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.
Hope says
What a fresh and tasty looking family meal! I love the pineapple salsa on top!
Jacklyn says
Love the sweet and spicy combo! Never thought to put pineapple in my tacos before but these look so good!!!
Annemarie @ justalittlebitofbacon says
What, you don’t roast large hunks of pork every night? Me neither, so ground pork sounds like a great way to bring these tacos home. And the salsa sounds wonderful. I can almost taste the pineapple with the spicy pork.
Janette | Culinary Ginger says
They have so much flavor and I love the natural sweetness from the pineapple.
Cristie | Little Big H says
This looks so lovely and fresh. Can’t wait to taste it for myself.
Carrie says
Mmm love all the spices in this and the pineapple must be so refreshing!
foodtasticmom says
It’s a great combo of sweet, spicy and salty flavors!
Julia says
Good timing! I’ve been craving tacos for a few days now and couldn’t decide what recipe to use! Love the pineapple salsa there!
foodtasticmom says
Thanks so much Julia
Lisa | Garlic & Zest says
I am digging that pineapple salsa! These look like a treat for any night of the week. Great recipe.
foodtasticmom says
Thank you Lisa!
ali randall says
The pineapple is on sale and so so sweet right now. I love this idea for dinner that is different than just plain usual tacos. This is my kind of dinner. YUM!
foodtasticmom says
Perfect – I hope you try them!
Swati says
Loved loved loved your stunning pictures . Although I don’t eat pork, your Tacos made me drool. I would love to try this recipe with Chicken. Saving it !
foodtasticmom says
Yes you can absolutely make this recipe with ground chicken. And thank you for the compliment on my photos 🙂
Susie says
This recipe looks so good. Great for a weeknight dinner. I love using ground pork because it is so inexpensive!
foodtasticmom says
Exactly, ground pork is very budget friendly! Thanks for the rating!
Jolly says
This looks so tempting and very fresh. Well I don’t eat pork, your pineapple salsa made me drool. I would love to try this with Chicken. Bookmarked!!
foodtasticmom says
Yep, can easily be made with ground chicken or turkey too! Glad you like the salsa 🙂
Suzy says
Tacos for the win! Thanks for sharing
foodtasticmom says
You’re welcome!
Alida | Simply Delicious says
Those tacos look so great! Yum!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you Alida!
Patty @ Spoonabilities says
These tacos look amazing! I just love the pineapple in them!
foodtasticmom says
Thanks Patty!
Noel Lizotte says
Talk about popular, there’s a whole bunch of reasons this dish is loved! I’m pretty sure the pork and the orange and the cilantro have a lot to do with the flavors. That’s got to be what keeps folks coming back for more.
Adding to my “to make” list.
foodtasticmom says
Awesome. Come back and let us know what you think please!
Allison - Celebrating Sweets says
This is what I want for Cinco de Mayo! These look fabulous!
foodtasticmom says
I hope you make them! Thanks Allison!
Denisse | Le Petit Eats says
I don’t eat meat anymore but I am digging that pineapple salsa!!
foodtasticmom says
You could swap out veggie crumbles for the pork – if you eat those 🙂
Camila says
pineapple and mango salsa sure are my options when I serve Tacos al pastor!! yummm!
foodtasticmom says
Thank you Camila!
Jen says
Sweet and Spicey. Amazing.
foodtasticmom says
Such a great combination. Thanks Jen!
Kisha says
I came across your site as I was looking for ground pork taco recipes. I love that slim white platter you have your tacos on. Is it a certain type of serving platter, that is, does it have a name?
foodtasticmom says
It has been a long time since I purchased it but I’m pretty sure I found it at Home Goods. I just liked the way it looked!
Pam says
Fantastic!! THanks! we are cooking much more often these days and your recipes are always big hits around here!!!
foodtasticmom says
I am happy to hear this. Thank you for the positive comment and review. I really appreciate it!
Chi Town Tiki Boy says
Sounds GREAT! I am a huge El Pastor fan, cannot wait to try. Can I use Chipotle in Adobo sauce in place of Chipotle sauce? Or are they one in the same?
foodtasticmom says
Basically the same, just minus the whole peppers. Enjoy!
Megan says
We made these last night for Cinco de Mayo. They were AMAZING! The heat of the chipotle went so well with the sweet pineapple. The cilantro brought a brightness to the dish, and the lime brought it all together. We’re definitely putting this in our rotation. Maybe every other night 🙂
Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
foodtasticmom says
Your comment made my day. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe and that you’ll be making them again. Thanks very much for taking the time to rate and comment!