These Ground Pork Tacos Al Pastor style are made with fresh orange, pineapple and spicy chipotle flavors.
Al Pastor style pork tacos are a fusion food combining Lebanese spit-grilled meat with central-Mexican spice and fresh fruit flavors. So no these tacos are definitely not authentically Al Pastor. However I don’t know many people who roast large hunks of pork at home on a spit – at least definitely not on an average weeknight.
Ground pork is such a great option for family dinners. It’s inexpensive in comparison to ground chicken and turkey and can carry whatever flavors you want to add to it. In this case my taco seasoning is a combination of fresh orange juice, chipotle pepper sauce, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic, salt and a little cayenne pepper. The spicy flavor of the pork taco meat pairs perfectly with a simple fresh pineapple salsa.
I’ve shared several taco recipes on the blog because if my kids had to choose they’d say Mexican food is their favorite. And being honest I’d say these Ground Pork Tacos (Al Pastor style) might be my favorite. Well – except for the pineapple marinated steak tacos – those are pretty awesome too. But these pork tacos are so quick and simple to make and they are big on flavor. They can easily be made dairy-free too, just leave off the Pepper Jack cheese.
Tips for making Ground Pork Tacos Al Pastor Style:
- Ground pork is usually found where the other prepackaged cuts of pork are displayed – not where the sausage is displayed
- Canned chipotle sauce is found in the Mexican food aisle – if you can’t find it you can substitute it with the adobo sauce in canned chipotle peppers
- Here’s a video guide for how to cut a fresh pineapple if you’ve never done it before
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Ground Pork Tacos - Al Pastor Style
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 lbs ground pork
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 3 tbsp canned chipotle sauce
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple diced
- 1/3 cup red onion finely diced
- 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
- juice of one half lime
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 oz Pepper Jack cheese shredded
- flour or corn tortillas
Instructions
- In a bowl combine the pineapple, red onion, cilantro, lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and set aside.
- In a non-stick skillet over medium heat add the ground pork and cook until no longer pink, breaking up the ground meat with a spatula or wooden spoon.
- Into the cooked pork stir the orange juice, chipotle sauce, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, remaining one teaspoon of salt and cayenne pepper. Stir well and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Serve the ground pork taco meat with tortillas, the fresh pineapple salsa and shredded Pepper Jack cheese.
Debbie Kreischer says
Outstanding! This recipe is a keeper!
foodtasticmom says
YAY, so glad you enjoyed these tacos! Thanks for taking the time to rate and comment.