Al Pastor

My first encounter with al pastor was at my parents place 2 years ago. My father grilled up pork and pineapple with a chili paste and we had it on corn tortillas with a nice coleslaw. This is my take on that dish as recommended by a Mexican friend of mine for his favorite Mexican food.

Ingredients

1/4 cup chili paste*

1/2 lb pork loin

1 large pineapple

1/2 lb bacon strips

3 tbsp bbq sauce

Chili paste recipe

6 ancho chilis

2 cups boiling water

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp chili powder

salt to taste

1. Start by putting together your chili sauce if making it from scratch if using store bought skip to step 7

2. Pour boiling water over chilis in a large bowl, soak for 15-20 minutes until rehydrated

3. remove seeds and stems from chilis and place in a food processor

4. in a small frying pan warm olive oil and fry onion until soft and clear

5. add garlic to frying pan and fry for 2-3 minutes until fragrant

6. add mixture to food processor along with salt to taste and blend until smooth, set mixture aside

7. Preheat oven to 400°

8. slice pork into thin strips

9. marinate pork in chili paste, preferably overnight but at least 1 hour

10. warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan

11. add the pork and marinade to the large pan and fully cook

12. cut the bottom off the pineapple

13. cutting carefully into the pineapple, core out the center, using a spoon as well if needed

14. trim the sin off all sides but leave the top on

15. stuff pineapple with cooked pork

16. wrap pineapple in bacon using toothpicks to hold it in place, starting by covering the bottom.

17. bake at 400° for 25 minutes

18. rub with BBQ sauce in the last 5 minutes