Name: Homemade Beef Tacos al Pastor
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 3 dried guajillo chiles (about 20 g / ¾ oz); 1 dried ancho chile (about 15 g / ½ oz); 120 ml (½ cup) pineapple juice, canned or bottled; 60 ml (¼ cup) orange juice; 2 tbsp (30 ml) white or apple cider vinegar; 30 g (1 oz) achiote paste (about 2 tbsp); 1 chipotle chile in adobo plus 1 tsp sauce (optional); 3 garlic cloves; 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano; ½ tsp ground cumin; 1 pinch ground cloves; 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt; ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper; 700 g (1 ½ lb) flank or skirt steak; 2 tbsp (30 ml) neutral oil, divided; 4 rings fresh pineapple, 1 cm (⅜ in) thick, cored (about 250 g / 9 oz); 12–16 small corn tortillas, 12–15 cm (5–6 in); ½ white onion, finely chopped; 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped; 2 limes, cut into wedges; salsa verde or hot sauce

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These tacos use the flavours of al pastor, a marinade of dried chiles, achiote, vinegar and pineapple, on thinly sliced beef seared hard in a hot pan, then piled into warm corn tortillas with charred pineapple, white onion, cilantro and lime. They take about 45 minutes of work, plus at least an hour of marinating.

To be upfront: traditional tacos al pastor are made with pork, stacked on a vertical spit called a trompo and shaved off as they cook. This is a beef version cooked in a frying pan or on a grill, which is not the classic, but it’s a very good taco, and the marinade is the real thing. If you’d like to make it with pork, see the swaps further down.

Serves 4 (about 12 tacos).

Where al pastor comes from

Al pastor, “shepherd style”, grew out of the shawarma brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants in the early 20th century. Around Puebla, tacos árabes, spit-roasted meat in wheat flatbread, are still sold. By the 1960s, cooks in Mexico City had swapped the lamb for pork, the spices for a red chile and achiote adobo, and the flatbread for small corn tortillas, with a pineapple often roasting on top of the spit. It’s now one of the city’s best-known street foods.

Ingredients

Al pastor marinade

3 dried guajillo chiles (about 20 g / ¾ oz)
1 dried ancho chile (about 15 g / ½ oz)
120 ml (½ cup) pineapple juice, canned or bottled
60 ml (¼ cup) orange juice
2 tbsp (30 ml) white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
30 g (1 oz) achiote paste, about 2 tbsp
1 chipotle chile in adobo, plus 1 tsp of the sauce (optional)
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
½ tsp ground cumin
1 pinch ground cloves
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Beef and pineapple

700 g (1 ½ lb) flank or skirt steak
2 tbsp (30 ml) neutral oil, divided
4 rings fresh pineapple, 1 cm (⅜ in) thick, cored (about 250 g / 9 oz)

To serve

12–16 small corn tortillas, 12–15 cm (5–6 in)
½ white onion, finely chopped
A small bunch of cilantro, chopped
2 limes, cut into wedges
Salsa verde or your favourite hot sauce

The key ingredients

Dried chiles give al pastor its deep red colour and its fruity, earthy, gently hot flavour. Guajillos are bright and tangy; ancho adds sweetness and body. Look for chiles that are flexible and leathery, not brittle. You’ll find them in Latin grocers and many supermarkets.

Achiote paste is made from ground annatto seeds with spices and vinegar. It’s a speciality of the Yucatán and is sold in small blocks. It adds an earthy, slightly peppery flavour and a strong orange-red colour that stains fingers and chopping boards, so work on a plate.

Pineapple juice and enzymes. Fresh pineapple contains bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down protein. A little can tenderise, but left for hours it turns thin strips of beef mushy on the surface. Canned or bottled juice has been heat-treated, so the enzyme is inactive and the marinade is safe to leave longer. If you use fresh juice, marinate for no more than 2 hours.

Beef. Flank and skirt are flavourful, quick-cooking cuts with a pronounced grain. Cutting them thinly across that grain is what makes them tender.

