A large flour tortilla stuffed with pork marinated with herbs and spices, cooked with pineapple and grilled onions. The pork is marinated in a combination of spices, chilies, and pineapple.īurrito Al Pastor. Al Pastor literally means shepherd style. Then they are braised until tender and shredded. Carnitas are typically marinated in a mixture of spices, citrus, and oil. The biggest difference between these two is the preparation and the seasoning. What is the difference between carnitas and pastor?

Unlike pulled pork, however, carnitas are finished by roasting the meat in the oven until browned and crisp. Both carnitas and pulled pork are cooked slowly for several hours, and great to make in the slow cooker or instant pot. An inexpensive, heavily marbled cut of pork, such as boneless Boston butt, pork shoulder or picnic ham, is braised or simmered for several hours with seasonings and lard until it is so tender that is can be shredded. How do you pronounce tacos pastor?Ĭarnitas - which means “little meats” in Spanish - is a Mexican pork dish. They brought shawarma with them, and it eventually evolved into tacos árabes (a dish in Puebla where spit-roasted, seasoned lamb is served on a pita) and even further into al pastor. Not to be confused with the spit-grilled shawarma of Lebanese culture, Al pastor meat is typically pork-based in nature and is marinated in a combination of dried chilies, spices, and pineapple.Īl pastor translates to “like the shepherd,” in reference to the Lebanese immigrants who arrived in Mexico in the early 20th century. Pork shoulder is slow-cooked to keep its tenderness while it is thinly sliced off the spinning spit-roast. Although the cooking style is identical to that of the Lebanese shawarma with its vertical spit-roasting method, the meat is completely different from lamb. What kind of meat is pastor meat?Īl Pastor meat is taken from boneless pork shoulder. Pork shoulder is a relatively inexpensive cut of meat and layered with enough fat that when marinated and cooked on high heat, it emerges tender and juicy. What kind of meat is al pastor? Al Pastor is traditionally spit-roasted pork but for our homemade Al Pastor we are going to use boneless pork shoulder.

Al pastor meaning english