Slow Cooker Tacos Al Pastor (pineapple chile pork)
You’ll want to open your own taco truck…
How can you go wrong with a marinade of pineapple and chili peppers? I’ve been craving this recipe ever since I had a taste from a taco truck years ago. I’m sorry for making you dirty up your food processor or blender to make this one, but you’ll get over it. This recipe provides some flexibility, as you can use the authentic dried guajillo chiles, or just some easy to find chipotles in adobo sauce (call the paleo police, I know). I even (gasp) used canned pineapple because the market I went to was out of fresh. The only hard part of this recipe is waiting for the meat to marinate. Also, don’t let this cook while you’re home, the amazing smell will be torture and the hours will seem like weeks. I warn you now! I can’t wait to try this same marinade on some beef, and cheat on my slow cooker and grill it! Crazy, I know. Before you ask, yes you can adjust the spicy levels to your liking. Do remember that hot peppers mellow out some after slow cooking, yet I know not everyone loves the spicy like I do. It’s ok, now on we go with making tacos…
What you need:
- One 3 pound pork shoulder, roast, or tenderloin. I used a shoulder.
- 6 dried guajillo chili peppers (rehydrated in water) or 6 chipotles in adobo sauce (easier to find).
- One 8 ounce can of crushed pineapple (juice and all), or 2 cups of fresh pineapple, chopped.
- One cup of white onion, diced.
- Half a cup of orange juice, or the juice of two large oranges.
- 4 cloves of garlic, smashed.
- 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar.
- 1 tsp of oregano.
- 1 tsp of cinnamon.
- 1 tsp of cumin.
- 1 tsp of black pepper.
- 1 tsp of sea salt.
- one large ziplock bag for the pork to marinade in.
- optional: add or subtract chili peppers/powder to your personal taste.
- Salsa garnish: equal amounts of pineapple, white onion, and cilantro with a touch of lime juice.
How you make it:
- If using dried chilis, boil them in a small saucepan until fully rehydrated and softened, then drain.
- In a blender or food processor, combine your chiles, pineapple, orange juice, garlic, onion, vinegar, and spices.
- Puree your marinade until an even consistency is obtained.
- Trim all excess fat off of your cut of pork.
- Place your pork in your large ziplock bag and pour in your marinade.
- Make sure your pork is evenly coated and remove as much air as possible from your bag before sealing.
- Let your pork marinade for at least 2 hours, yet overnight is worth the wait and flavor. I let mine go 18 hours.
- Dump your pork and marinade into your slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
- Shred or slice your pork as you see fit, mixing in some of the delicious marinade and pork juices.
- Serve in crisp lettuce wraps.
- Garnish with a simple salsa made of equal parts pineapple, white onion, and cilantro, with a touch of lime juice.
- Watch these disappear fast!
You should cook these too:
Category: Pork
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Nice.
What kind of lettuce did you use in the photos? I’ve noticed a big difference in trying to do this sort of thing between iceberg and greenleaf and…
Hydroponically grown Boston lettuce
I’m not going to lie – I don’t like chipotles so I was a little leery, and the smell of the marinade made me do a face like this – :/ But after it was done, HOLY MOLY. One of the best meals I’ve made in the crockpot. This is _phenomenal_. It is not for the mild palated folk, but well suited to those who like a little heat. I fed my squadmates at work, both of whom love spicy food and they thought it was great too. They aren’t paleo, so they used tortillas and added a little cheese. I ate mine in a bowl, and made the pineapple-onion salsa. The perfect sweet accompaniment!
PS – I also marinated it overnight, and used cheap boneless pork ribs since I was test-driving the recipe. O.M.G.
Nice! Glad you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to say nice things.
Do you think this recipe would freeze well? I’m really into finding new recipes that I can make in big batches and freeze and this sounds so incredibly delicious! Really glad I found your website- tons of great ideas! Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t tried it, but it should work fine.
Just found this recipe and it looks amazing! Have you ever tried doing it without marinating first? I’m SO impatient and I want it for dinner tonight, but I don’t want to put everything in the crockpot together if it’s going to ruin it…
I have not skipped the marinating (yet). Just let it sit in the fridge for a little while. I don’t think skipping the process will “ruin” the recipe, it just might not let the flavors seep in as much. The flavors are great in this one, go ahead and try it out and I’m sure you’ll be fine!
I have made it several times and never marinated it (no time at night) and it has been amazing every time.
This looks incredible! I will be making it tomorrow. Quick question– how can I adjust the recipe if it’s going to cook for longer than the 6-8 hours (closer to 8-10)? I don’t want it to dry out on me and assume I need additional liquid of some sort.
You need a timer for your slow cooker to fix this problem. I don’t like leaving recipes like this in for that long.
Turns out we had a timer at home! Made these tonight and they were delicious! Thank you for sharing.
I made this today and it was delicious. Instead of using the slow cooker though, I diced the pork into 1-inch pieces, cooked them in a saute pan and served them over veggies.
I made the marinade with the chipotle in adobo sauce, fresh pineapple, and 1 cup of orange juice. I only marinated the meat for 2.5-3.0 hours (and this was enough since the meat was in tiny pieces).
Anyway, thanks for the recipe. I will be back to try some others.