rinse to remove the seeds.

Blend the marinade

Place the chiles in a blender or food processor along with the pineapple juice, vinegar, and achiote paste.

Blend the chiles and liquids until smooth and uniform. You want the chiles chopped as finely as possible.

Next, pass the mixture through a coarse strainer to remove any remaining seeds and larger pieces of pepper skin. Stir in the pepper, salt, cumin, garlic, oregano, and cinnamon.

Pour the marinade into the bowl with the pork slices and mix thoroughly to coat all of the pork. Cover and refrigerate overnight.  8-12 hours in the marinade tends to be the sweet spot for maximum flavor.  If the pork is left in the marinade for too long the pineapple juice can over tenderize the meat and cause it to become mushy.

Prepare Your Trompo

Now it is finally time to place your meat on your trompo and get cooking. A trompo is really the route you want to go with making real deal al pastor. Not only is it a more traditional way of making the shepherd-style tacos, but it cooks easier as well. We have tried al pastor using our rotisserie, but more often than not it has resulted in meat falling off the rotisserie as it cooks. A trompo is inexpensive and just makes life so much easier (and tastier). In addition to this spit roasted al pastor, it is also be used to make dishes like our Smoked Lebanese Chicken Shawarma, smoked gyros, or Canadian donair.

Carefully place the pork slices on the vertical skewer. Include a few pineapple slices and a few onion slices throughout the layers of pork as well. If using bacon, space those slices throughout the trompo as well. I

f you want to get fancy you can place the bottom of the pineapple as the first layer and then top with the top of the pineapple. While it has a certain cool factor, do be aware that this pineapple top may prove to be too tall for some smokers or grills.

Cooking Your Trompo Al Pastor Tacos On Your Grill

While you can certainly cook the tacos al pastor de trompo in an oven, our personal favorite way is to make them on a grill or smoker.  This also provides a more authentic flavor to the eat by using this cooking method. Heat your grill or smoker to 325-350 degrees.

Place the trompo on the grill or smoker over indirect heat.  If you wish to get a little more smoke flavor on your pastor, then you can start the cook on a lower temperature and then bump the heat up once you reach an internal temperature of about 100 degrees.

If you used sliced pork shoulder or pork butt you will want to cook the pork al pastor to an internal temperature of 175-185 degrees to render the intramuscular fat. (Again, if you are using lean meat like pork loin, only cook to 145 degrees). Depending on your smoker type, you may wish to rotate the trompo about every 30-45 minutes to cook evenly. Cooking time will vary but typically takes 3-5 hours. Some of this will depend on your grill or smoker type and size of your trompo.

Serving your Trompo Al Pastor Tacos

Carefully remove your trompo to a cutting board. Slice the meat off of the trompo and it is time to eat!

Serve the flavorful taco meat with some warm corn tortillas, diced onion, lime wedges, cilantro, and salsa or hot sauce. Don't forget the guacamole and a spicy mango margarita or Mezcal Paloma.

Leftover tacos al pastor de trompo should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eaten within 3 days.  We have had good success vacuum sealing the pork pastor and freezing it for future use.  When reheating the trompo al pastor pork, heat a hot skillet or Blackstone and cook until warmed back through.  

You want more tacos? We have got more tacos. Be sure to try our Carne Asada Street Tacos, Cast Iron Chicken Fajitas, Beer Braised Beef Cheek Barbacoa and famous Brisket Quesabirria Tacos.

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