Pork al Pastor Skewers with Avocado Crema

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Author: Amanda
Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x

Description

Discover the vibrant flavors of Pork al Pastor Skewers, a modern twist on the classic Mexican street food. This recipe features tender pork marinated in a blend of dried chilies, achiote, and pineapple, perfect for grilling. Serve with creamy avocado crema for a delicious summer meal. Bonus points if you serve them as tacos!

Ingredients

Scale

AL PASTOR MARINADE:

4 guajillo chilies, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely torn into pieces
2 ancho chilies, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely torn into pieces
1 chipotle in adobo
1.75 ounces achiote paste (about half the pack)
4 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, preferably Mexican
1/4 white onion, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1 ripe pineapple, top and skin cut off, then cored and cut into 1-inch cubes
1–1/2 to 2 pounds pork tenderloin, silverskin removed and cut into 1-inch cubes

AVOCADO CREMA:

1 ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
Juice of 1 lime
tablespoons cilantro leaves
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

FOR SERVING AS TACOS, OPTIONAL:

Corn or flour tortillas, warmed
1/4 cup finely minced white onion
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
Quartered limes

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Instructions

Add the chilies to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Toast for 3–4 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the chilies darken slightly in color and smell fragrant. Cover with water. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the chilies soften for 10–15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid.
In a high-powered blender, combine the softened chilies, chipotle, achiote paste, garlic, apple cider vinegar, white onion, cinnamon, Mexican oregano, ground cumin, chicken bouillon powder, orange juice, salt, pepper, agave syrup, and 1/4 cup of the cubed pineapple. Blend on high until smooth; add 2 tablespoons of the chili soaking liquid and blend again. The mixture should be the texture of ketchup. Add more of the water if needed to achieve this consistency.
Transfer the marinade to a lidded marinating container or Ziploc bag. Add the cubed pork, ensuring each piece is thoroughly coated in the marinade. Transfer the pork to the refrigerator and marinate for 0 minutes to 1 hour. Marinating for longer than 1 hour can affect the texture of the meat due to the acidic ingredients in the marinade.
While the pork marinates, make the avocado crema: Combine all of the ingredients in a small blender or food processor and blend on high until completely smooth. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
When you’re ready to cook the pork, preheat a charcoal grill for medium-high heat about 20–25 minutes or a gas grill for medium-high heat about 15 minutes before you’re ready to grill.
To prepare the skewers, thread two pieces of meat on a metal skewer, allowing excess marinade to drip off, then a piece of pineapple. Continue this pattern until you’ve filled each skewer to the top. You should have enough for about 8 skewers.
Oil your grill grates with neutral oil, then transfer the skewers on, leaving a bit of space between each one. Cook on the first side for –4 minutes on one side, then flip and grill for another –4 minutes on the other side. The pork should register 145° on an instant-read thermometer and may still retain a bit of pink color inside. Serve the skewers with the avocado crema.
If you’d like to serve as tacos, remove the pork and pineapple from the skewers and coarsely chop. Serve in toasted tortillas with the avocado crema and minced onion and cilantro.