Al Pastor Kabobs

Al Pastor Kabobs have cubed pork marinated in a spicy pineapple sauce and grilled on kabobs with fresh pineapple and red peppers. If you love pastor tacos, these are a must make during grilling season!

Who is ready to talk about grilling?!

So we moved a couple weeks ago. The first thing we bought when we got a little settled in was a grill. And these were the first thing I’ve ever grilled alone! So that tells you how easy they are.

They are delicious, full of so much flavor. There are guajillo chiles (scroll down for substitutions if you can’t find them), chipotles in adobo, pineapple juice! And that’s just in the marinade. The marinated pork is layered with fresh pineapple and bell peppers and then grilled to perfection.

Ingredients

• Dried guajillo chile – stem and seeds removed. These are at grocery stores in Texas but if your stores don’t have them, you can order them online.
• Garlic
• Cumin
• Oregano – Mexican oregano if you have it
• Chipotle in adobo pepper – you are using the pepper itself and the adobo sauce that it’s in
• Pineapple juice – pastor is traditionally marinated in pineapple so this is a predominant flavor in the kabobs
• Salt
• Vegetable oil – I like to grill with vegetable oil because it has a high smoke point.
• Pork loin – you are going to cut it into bite-size chunks to put on the kabobs
• Fresh pineapple – cut into bite-size chunks and put on the kabobs with the meat. It adds such a nice freshness and sweetness to the spicy kabobs.
• Bell pepper – I like red because it looks pretty next to the pineapple but use whatever color you prefer.

How To Make Pork Pastor Kabobs

• Soak chile. Toast chile in a saucepan over medium-high heat until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Once toasted, add water to the hot pan. Transfer chile and water to a bowl and cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap. Let stand for about 5 minutes.
• Make marinade. Pour chile and water into a blender. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce, pineapple juice, and salt. Blend until smooth. Add vegetable oil and blend until just combined. Reserve ¼ of the marinade. Pour the rest into a shallow dish large enough to hold pork.
• Marinate pork. Add pork to the shallow dish and toss to coat. Place in refrigerate and let marinate for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
• Assemble. When ready to assemble kabobs, toss pineapple and pepper in the reserved marinade. Layer pork, pineapple, and pepper on kabobs
• Grill. Grill over high heat about 3 – 5 minutes per side, until cooked through and slightly charred. Remove from grill and serve immediately.

Tips for Making Al Pastor Kabobs

• If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them for at least 30 minutes before adding the meat and veggies
• Don’t love bell peppers? Red onion would be delicious! Just follow the same instructions, substituting the onion.
• If you’re planning a party, you can get the pork in the marinade the night before so all you have to do the day of the party is layer everything on the kabobs and grill them for just a few minutes.
• Serve them on their own or with rice or even with tortillas on the side.

More Grilling Recipes

• Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs
• Grilled Stuffed Peppers
• Grilled Lemon Thyme Pork Chops
• Grilled Tequila Steak Pizza
• Grilled Garlic Lemon Steak

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Yield: 6 servings

Al Pastor Kabobs

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Al Pastor Kabobs have cubed pork marinated in a spicy pineapple sauce and grilled on kabobs with fresh pineapple and red peppers. If you love pastor tacos, these are a must make during grilling season!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 dried guajillo chile, stem and seeds removed
• ½ cup water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano (Mexican oregano if you have it)
• 1 chipotle in adobo pepper plus 2 teaspoon adobo sauce
• ½ cup canned pineapple juice
• 2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 pounds pork loin, cut into slightly larger than bite size chunks

For the skewers:

• 1 pineapple, cut into chunks
• 1 bell pepper (any color), sliced

Instructions

1. Toast chile in a saucepan over medium-high heat until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes
2. Once toasted, add water to the hot pan.
3. Transfer chile and water to a bowl and cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap. Let stand for about 5 minutes
4. Pour chile and water into a blender. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce, pineapple juice, and salt. Blend until smooth. Add vegetable oil and blend until just combined. Reserve ¼ of the marinade. Pour the rest into a shallow dish large enough to hold pork.
5. Add pork to the shallow dish and toss to coat.
6. Place in refrigerate and let marinate for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
7. When ready to assemble kabobs, toss pineapple and pepper in the reserved marinade.
8. Layer pork, pineapple, and pepper on kabobs
9. Grill over high heat about 3 - 5 minutes per side, until cooked through and slightly charred.
10. Remove from grill and serve immediately.

Recommended Products

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  My Favorite Blender
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  Metal Skewers
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  Cuisinart Griddle

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 414Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 880mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 41g

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