Pork

• Al Pastor
• Baked BBQ Pork Chops
• Honey Garlic Pork Belly
• Mustard & Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops

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:

1. Slice the pork shoulder into 1/4"-1/2" slices and place in a bowl or gallon ziplock bag
2. Mix the remaining ingredients except the pineapple slices and add to the meat
3. Let marinade for at least 6 hours or up to 3 days (longer is better)
4. Preheat oven/grill/smoker to 300° F
5. 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.
6. Bake for 2 1/2 - 3 hours until the pork is slightly charred and deep red
7. Remove the meat and let rest for 10 minutes
8. Carve the pork and pineapple into thin slices
9. 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:

1. Preheat your oven to 400° F
   
2. Mix sugar and your BBQ rub together
3. Pat dry all your pork chops
4. Coat all sides of the pork chops with the seasoning (it's a lot of seasoning, so really cover those things)
5. 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:

1. 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
2. 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

1. Let the pork chops sit out for ~20 minutes to temper
2. Rub the pork chops down with oil, then generously coat with salt and pepper (both sides)
3. Heat ~2 tbsp oil in a pan over med-high heat and cook the meat 5-6 minutes on each side until golden brown
4. Move pork chops to a plate and drain the oil from the skillet but DON’T wash it or wipe it out.
5. 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)
6. 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