Ground pork al pastor tacos
Before we get into this, head over to Crossover Meats to learn more about the sustainable pork I’m using in this recipe or check out my last post for some details.
So, I have a fun little story for y’all.
I have lived in Fayetteville, Arkansas for that past 3.5+ years. There’s a beautiful (and only occasionally sketchy) trail called the Razorback Greenway that has been my route for countless runs and walks. One of my routes that I discovered and became particularly obsessed with during the summer of 2021 passed two parks, went under 2 tunnels, and went through a winding, flourishing, lusciously green field before landing at my turn-around point: the back of a vibrant red, yellow, and green painted restaurant with patio seating. The first time I discovered this route, I came upon the patio full of people right around 3 pm. Maybe it was the endorphins rushing through my head or maybe I was starting to become a little delirious from running mid-day in peak Arkansas summer humidity, but I swear this quaint restaurant held the most sublime storybook scene I had ever seen. I declared the magical restaurant that I had no idea the name of my official turn-around point on all my future runs and walks on the Greenway.
Flash forward about a year and a half later in the early fall of 2022. I had still been consistently running my favorite route, about once or twice a week. One night, my roommate Sarah asked if I wanted to go get some Mexican food at one of her favorite places I had heard her talk about many a times but had never gone to myself. I said yes. Soon enough, I was driven to an immediately recognizable brightly colored building.
Mr. Taco Loco (specifically the one located on School Ave): an order-at-the-counter Mexican restaurant with $3.50 margaritas, $1 street tacos, insanely delicious guacamole, and a simply magical patio.
Part of me was sad to ruin the mystique of the nameless restaurant I’d run to and from weekly, but the other part of me was elated to now be able to experience its allure from the inside, not just from afar.
They also make the bast damn al pastor tacos.
When I was brainstorming recipes to make with Crossover Meats, ideas for the Chicken + Beef and Chicken + Lamb blends came fairly easy to me, but I struggled to conjure something up for the pork that wasn’t just a burger or meatball/loaf of some sort. My friends and I happened to go to Mr. Taco Loco one night while I was still brainstorming ideas. One or two tamarind margaritas in and one al pastor taco in, I realized I had never made al pastor myself.
Thus, these ground pork al pastor tacos (using Crossover Meats Chicken + Pork blend) were born.
This is a shortcut version to true al pastor, but it packs a punch of flavor in a pinch for a quick lunch or dinner. This sauce is spicy, heavy on the chipotle, tangy, and just sweet enough from the pineapple and brown sugar. Mixed with the savory pork blend and fresh bite of the raw onion, juicy pineapple, cilantro, and lime on top of crispy tortillas — it almost brings me the same joy that Mr. Taco Loco’s al pastor does. Almost.
Just like in my Lamb Kefta recipe using Crossover Meats Chicken + Lamb blend, you can use 100% ground pork if you can’t get your hands on the Crossover Meats blend.
Ground Pork Al Pastor Tacos
Serves 4-6 | Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes
1 lb. Crossover Meat Chicken + Pork blend (3 patties), or 1 lb. ground pork
3/4 cup fresh pineapple, cubed
2 dried ancho peppers
2 dried guajillo peppers
1/3 cup chipotles in adobo
1 tsp. each: salt, black pepper, dried Mexican oregano, anad ground chipotle chili powder
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 white onion
2 large garlic cloves
3 tbs. dark brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tbs. olive oil or cooking oil of choice
Corn tortillas
Garnishes: more cilantro, limes, finely diced pineapple and white onion
Deseed and rinse the dried peppers to remove any dust. Bring 1 cup of water and the 4 dried peppers to boil in a medium saucepan. Let boil for 5 minutes, remove from heat, and let sit for 10-15 minutes to cool.
In a blender, blend the white onion, garlic cloves, cubed pineapple, chipotles in adobo, vinegars, brown sugar, fresh cilantro, rehydrated peppers, and 1/3 cup of the water from the peppers until smooth. A thick marinade consistency is what you want, so add more of the reserved water to achieve this consistency if needed.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the pork patties (or ground pork) and cook until 3/4 the way done, when the pink is nearly gone, breaking up the pork into a fine ground. Once nearly cooked through, add enough al pastor sauce to coat the meat a little on the heavier side (about 1 1/2-2 cups). Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.
For the corn tortillas, I like to warm them up by crisping them in a hot oiled pan on both sides until golden brown. Another option is to wrap all of them in foil and place in the oven pre-heated to 400ºF until warmed to result in a softer tortilla.
Using a slotted spoon, add the al pastor pork filling to the tortillas. Top with a squeeze of lime, fresh cilantro, and diced pineapple and white onion.
