Al Pastor Kabobs (Recipe 144 of 150)

Oh man. These kebabs are delicious. I should say, they are with my few modifications. 

First, I'm not a huge fan of pineapple, and especially cooked pineapple. Blech. So I didn't put pineapple or the peppers on my skewers. Just the pork, mam.

The other thing I did different is charred the peppers. I don't find it makes much of a difference in the overall flavor. These chilis are already dried, so I don't bother. I cleaned, and de-seeded the chiles before I steeped them. 

This may look like a pretty involved recipe, but I assure you it is not. And the prep is 100% worth it. Such a wonder, well rounded flavor. 

One note from the original author: 

"CANNED Pineapple Juice. Please use only CANNED pineapple juice! Canned pineapple juice will infuse your pork with flavor without leaving it mushy if it’s not marinated too long. Fresh pineapple juice still contains enzymes that could break down your pork and more likely to leave it mushy in a short amount of time."

Al Pastor Kabobs

Recipe from Carlsbad Craving

Serves 4

SKEWERS

• 1 ½ – 2 pounds pork tenderloin cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 pineapple cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 red bell pepper sliced into 1 1/2” chunks
• 1 green bell pepper sliced into 1 1/2” chunks
• 1 large onion sliced into 1 1/2” chunks
• 5 T olive oil divided

MARINADE/SAUCE

• 4 dried Guajillo chiles
• 1/3 c canned pineapple juice*
• 1/3 c orange juice
• 1 onion peeled, halved
• 4 garlic cloves peeled
• 3 T apple cider vinegar
• 2 T achiote paste (see notes)
• 1 T brown sugar
• 1 chopped chipotle pepper from can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt

CHILES

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add guajillo chiles and toast until blistered in spots and fragrant, turning occasionally, about 3 minutes. Transfer peppers to a cutting board. Once cool, cut tops off chiles, cut in half and remove seeds, taking care not to touch your eyes. Add chiles back to skillet and cover with water. Simmer 3-5 minutes until softened.

MARINADE

Remove softened chilies to blender along with all Marinade ingredients and blend until smooth.

Add pork to a shallow dish or freezer size bag. Add 1 cup marinade and 3 tablespoons olive oil, stir to combine. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2-6 hours.

Add pineapple, bell peppers and onions to a separate bowl. Add ¼ cup marinade and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover and refrigerate. (You can prep veggies at any point – they don’t have to marinate.) Refrigerate remaining marinade separately.

ASSEMBLE

NOTE: Soak wooden skewers for at least 30 minutes in water before grilling or broiling.

When ready to cook, thread pork, pineapple, bell peppers and onions onto skewers. Dab off excess marinade from pork so it can char.

Grease and preheat grill to high heat. Grill skewers until lightly charred all over, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. You can check a pork cube for doneness if desired. 

Let rest 5 minutes before serving.