Street Tacos al Pastor is reminiscent of the traditional Mexican dish but without all the hard labor! It’s easy to grill for a simple and healthy dinner!
Well I’m two days late but not a dollar short! It’s never too late to post a Cinco De Mayo recipe in my book! I’m not sure why I forgot about this holiday except It’s hard for me to keep my days straight as I have been literally swamped with my “real” job, writing recipes for my book, tennis and keeping up with the weekly blog! It’s all good though. It’s better for me to be super busy! I sleep really well the more that I have on my plate. Go figure…
Last week I made Teriyaki Mushroom Swiss Burgers and the marinade included a little pineapple juice. I had leftover juice. Since I don’t drink juice, I had to figure out something to make with the left overs. I had street tacos on my mind which is normal for me and for some reason, I thought about al Pastor. Why not? Street tacos al Pastor, my favorite healthy taco recipe!
You are probably wondering what al Pastor is. It’s delicious, that’s what it is. Just kidding! Normally, al Pastor is marinaded thin slices of pork placed on a big metal stick (think how a gyro is cooked) and topped with a big onion, a pineapple and slowly grilled. The chefs cut off thin slices of the meat onto warm corn tortillas and serve it with onions, cilantro and hot sauce. It’s a typical preparation of meat that you will find in central Mexico and something that I have enjoyed many times on my trips there.
This week after a Costco trip, I filled my freezer with meat and chicken that included skirt steaks. I love skirt steak because it cooks really fast and is super flavorful! It’s the perfect meat for a marinade, throw on the grill and a great substitution from the normal preparation of pork! It’s also the perfect steak for a “street taco“.
Street tacos are not usually served as an entire meal but for me I think the size is perfect. Two or three little tacos are OK in my book. There is really nothing better than a little perfectly marinated and grilled steak, onions, cilantro and hot sauce put in a baby tortilla shell! You won’t gain weight eating street tacos for sure! Ha!
Give Street Tacos al Pastor a try. The pineapple juice not only gives the meat great flavor. The acid in the juice tenderizes the meat perfectly and when you add the chipotle, green onions, garlic and spices the flavor gets amped up to another level. Trust me on this one. It’s one healthy dinner, snack or even party food!
Enjoy!
- 1 1/2-2 pounds skirt steak
- 2 cups pineapple juice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions (white and green part)
- 2-3 chopped chipotle chilies with adodbo
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- [br][b]For serving Street Tacos[/b][br]
- 4 or 6 inch white corn tortillas
- Chopped white onion
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Diced avocado
- Sliced radishes
- Your favorite salsa
- In a gallon sized zip lock bag, add the pineapple juice, garlic, green onions, chipotle, lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Seal the bag and mix well. Add the meat to the bag. Let marinate for at least 4 hours or over night up to 24 hours.
- Heat the grill to 400 degrees.
- While your grill is heating up, remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry (this will make a better sear), and season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper on both sides of steak.
- Place the meat on the hot grill and cook for 2-3 minutes per side. Skirt steak cooks very quickly. If using a flank steak, it will take approximately 7 minutes per side.
- Remove the meat from the grill and let sit for 10 minutes. Slice the meat into 1/2 inch strips then cube. Think the size of a thumb nail.
- Serve with warmed corn tortillas, chopped onion, chopped fresh cilantro and sliced radishes. Avocado and salsa are great accompaniments to these Street Tacos al Pastor.