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Tacos de trompo

From WikiTacos, the taco encyclopedia · Taco type
Also known as: Trompo, Tacos de trompo regios, Tacos griegos, Tacos Doneraki

Tacos de trompo are the vertical-spit pork tacos of Monterrey, Nuevo León, a northern cousin of tacos al pastor seasoned with a paprika-heavy adobo and served without pineapple. The name comes from the trompo, the spinning-top-shaped stack of meat on which they are cooked.

Contents
  1. Name
  2. History
  3. Preparation and serving
  4. Recipe
  5. Where to try it
  6. Reviews
  7. See also
  8. References

Name

Trompo is Spanish for a spinning top, and the word describes the tapered cylinder of stacked, marinated meat that turns in front of a heat source. Outside the northeast, tacos de trompo is often used simply as another name for al pastor, but in Monterrey and across northeastern Mexico tacos de trompo designate a distinct local style.

History

Like al pastor in Mexico City and tacos árabes in Puebla, the trompo descends from the vertical-spit lamb introduced by Lebanese and other Middle Eastern immigrants. Texas Monthly, citing Monterrey scholar Domingo García Garza, reports that a taquero named Julio Reyna brought spit-roasted pork tacos to Monterrey in 1962. Early on they were sold under names that advertised their Eastern roots, such as tacos griegos and tacos Doneraki, and only in the 1980s and 1990s did the name tacos de trompo become standard.

From Monterrey the style spread across northern Mexico and into Texas cities with large communities from Nuevo León. The owner of Trompo, a taquería in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, told Texas Monthly that such tacos were rare in Dallas until the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Preparation and serving

The main difference from al pastor lies in the marinade. Al pastor is typically built on achiote, citrus and herbs, while trompo pork gets an adobo heavy with paprika, which turns it deep orange and gives it a smokier, slightly spicier taste. Pineapple is not part of the dish.

The taquero shaves thin slices from the spit and lays them on well-oiled tortillas on the griddle; after a minute or two he flips each tortilla meat side down so the pork crisps and fuses with it. The tacos are finished with chopped white onion, cilantro and salsa. The tortillas are small corn tortillas, and the tacos are commonly served several to a plate as taquitos.

Recipe

Makes About 24 small tacos · Time: Marinate overnight; 30 minutes cooking

Ingredients

  • 1.2 kg boneless pork shoulder, sliced 3 to 5 mm thick
  • 3 tbsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 guajillo chiles, toasted, soaked and blended (optional)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 24 small corn tortillas (10 cm)
  • Chopped white onion and cilantro, salsa verde or roja, limes

Steps

  1. Blend the paprikas, guajillo, garlic, vinegar, orange juice, oregano, cumin, pepper, salt and 1 tbsp oil into a smooth paste.
  2. Coat each pork slice with the adobo, stack in a container and refrigerate overnight.
  3. Heat a griddle or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat and cook the slices in batches until browned and slightly charred at the edges. Chop finely.
  4. Brush the griddle with oil, lay out the tortillas and top each with chopped pork. After 1 minute, flip them meat side down and press so the meat crisps onto the tortilla.
  5. Turn back over and serve with onion, cilantro, salsa and lime.

To approximate a trompo, skewer the stacked slices on a vertical spit or between two skewers and roast at 230 C (450 F), carving off the browned outer layer as it cooks.

Where to try it

Reviews

Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.

See also

References

  1. "Trompo Tacos Are So Much More Than Tacos al Pastor". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  2. "Tacos de Trompo (Tacos Arabes)". Barry Popik (The Big Apple). Retrieved 2026-10-10.
Categories: Lebanese-Mexican cuisine Nuevo León cuisine Pork tacos Spit-roasted dishes Taco types