Homemade Adobada Tacos 

These homemade adobada tacos are made with thinly sliced pork shoulder layered with a smoky chile adobo, bacon and fresh pineapple, then roasted until tender. Slice the whole stack into juicy, flavorful pork and pineapple, pile it into warm corn tortillas, and finish with onion, cilantro and lime.

Living in San Diego means I have access to some seriously good Mexican food, from street tacos to carne asada fries to adobada tacos. I first fell in love with this dish at an event at Chef Marcela Valladolid’s home, where I got to watch her make it.

After making it several times myself, I’m sharing this version so you can make these incredible street-style tacos at home. No passport required.

Laura says :

Why this recipe works

• Authentic San Diego inspiration: I fell in love with adobada tacos at an event hosted by Chef Marcela Valladolid here in San Diego. This recipe is her homemade version of that incredible street-food favorite.
• Big flavor: Dried guajillo and ancho chiles, achiote paste, orange juice and vinegar create a smoky, tangy chile marinade for the pork.
• Pineapple AND Bacon: Thin layers of pork, bacon and fresh pineapple are stacked together before roasting. The pineapple adds sweetness and moisture while the bacon adds richness.
• Tender pork: Thinly sliced pork shoulder cooks relatively quickly in the oven while absorbing all those smoky, chile-packed flavors.
• More than tacos: The sliced pork is fantastic in tacos, but you can also use it in quesadillas, sandwiches, salads or taquitos.

Ingredients you need

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• Dried chiles: This recipe uses dried guajillo and ancho chiles. They give the adobada marinade its deep red color, smoky flavor and mild-to-moderate chile heat.
• Achiote paste: Achiote adds earthy, slightly peppery flavor and that signature deep red color. Look for it in Mexican or Latin grocery sections.
• Orange juice: This balances the spicy and smokey flavors of this dish. You can use freshly squeezed or bottled orange juice.
• Boneless pork shoulder: Use boneless pork shoulder and slice it thin, about ¼-inch thick. Thin slices are important because they allow the marinade to flavor the pork and help the stacked meat cook evenly.
• Bacon: Use regular pork bacon rather than turkey bacon. It adds fat and moisture as the stack roasts.
• Pineapple: Fresh pineapple is my first choice because it adds sweetness and moisture, but canned pineapple works in a pinch.
• Kitchen staples: Distilled white vinegar, garlic, vegetable oil, salt and pepper.
• Serve with chopped onions, cilantro, lime wedges and small tortillas.

Step-by-step directions

1. Hydrate the chiles. Soak chiles in a bowl with warm water to soften them. Drain and discard the water.
2. Prepare paste. In a blender combine the hydrated chiles, achiote paste, garlic cloves, vinegar, orange juice, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

4. Layer the pork. Slice the pork lengthwise for easier layering. Place each slice between two sheets of plastic wrap and flatten until about ¼-inch thick using a meat mallet.
5. Add other layers. Place a couple of slices of meat on a lightly greased pan and season with salt and pepper. Spread adobo paste over the meat until fully covered. Top with slices of bacon then with slices of pineapple. Repeat the layers until you use up all of the meat, bacon and pineapple.
6. Marinate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

7. Roast. Pull meat out from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. You do this so the meat will warm up slightly and cook evenly. Drizzle meat with a little oil and roast at 375ºF until cooked through, about 40 to 50 minutes.
8. Slice the roast. Once done, let it rest 10 minutes then transfer to a cutting board. Do not discard the oil left on the baking pan. Starting from one side of the meat stack, thinly slice downwards so you get all the layers together: marinated pork, bacon and pineapple.
9. Heat the tortillas. Using a pastry brush, brush on the reserved leftover oil from the pan to both sides of a tortilla. Place tortillas on a warm pan over medium-high heat until warmed through.
10. Assemble tacos. Make tacos by stuffing tortilla with sliced meat, chopped onions, cilantro, cooked pineapple and a squeeze of lime juice.

Expert tips and recipe FAQs

If you have made a large batch and have leftovers, you can easily freeze them for later use. They will keep in the refrigerator in a resealable container for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months.

You can also serve it with some Spanish rice. For some culture fusion, this would be fabulous with Shirazi salad (cucumber tomato salad). You can also use the leftovers and make some baked taquitos.

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Homemade Adobada Tacos

Chef Marcella Valladolid

These homemade pork adobada tacos are made with chile-marinated pork shoulder layered with bacon and pineapple, roasted until tender, then sliced and tucked into warm corn tortillas.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Additional Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 10

Calories 417 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 ancho chiles
• 2 guajillo chiles
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ bar achiote paste
• ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
• ½ cup orange juice
• 2 lbs boneless pork shoulder sliced lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick slices
• 10 slices of bacon
• 1 small pineapple peeled and thinly cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
• 4 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped white onion
• 1 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 4-6 limes cut into quarters
• Small corn tortillas

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Instructions

 

• To hydrate the chiles, soak them in a bowl with warm water for 10 minutes. Drain and discard the water.
• In a blender, combine the hydrated chiles, achiote paste, garlic cloves, vinegar, orange juice, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth then set aside.
• Place a slice of pork between two sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, gently flatten meat until it is very thin, about ¼-inch thick. Pound and flatten the remaining slices of meat.
• Lightly coat a baking pan with oil. Place a couple of slices of meat on the greased pan and season with salt and pepper. Spread the adobo paste over the meat until fully covered.
• Add 3 slices of bacon over the pork layer then top with a couple slices of pineapple. Repeat the layers until you use up all of the meat, bacon and pineapple.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Pull meat out from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
• Drizzle meat with a little oil and roast until cooked through in the center, about 40 to 50 minutes.
• Once cooked through, let it rest 10 minutes then transfer to a cutting board. Do not discard of the oil left on the baking pan. Starting from one side of the meat stack, thinly slice downwards so you get all the layers together, cooked strips of pork, bacon and pineapple.
• Using a pastry brush, brush on the leftover oil from the pan to both sides of a tortilla. Place tortillas on a warm pan over medium-high heat until warmed through.
• Make tacos using sliced meat, onion, cilantro, cooked pineapple, and a squeeze of lime juice.

Notes

Adobada tacos are typically served with small corn tortillas, but you can also use flour tortillas. You can top your tacos with the addition of guacamole, guacamole salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream or your favorite salsa.

TO STORE: Store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 417kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 26gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 261mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5g

Keyword adobada taco, adobada tacos, tacos adobada, tacos de adobada

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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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