Pork
Al Pastor
Servings: 10-12 people (25-35 tacos)
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 5lb boneless pork shoulder
- 3 Tbsp achiote paste
- 2 Tbsp guajillo chili power (can sub regular chili powder)
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 1 Tbsp black pepper
- 3/4 c white vinegar
- 1 c pineapple juice (can use canned/bottled)
- 1 pineapple sliced into 1-inch rounds
For Serving:
- corn tortillas
- chopped white onion
- chopped fresh cilantro
- salsa
- avocado
- lime wedges
Directions:
- Slice the pork shoulder into 1/4"-1/2" slices and place in a bowl or gallon ziplock bag
- Mix the remaining ingredients except the pineapple slices and add to the meat
- Let marinade for at least 6 hours or up to 3 days (longer is better)
- Preheat oven/grill/smoker to 300° F
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and stack alternating layers of pineapple and pork. You can stack them on a wooden or metal stake to keep them upright. Here is the one I use, it's ~$12 on Amazon.
- Bake for 2 1/2 - 3 hours until the pork is slightly charred and deep red
- Remove the meat and let rest for 10 minutes
- Carve the pork and pineapple into thin slices
- Assemble tacos and enjoy
Baked BBQ Pork Chops
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
- 6 big boy pork chops (bone-in is preferred)
- 1/3 cup BBQ rub (I use this one)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 400° F
- Mix sugar and your BBQ rub together
- Pat dry all your pork chops
- Coat all sides of the pork chops with the seasoning (it's a lot of seasoning, so really cover those things)
- Place the chops in a casserole dish and bake in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes
Note:
You can cook these anywhere from 350° F to 450° F and they'll turn out great. Here's a table for cook times at those temps:
450° F |
14-16 minutes |
425° F |
15-17 minutes |
400° F |
17-19 minutes |
375° F |
21-24 minutes |
350° F |
30-34 minutes |
Honey Garlic Pork Belly
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients:
- pork belly (2lbs)
- 1/4 c honey
- 1/2 c tamari
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 2 green onions, sliced (to garnish)
- Sesame seeds (to garnish)
Instructions:
- Cube the pork belly into 1 inch pieces and fry on medium high heat until cooked through (5-7 mins each side) NOTE: helps to keep the meat moving so that none burns on the pan
- Add honey, garlic, and tamari and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Let it simmer gently until it looks sexy I mean sticky. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds
This is great on tacos (make your own tortillas) or just served over white rice.
Mustard & Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 4 pork chops
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2 tbsp stone ground mustard
- 1 tbsp honey (really just to taste/optional, I usually skip if the cider is pretty sweet)
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme (or ~2 tsp dried/ ~1 tsp ground)
- Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Directions
- Let the pork chops sit out for ~20 minutes to temper
- Rub the pork chops down with oil, then generously coat with salt and pepper (both sides)
- Heat ~2 tbsp oil in a pan over med-high heat and cook the meat 5-6 minutes on each side until golden brown
- Move pork chops to a plate and drain the oil from the skillet but DON’T wash it or wipe it out.
- Over medium heat, add the mustard, cider, honey (if using), and thyme and simmer until thickened, 4-5 mins (if using fresh thyme, strip the leaves from the stem)
- Add the chops back into the skillet for a minute or two to make sure they’re hot and coat them with the sauce. Pour any additional sauce on top to serve