Method

Toast and soak the chiles. Snip the stems off the chiles, slit them open and shake out the seeds. Toast them in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 15–20 seconds per side, pressing down with a spatula, until fragrant and slightly blistered. Don’t let them blacken, or they’ll taste bitter. Cover with boiling water and soak for 15 minutes, until soft.
Blend the marinade. Drain the chiles, discarding the water, and put them in a blender with the pineapple juice, orange juice, vinegar, achiote, chipotle, garlic, oregano, cumin, cloves, salt and pepper. Blend for 1–2 minutes until completely smooth. It should be about as thick as ketchup.
Slice the beef. Freeze the steak for 20 minutes to firm it up. Cut it along the grain into strips about 5 cm (2 in) wide, then slice each strip across the grain as thinly as you can, about 5 mm (¼ in).
Marinate. Mix the beef with about two-thirds of the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours with canned juice. Keep the remaining marinade in the fridge for basting.
Char the pineapple. Heat a large cast-iron pan or griddle over high heat. Brush the pineapple rings with a little oil and cook for 2–3 minutes per side until caramelised with dark patches. Cut into small dice.
Sear the beef. Add 1 tbsp oil to the pan and heat until it shimmers. Add a third of the beef in a single layer and leave it for 1–2 minutes, until the edges char, then toss and cook for another minute. Transfer to a plate and repeat in batches, adding oil as needed. Crowding the pan makes the beef stew in its marinade instead of browning.
Glaze. Return all the beef to the pan with 2–3 tbsp of the reserved marinade and the pineapple, and toss for 1 minute until glossy. Taste for salt.
Warm the tortillas. Heat them one or two at a time on a dry, hot pan or comal for 30–45 seconds per side, until soft, spotted and starting to puff. Stack them in a clean tea towel to keep warm.
Build the tacos. Street vendors often use two tortillas per taco. Add a spoonful of beef and pineapple and top with onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and salsa.

On the grill

Grilling gives the best char. Marinate the steak whole rather than sliced, for 2–8 hours. Grill it over high direct heat for 4–5 minutes per side, until charred and 54–57°C (130–135°F) in the thickest part for medium-rare to medium. Rest it for 5 minutes, then slice thinly across the grain. Grill the pineapple rings alongside for 2–3 minutes per side.

Common mistakes

Burning the chiles. They toast in seconds. Burnt chiles make the whole batch bitter, so start again if they blacken.
Slicing with the grain. The beef will be chewy however well it’s cooked. Look for the lines running through the meat and cut across them.
A crowded, cool pan. You want sizzle and char, not grey meat in a puddle.
Cold tortillas. Unheated corn tortillas crack and taste raw. Warm every one.
Using fresh pineapple juice overnight. The surface of the meat goes mushy.

Swaps

Traditional pork: use 700 g (1 ½ lb) boneless pork shoulder, sliced 5 mm (¼ in) thick. Marinate for 4–24 hours and sear in batches for 2–3 minutes per side, until charred and cooked through (at least 63°C / 145°F).
Chicken: boneless thighs, sliced, cooked to 74°C (165°F).
No dried chiles: use 2 tbsp pure ancho chile powder and 1 tsp paprika, and soak them in the juices for 5 minutes before blending.
No achiote: use 1 tbsp sweet paprika and an extra teaspoon of vinegar. You’ll lose some of the earthy flavour and colour, but the tacos will still be good.
Flour tortillas work if you prefer them, though corn is traditional.

Make ahead and storage

The marinade keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days, or frozen for 3 months. You can slice and marinate the beef in the morning and cook it in the evening.

Refrigerate cooked beef and pineapple within 2 hours for up to 3 days. Reheat in a very hot pan for 1–2 minutes so the edges crisp again. Cooked beef freezes well for up to 3 months; thaw it overnight in the fridge. Keep tortillas wrapped so they don’t dry out, and warm them fresh.

What to serve with them

Tacos are a meal in themselves, but a few sides make it a feast: refried or black beans, Mexican rice, sliced radishes and cucumber with lime and salt, and our Mexican street corn (elote). For another beef dinner from Latin America, try our Peruvian lomo saltado, a quick stir-fry of beef, tomatoes and onions served with fries and rice.

Can’t find guajillo chiles? Our world pantry guide lists the closest swaps.