Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 1 2-3lb pork belly, skin removed, cut into 1" cubes
- ½ pineapple, dicked into 1" chunks
Marinade
- 4 guajillo peppers, seeded and diced
- 1 ancho pepper, seeded and diced
- 3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo
- ½ cup water
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 small onion, roughly chopped
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 3-6 whole cloves, ground
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Condiments
- Tortillas, corn or flour
- Grilled Pineapple
- Cotija Cheese or Queso Fresco, crumbled
- White Onion, diced
- Cilantro, roughly chopped
- Limes
- Rice and beans, prepared
Instructions
- First up, we need to prep our peppers. Add water to a small pot and bring it to a boil. Toss in three different types of peppers and let them steep for 15 minutes until they're soft and pliable. Remove the peppers from the water, remove the stems, and discard the water and stems. If you're using Chipotle in Adobo, you can skip this step and move on to the next level of flavor.
- Grab your blender and add all the ingredients, except for the pork. Give it a good whirr until it becomes a thick paste. Take your pork and let it take a swim in this marinade. Don't forget to get your hands dirty and make sure every piece is covered in flavor. Cover the bowl and let it marinate for at least 4 hours, or even overnight if you can wait that long. Trust me, it'll be worth it!
- Once you're ready to grill, get one half of the grill running at high heat. While the grill heats up, start threading your skewers. Layer a piece of pineapple at the bottom, followed by a pork piece and then more pineapple. Repeat until your skewer is packed (pro tip: aim for one pork steak or 4-5 pieces of the belly per skewer). Make sure to remove any overly excessive marinade, but leave some on for that extra flavor boost.
- Now that your kabobs are ready to go, place them on the grill and resist the urge to flip them too often. Let them char and cook for about 5 minutes before flipping them over. Repeat the cooking process and keep an eye on the temperature. Once the internal temperature of the pork reaches 155°F for shoulder pieces, or 160-170°F for belly pieces, it's time to remove them from the grill.
- After taking the skewers off the grill, remove the pineapple and Al Pastor from the skewers and chop them up roughly. Serve them hot, either Taco Style or Plated Style with Rice and Beans. Don't forget to top them with the gorgeous grilled pineapple and give it a squeeze of lime to finish off the flavors.Now, get ready for a flavor explosion that will transport you to the streets of Mexico without leaving your backyard!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!