I love tacos in every way, shape, form, and shell you can give them to me in. A recent favorite style is Al Pastor. True Al Pastor is cooked on a spit, similar to Gyros or Kebabs, and Birdbelly Husband and I have cooked it like this before too, they turned out awesome…maybe I should do a post on those too…
Anyway, I wanted to make an easy “Al Pastor.” Although the classic style reigns supreme, for this version I pulled inspiration from the flavors, not the style. I used my trusty slow cooker, which makes them an easy weeknight, game-day, or winter meal! Cooking the pork in the slow cooker makes the meal itself versatile and lends itself perfectly to make leftovers into something new.
Jump to RecipeThe Process:
Place the pork butt/shoulder into a 6 qt slow cooker.
In a small bowl, combine all of the spices, and mix together. It seems like a lot, but remember this is a big piece of meat and you need to insure its got major flavor and not bland! Rub the spice mixture all over the pork, and get all the sides. You shouldn’t have any leftover, but if you do, just add it in anywhere.
Next, put in the onion, tomato sauce, and pineapple chunks (using only about half of the pineapple juice). Cover and cook on low 10 hours. Shred, and serve!
Remember to cook your taco shells! We cooked our soft shells in a skillet with a tiny bit of oil, flipping until both sides are lightly golden. Wrapping the soft shells in foil and warming them in the oven is yummy too! You can top your tacos with your favorites; I prefer mine topped with Sour Cream, tomatoes, avocado, and cojita cheese.
Leftover tip! Think outside of the BBQ box and use this pulled pork on a sandwich! A Sweet Heat style BBQ sauce would go great with the subtle pineapple flavor in this pork.
Enjoy!
Recipe:
{Slow Cooker} Al Pastor
Ingredients
Pork
- 2-3 lb Pork Butt/Shoulder
- 1 1/2 tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tbsp Cumin
- 1 tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tbsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Coriander
- 2 tsp Salt
- 20 oz Canned Pineapple Chunks Half of the juice drained
- 8 oz Tomato Sauce
- 1 sm Onion Diced
Assembly
- Diced Tomatoes
- Sliced Avocado
- Cotija Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Soft or Hard Tortillas
Instructions
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Place the pork in a 6 qt slow cooker.
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In a small bowl, combine all of the spices, and rub all over all sides of the pork. If you have extra seasoning, put it in the slow cooker too, don’t toss it.
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Add the onion, and tomato sauce. Drain half of the juice from the pineapple chunks. Then add the pineapple and remaining juice to the slow cooker.
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Cook on low 9-10 hours, until it shreds. Then keep on warm while serving.
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Serve with warmed soft or hard tortillas. Top with Tomatoes, Sour cream, Avocado, and Cojita Cheese.
Recipe Notes
*Leftovers make a unique Pulled Pork sandwich! Use a Sweet Heat BBQ Sauce to compliment the subtle pineapple flavor in the pork.
