Pork and Pineapple Tacos

Tacos Al Pastor is my favorite Mexican dish, but seeing as how you can't really have a huge roasting spit in your home, it can be hard to duplicate. The recipe I have come up with is more like shredded pork with the flavors of al pastor  - kind of a cross between carnitas and al pastor - made in my new crock pot courtesy of my awesome brother!

This recipe is also versatile. You can:

• Make the sauce and slice roast into smaller pieces and marinate overnight, then barbecue on a grill, or
• Marinate overnight and bake the whole roast in an oven at 350 for about 3 hours, or until the internal temperature is 176 degrees, or
• Make in a crock pot, directions below.

Ingredients:

5 guajillo chilis

2 ancho chilis

2 - 20 oz cans pineapple chunks in juice (not heavy syrup!)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp. annatto powder (achiote powder)

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin

3 lb. boneless pork loin roast

1 bunch cilantro, chopped fine

1 lime
1 pkg tortillas

salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, shredded cheese for garnish

In a saucepan, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add dried chilis. My store was out of anchos so I just used guajillos for my batch. :(

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes or until softened and dulled in color. Push down into water frequently.

Remove from water and transfer to plate. Pull out stems and discard.

Transfer to blender or food processor. Drain pineapple juice into blender or food processor. Add garlic, half of the onion, and all of the spices.

Process until smooth.

Lay pork roast in center of crock pot. Pour sauce over.

Set crock pot on low for about 8 hours.

In a small dish, add the rest of the chopped onions. Squeeze lime on top. Add cilantro and mix well.

Refrigerate until tacos are ready.

I like my pineapple chunks smaller, so I cut each one in half.

At about 7 hours, check pork roast. Shredding should be easy now with a spoon. Add pineapple chunks and stir well. Cover it back up and let it cook for the last hour.

Serve with onion-cilantro garnish as well as salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, and shredded cheese. I made Spanish rice for a side dish.