food enthusiast, urban explorer

2lb pork roast
1 16 oz can pineapple chunks, juice reserved
1 cup orange juice
3 dried ancho chilies
3 dried guajillo chilies
2 bay leaves
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 tbs Secret Aardvark sauce
juice from 2 limes
6-8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped roughly (most of a bulb)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 tbs honey
salt
olive oil

Preheat oven to 270°F

Grab your handy cast iron dutch oven (with awesome flat lid!) and fill with pineapple juice, orange juice, and dried chilies. Chilies should be just covered, so about two inches of liquid will do the trick. Simmer on low heat for about 10-15 minutes, or until chilies are soft and pliant. Remove chilies and set aside.

Pour juice from the pan into the lid of the dutch oven (or separate pan if you’re sans this dual duty apparatus), add honey, and continue to let simmer on low.

In a medium size bowl, combine spices, Aardvark, half the can of pineapple, onion, and garlic.

Return the dutch oven to the stove with about a tablespoon of oil and heat on medium.

When oil is hot, add onions, garlic and spices and saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

While onions cook, grab some latex gloves (you know, cuz you’re playing with burning bits), a knife and a cutting board, and split chilies to remove the seeds, stem, and pith. Keep about a teaspoon of the seeds (or more if you like a lot of spice). Roughly chop the chilies and set aside in a medium size bowl.

When the onions and garlic are done, add to the bowl with the chilies and about a quarter cup of the juice. Using a emulsion blender, puree the ingredients into the bowl. The texture should be like wet sand – not too dry, but wet enough to stick together.

Return the pineapple/orange juice to the main pan, and add remaining pineapple.
Set pork roast on top of pineapple in the middle of the pan. Using a wooden spoon, liberally coat the top and sides of the roast with the chili mixture.

Close the lid and put in the oven for 3 hours.

At the 3 hour mark, remove dutch oven, and turn over lid. Carefully scrape the chili mixture off the roast and into the lid. Season the juices with salt as needed. Carefully flip the roast and re-coat with chili mixture and a few tablespoons of the pan drippings. Return the lid and put back in the oven for another 3 hours.

When the second session is done, take the pan out of the oven and give the pork a quick braising with the pan drippings. The roast should be too far along to flip again, and at this point the pork is ready when you are. You can eat it now, or give it a few more hours, as it’s only going to get softer and more tender with time.

I left mine in for another two hours but dropped the oven temperature to 200°F, it was practically melting and exploding with succulent spicy sweet flavor.

When you’re ready to eat, remove the meat to a serving platter and shred with a fork. Spoon pan drippings over top and toss to coat, but don’t feel like you have to add it all. Or even most of it. Add as much or as little as you like. Go wild. Or don’t.

Serve with:
warm corn tortillas
caramelized pineapple (recipe below)
cojita cheese
fresh pico de gallo (recipe below)
lime wedges

Pico de Gallo
1 small yellow onion, diced small
1 medium tomato, diced
1 bunch cilantro, leaves washed and shredded
juice from 1 lime
3 tbs pan drippings from al pastor
pinch salt

Combine all ingredients, cover and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes before serving.

Caramelized Pineapple
1 16oz can pineapple chunks in juice, juice reserved
3 tbs honey
1 pinch red pepper flakes

Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium high heat. Add pineapple chunks, a few at a time, to sizzling hot pan. If your pan is smaller, work in batches. Let pineapple sizzle away for about 2-3 minutes or until the side facing up lightens in color (should look whiteish).

Using tongs, flip pineapple to a different side, and wait another 2-3 minutes or until the sides begin to visibly brown and caramelize. After your second flip you can just shake the pan to jumble up the pineapple.

Stir every so often and flip any pieces that aren’t cooking on the right side. When the batch is done all the bits should be visibly softened and browned. Removed pineapple and set aside.

Add about half the can of juice, honey, and red pepper flakes to the pan and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 5 minutes, stirring every so often with a wooden spoon.
When you think the syrup is ready, dip the spoon in the liquid, let cool a few seconds (one of my biggest hurdles), and swipe the back with your finger. It’s done when your finger leaves a clear streak through the syrup.

Pour syrup over pineapple and toss to coat. Serve immediately or they’re going to get eaten by sneaky ninja hands once the bowl hits the table.

Original al pastor recipe from both Streats and Chef Callahan.

*We strongly discourage eating baby meat. Babies are cute and adorable. And let’s be honest. They’re entirely too expensive to ever realistically substitute for meat in any capacity.