Al Pastor-Style Loin Tacos with Pineapple
Back to Al Pastor-Style Pork
Last updated
- Prep
- 25 min
- Bath
- 2 hours
- Total
- 2 hr 40 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
Main Courseporktacos
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb plain boneless pork loin steaks within the guide’s thickness limit
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 dried guajillo chilies, stems and seeds removed
- 2 cups diced pineapple, divided
- 1/2 small white onion, divided
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp achiote paste
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, divided
- 12 small corn tortillas
- Chopped cilantro and lime wedges, for serving
Method
Prepare
- Keep the loin steaks whole and unpounded. Follow the size and starting conditions below, season only with salt and pepper, and seal separately.
- Keep the pineapple, chili mixture, and oils outside the pouches; do not use this short loin method for shoulder.
Cook
- Set the water bath to 140°F.
- For the loin options, use unpounded, boneless pork loin steaks with two broad faces and no point thicker than 1 1/8 inches. Keep them whole in the bath. Tenderloin, shoulder, thin raw slices, and a stacked spit roast are different preparations. Use plain, fully thawed, intact meat without injection, mechanical tenderizing, added solution, curing, brining, or marinade. Season with salt and pepper only. Keep oil, sauce, citrus, wine, and other finishing ingredients outside the pouch. Verify a 41°F starting temperature with a thermometer. Seal each piece separately without folding, rolling, tying, or overlap. Fully submerge each sealed pouch in a verified, preheated circulating bath, leaving water space around every bag. Start timing at immersion and complete the full listed time without interruption. The listed time is the complete bath time, including heating. Do not add another heating interval or replace the timed method with a single center reading. Use clean utensils, discard all pouch liquid, and keep cooked food away from raw food, its juices, and used equipment. Dry and briefly sear the intact loin steaks in a hot oiled skillet. Slice across the grain with a clean knife, add a separately cooked chili-pineapple sauce, and serve immediately. Do not simmer the slices; that firms the center. These methods cover immediate service only. Frozen starts, chilling, storage, reheating, and holding need separate methods. Colder or unknown starts, thicker, pounded, marinated, stuffed, or stacked pork are excluded. This is an al pastor-style loin variation; its texture differs from shoulder cooked on a spit.
- Cook for 2 hours for up to 1 1/8 inches thick.
- Near serving time, cover the dried chilies with hot water until softened. Drain and blend with half the pineapple, half the onion, garlic, orange juice, vinegar, achiote, cumin, and oregano.
- Simmer the blended sauce in a saucepan until the onion and garlic are cooked and the sauce coats a spoon. Add a splash of water if it becomes too thick.
- Brown the remaining pineapple in half the neutral oil. Finely dice the remaining onion and warm the tortillas.
Finish
- After the complete timed method, discard the pouch liquid and dry the intact loin steaks.
- Sear briefly in a hot skillet with the remaining oil. Keep the sauce separate while browning the pork.
Serve
- Slice the loin across the grain, dress lightly with the warm sauce, and fill the tortillas.
- Add browned pineapple, diced onion, and cilantro. Serve immediately with lime, without simmering the pork slices.
Want another texture or thickness?
The complete guide has all reviewed settings, safety context, and finishing options.