Pork Street Tacos With Pineapple and Roasted Jalapenos

Street tacos are fun. They have interesting flavours and are anything but boring. Pork tacos are the ones that will stop you in the street. You see that big spit of slowly turning, charred pork topped with a towering, yellow, sweet pineapple… impossible to walk by. Now you can make them at home. Without a trip to Mexico. Not that I’m discouraging that. 😉

I like my tacos to be a little exciting. I mean for me, there really is no such thing as a bad taco, but let’s amp them up a bit.

Pork – I’m not going to say you have to use pork shoulder (or pork butt) but I’m going to say you should use pork shoulder. Pork shoulder is loaded with flavour and has lots of fat to keep things tender and moist. We’re going to break it up like a pulled pork so tenderness is key.

Pineapple – this should definitely be a fresh pineapple so find the ripest one you can. You can swap out a little of the pineapple for orange juice too.

Jalapeños – fresh jalapeños can be pretty spicy, so if you want them more mild then take the seeds out. If you can handle the heat, leave ’em in.

Toppings – I’m very specific about my toppings here… chopped white onion, fresh cilantro, feta (or cotija cheese), and a squeeze of lime. I must have them all. You can do whatever you need to do.

Pork Street Tacos Recipe Variations:

Spicy Version – When you season the meat with salt add a sprinkle of cayenne too, and do not take the seeds out of the jalapeños.

Make Ahead Version – complete the slow cooking of the pork and then refrigerate. When ready to make tacos, complete the broiling of the meat and the pineapple before serving.

Start by generously seasoning your pork with salt—don’t skip this step… it’s going to flavour everything perfectly. Now, pile the chunks of pork into your slow cooker.

Whip up your Al Pastor Sauce (you can pour it straight from a bottle but obviously I think mine is the best). Pour it all over the pork, making sure it’s nestled in there and every piece is coated in that saucy goodness.

Set your slow cooker to low and let the magic happen for 8-10 hours. If you’re in more of a hurry (or just impatient – hi!), crank it up to high for 5-6 hours. Either way, your kitchen is about to smell like absolute heaven.

While your pork is doing its thing, let’s ready the pineapple and the jalapeños. Chop the pineapple into chunks, remove the stems from the jalapeños and slice them in half… scoop out the seeds if you’re feeling mild today. Spread all of this out on a baking sheet, drizzle with a little oil, and maybe even sprinkle with a touch of salt. Slide the baking shee under the broiler and let the heat do its thing. You’re aiming for a good amount of char—that smoky, caramelized edge that screams deliciousness. Keep an eye on things though… the broiler works fast, and no one likes burnt pineapple.

When the pork is done, it’ll be fall-apart tender and practically begging to be shredded. Take it out of the slow cooker and transfer it to a foil-lined baking sheet. Shred the pork into bite-sized pieces and spread it out evenly on the sheet. Broil the pork until it gets some crispy, dark, caramelized edges. Those edges are flavour gold.

Warm up some corn tortillas pile on the pork, add some of those roasted pineapple and jalapeño pieces, and pile on the extras. Chopped onion? Yes. A sprinkle of cilantro? Always. Maybe a squeeze of lime? Go for it. Crumbly cheese? You deserve it.

• Start the meal with my Everything Bagel Cashews and maybe a little Prosecco? 😉
• Veggie it up by serving it with this Chopped Kale Salad
• Or go all in with the cheese by serving my 15 Minute Cheese Stuffed Naan Bread
• Make some cookies for dessert like these White Chocolate Orange Cranberry Cookies or Brown Butter Oatmeal Cookies

If you like this Pork Street Tacos Recipe let me know what you think in the comments below and please find and follow me on Social Media!