Nommer otter logoNommer

Homemade Tacos Al Pastor

Thinly sliced marinated pork is layered with bacon, slow-cooked, crisped, and served with roasted pineapple and taco toppings.

Adapted from Serious Eats.

Homemade Tacos Al Pastor, plated
Download Nommer on the App Store Get Nommer on Google Play

This recipe, inside the app

Two phones, one plan. Tap a step on either phone and watch it tick on the other — that's the live sync, right here in your browser:

Homemade Tacos Al P... 0/0 COOK 1COOK 2
1Mise en place
2Prepare chiles
Remove the seeds and stems from the ancho chiles and...
3Plate and serve
+ 37 more steps in the app
Homemade Tacos Al P... 0/0 COOK 2COOK 1
1Mise en place
Prep 8 oz bacon: slice
2Prepare chiles
3Plate and serve
+ 37 more steps in the app

Ingredients

The full plan

Split between two cooks — each step says who's on it.

1. Mise en place COOK 1

  • Prep 8 oz bacon: slice

2. Prepare chiles COOK 2

  • Remove the seeds and stems from the ancho chiles and pasilla chiles

3. Make the toppings COOK 1

  • Finely dice the white onion
  • Finely mince the fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • Cut the limes into 8 wedges each

4. Toast the chiles COOK 2

  • In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the chiles, turning them occasionally, until puffed, pliable, lightly browned in spots, and very aromatic, about 5 minutes
🤝 Cook 1 hands the large saucepan to Cook 2.

5. Soak the chiles COOK 2

  • Add the chicken stock to the saucepan, it should boil immediately
  • Pour the contents of the pan into a small bowl, cover loosely, and set aside

6. Slice and pound pork COOK 2

  • Using a very sharp chef's knife or slicing knife, slice the pork roast as thin as possible, If necessary, place the meat in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm it up, Split the sides of a heavy-duty zipper-lock bag
  • Place one slice of meat inside the bag and pound it with the bottom of a heavy 8-inch skillet or a meat pounder until less than 1/4-inch thick
  • Transfer it to a large bowl
  • Repeat with the remaining meat

7. Cook the spices COOK 2

  • Wipe out the saucepan, add the vegetable oil, and return it to medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering
  • Add the dried ground cumin seed, dried Mexican oregano, and achiote powder and cook, stirring frequently, until aromatic but not browned, about 30 seconds
  • Add the chipotle chile and adobo sauce and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds longer
  • Add the distilled white vinegar, kosher salt, and sugar and remove from heat

8. Blend the marinade COOK 2

  • In a blender, blend the contents of the saucepan with the garlic and the chiles with their soaking liquid on high speed until completely smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides as necessary
  • Set the sauce aside to cool slightly

9. Marinate the pork COOK 1

  • Add the marinade to the bowl and toss with your hands until every piece of meat is evenly coated in marinade
🤝 Cook 2 hands over the marinade.

10. Layer bacon and pork COOK 1

  • In a disposable aluminum loaf pan, layer the bacon
  • Add a layer of thin-sliced marinated meat
  • Continue layering bacon and meat until all the meat is used, It may pile above the pan a little bit
  • Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 36

11. Slow-cook the pork COOK 1

  • Preheat the oven to 275°F, Uncover the aluminum loaf pan and place it on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet
  • Transfer it to the oven and cook until the meat is completely tender, about 4 hours
  • Remove from the oven, allow it to cool slightly, cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight

12. Slice cooked pork COOK 1

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F
  • Remove the cooked meat from the aluminum tray, scraping off any fat or jellied juices from its sides
  • Use a spoon to collect the fat and juices from the tray, reserving each separately
  • Using a sharp chef's knife or slicing knife, slice the meat as thinly as possible to create fine shavings of meat and fat
  • Transfer it to a bowl

13. Roast the pineapple COOK 2

  • If the fat from the meat is solid, heat it gently in the microwave or in the oven until melted
  • Transfer the pineapple pieces to a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, Brush them with fat
  • Transfer them to the oven and roast until completely tender, about 25 minutes
  • Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly

14. Crisp the pork COOK 1

  • About 10 minutes before the pineapple is done roasting, transfer the meat and 1 tablespoon of fat to a large cast iron or non-stick skillet
  • Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat crisps and deeply browns in spots
  • Add any reserved juices and toss to combine, allowing it to cook until reduced to a moist glaze
  • Transfer the meat to a warmed serving bowl
🤝 Cook 2 hands over the pineapple.

15. Plate and serve BOTH

  • Chop the roasted pineapple into large chunks
  • Serve the meat and pineapple immediately with the warmed tortillas, onion, cilantro, salsa, and lime wedges, Pack the very moist meat into double-stacked tortillas for serving

See it in action

Two phones, one kitchen — ticking a step on one updates the other instantly.

More two-cook recipes

Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites), plated
Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites) ⏱ 30 minutes
One-Pot Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Mexican Hominy and Chicken Soup), plated
One-Pot Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Mexican Hominy and Chicken Soup) ⏱ 1 hour 25 minutes
All-American Beef Stew, plated
All-American Beef Stew ⏱ 4 hours

Cook this with your co-chef

Open Homemade Tacos Al Pastor in Nommer and the checklists above land on your two phones — ticks sync live, handoffs get called out, and everything finishes at the same time. Free on iOS and Android.

Download Nommer on the App Store Get Nommer on Google Play

More on cooking together