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Tacos al Pastor
We combine tender broiled pork, spicy chilies and the subtle smokiness of charred pineapple in this take on tacos al pastor. The dish is from Mexico but has Levantine roots, stemming from the 19th century when Lebanese immigrants arrived, bringing their tradition of vertical spits for roasting lamb shawarma. Not finding much lamb, cooks switched to pork and instead of sandwiching the meat in flatbread, they used tortillas. Subsequent generations added pineapple and dried chilies. For everyday ease, we use pork tenderloin that has been pounded, briefly marinated and broiled. Chopped pineapple, also broiled, and fresh finely chopped white onion completes the tacos. For some extra color and crunch, offer finely shredded red cabbage for sprinkling. To simplify prep, you can buy fresh pineapple that has already been peeled, cored and sliced.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t substitute regular chili powder for the ancho chili powder. If you can’t find ancho chili powder, pulverize whole ancho chilies (stemmed, seeded and torn) in a spice grinder.
1 hour
Ingredients
-
1
medium pineapple, peeled
-
¼
cup grapeseed or other neutral oil, plus more for baking sheet
Directions
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01Slice the pineapple into seven ½-inch-thick rounds. Quarter 2 rounds, trimming and discarding the core. In a food processor, puree the quartered pineapple slices, oil, brown sugar, garlic, chipotles and adobo, cumin, ancho powder and 2 teaspoons salt until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour ½ cup into a baking dish; pour the rest into a medium bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of the lime juice. Set both aside.
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September 2, 2023
Excellent
I've made this many times in the past an have played around with other proteins, even tofu. Was there once a version of this recipe that called for grilled/broiled onions as well? Why have you omitted this?
July 13, 2023
delicious and simple
we used about half the chipotle as my husband doesn't do heat well. Also added pickled onions. Absolutely delicious.
April 13, 2023
Easy & Delicious!
The only change I made from the original recipe was using 2 chipotle chiles instead of 4, along with a generous tbsp. of adobo sauce. That made this plenty spicy for us. The pineapple puree is just amazing, and along with the broiled pineapple pieces w/cilantro & lime juice salsa, made some of the best tacos I've ever eaten. I'll definitely be making this one again and again. Thanks, Milk Street team!
Could you do this recipe on the grill instead of under the broiler? Any tips for that approach?
Very good tacos. I only had the option of broiling at 3" or 5", not the 4" recommended. I went with 5" since pork can overcook so easily. Unfortunately, the pineapple and onion got somewhat soft by the time it started charring. I think that the closer rack setting of 3" would probably get the char without over-softening the salsa ingredients. I'll just need to watch it more carefully.
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These are excellent! Slightly spicy for the kids...consider backing off the chipotle to 3.