Tacos al pastor is a dish from Mexico with 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.
In this recipe from our cookbook “ Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” we combine tender pork tenderloin, spicy chilies and smoky-sweet charred pineapple for a weeknight-friendly take on tacos al pastor.
For everyday ease, the pork tenderloin is pounded and briefly marinated in a puree of tenderizing pineapple, brown sugar, garlic, chipotles and adobo, cumin and ancho powder, then broiled until lightly charred in spots and barely pink at the center.
Pineapple slices are charred under the broiler while the meat marinates, then chopped and mixed with cilantro and lime juice and served as an accompaniment for the tacos, along with the tortillas, finely chopped onion and lime wedges.
For 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.
TACOS AL PASTOR Start to finish: 1 hour Servings: 4
1 medium pineapple, peeled
¼ cup grapeseed or other neutral oil, plus more for the baking sheet and pineapple
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
8 medium garlic cloves, peeled
4 chipotle chilies in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons ancho chili powder
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice, divided, plus lime wedges, to serve
1¼-pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of silver skin and halved lengthwise
⅓ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped
8 corn tortillas, warmed
Finely chopped white onion, to serve
Slice the pineapple into seven ½-inch-thick rounds. Quarter two 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.
Place the tenderloin halves between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, pound the pork to an even ½-inch thickness. Season both sides of each piece with salt and pepper, place in the baking dish and turn to coat with the puree. Let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the broiler with a rack about 4 inches from the element. Line a broiler-safe rimmed baking sheet with extra-wide foil and mist with cooking spray. Arrange the 5 remaining pineapple slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the slices with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then broil until charred in spots, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer the pineapple to a cutting board and set aside; reserve the baking sheet.
Transfer the tenderloin halves to the same baking sheet and broil until charred in spots and the center reaches 140°F or is just barely pink when cut, 7 to 10 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes.
While the pork rests, chop the pineapple into rough ½-inch cubes, discarding the core. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the cilantro and the remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, then taste and season with salt and pepper.
Cut the pork crosswise into thin slices on the diagonal. Transfer to a medium bowl, then stir in any accumulated pork juices along with 3 tablespoons of the reserved pineapple puree. Serve the pork, chopped pineapple and remaining pineapple puree with the tortillas, chopped onion and lime wedges.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For more recipes, go to Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street at 177milkstreet.com/ap
