Slow Cooker Al Pastor Recipe

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Al pastor may be a popular taco truck pick these days, but this dish's history goes way back. This particular preparation originated in Mexico in the 1930s among Lebanese immigrants. Although "al pastor" means shepherd-style, "al porquero" (swineherd-style) would be a more accurate descriptor of the dish we know today, as pork is the meat typically used in al pastor tacos. It's less clear how pineapple made its way in as a popular al pastor accompaniment, but we're very glad it did since the tangy-sweet fruit pairs so nicely with pork.

Authentic al pastor meat, like shawarma, is meant to be cooked on a spit, but most home cooks lack the necessary accoutrements for such a task. Here, recipe developer Christina Musgrave prefers to use a slow cooker to prepare her take on the dish. She says it's a recipe that's "great for the whole family" and solo diners alike. If the amount given here is too much to eat in a few days, you can always freeze it for later use. It's just as good atop a rice bowl as it is in a tortilla.

The main ingredient for the al pastor pork is pork, of course — specifically pork shoulder or Boston butt. You will also need a pineapple, an onion, a few cloves of garlic, a can of chipotles in adobo, chicken stock, and apple cider vinegar. 

You are also going to need a few dry spices to flavor the pork: salt, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and chipotle powder. To garnish the cooked meat, you might want some cilantro and a couple of limes, and you should also have some tortillas on hand if you want to make it into tacos.

The first step in making the al pastor pork involves peeling the pineapple, and Musgrave notes that you will need to set aside 3 to 4 strips of peel, each approximately 2 inches wide. She then says to cut the pineapple in half width-wise. You will want to core these halves, then chop one half into chunks about ½ inch in size. The other half you'll slice into ¼-inch rings.

So why do you want that pineapple peel, anyway? Musgrave says this ingredient "helps release even more pineapple flavor and juices as the pork cooks." Plus, using up scraps like this helps reduce food waste, which is always a plus.

Combine all of the dry spices (the salt, oregano, cumin, garlic, and chipotle powder). Chop the pork into chunks about 2 inches in size. Put the pork right into the slow cooker and sprinkle the meat with the seasoning.

Pour the stock and vinegar into the pot, adding the pineapple chunks, canned chipotles (along with all of the adobo sauce), onion, and garlic. Drop the pineapple peels on top, cut sides down. If you want your meal in a (relative) hurry, set the dial for high and cook the meal for 5 to 5 ½ hours. If, on the other hand, you plan to be out of the house, asleep, or otherwise occupied while the al pastor pork cooks, you may wish to set the slow cooker on low and plan on the meat taking about 10 hours. At any rate, you'll know it's done when you can easily shred the meat with a fork.

Once the pork is cooked, shredding it is exactly what you'll need to do (traditional al pastor is sliced or diced, but this slow-cook method yields pork that's perfect for pulling into shreds). Musgrave likes to eat her shredded al pastor-style pork wrapped in tortillas, garnishing her tacos with cilantro, sliced pineapple, and lime wedges.

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The heat in our recipe for al pastor pork comes from chipotles in adobe sauce and chipotle powder. Chipotle peppers are made from ripe red jalapeños that have been dried and smoked. For this reason, they have a smoky flavor and little more heat than a green jalapeño, but they're not overly spicy. There are a couple of ways you can add more chile flavor to this dish. For one, many traditional al pastor recipes call for large dried chile guajillos, which are usually roasted or toasted, soaked and then blended to make the marinade. Guajillo chiles will add a bright warm flavor, but they're not much hotter than chipotle peppers.

Another large dried pepper commonly used is an ancho chile, which is treated in the same way as the guajillo chiles. These are made from poblano peppers, and bring a mild heat but a smoky, raisiny sweetness that adds a great depth of flavor to the sauce. If you're looking to add a more intense kick of heat to the recipe, throw in a chile de árbol or two, which is a small and very spicy red pepper often used in Mexican cuisine. They can be found fresh, dried, or as a powdered spice.

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