Pork Street Tacos

Who here is a tacos fan? Well, if yes is the answer you are going to wanna get these pork street tacos cooking up this weekend. Using some delicious pork collarbutt that's marinated in pineapple and a blend of spices these will only take minutes to cook and seconds to eat 😉

sponsored by Mount Rozier Wines, South Africa

Why I Love This Recipe

• feeds a crowd
• full of flavour
• fun to eat
• inexpensive
• can be prepared in advance

These pork street tacos are one of my favourite things to cook on a Sunday when you have a few people over in the afternoon! They are packed with flavour, great to serve to a group as everyone can just help themselves and the majority of it can be prepared in advance too so you can enjoy the company (and glass of wine) with your friends!

Ingredients Needed For Marinated Pork Collarbutt

To make my version of al pastor tacos aka pork street tacos all the ingredients you need are readily available in most grocery stores.

• pork collarbutt - also known as pork butt. You may ne mistaken on thinking it comes from the butt of the pork but it's actually the shoulder. The shoulder is broken into 2 pieces (pork butt and pork shoulder). This cut comes from the top of the porks shoulder behind the ear where as the shoulder comes from below the butt/collarbutt. Ideally slow-cooked for pulled pork but slicing it thin, marinating it and cooking hot and fast also works a treat
• pinepple - use tinned pineapple and juice in this recipe as you want to marinate the pork for 3-24hrs and the acidity in fresh pineapple will change the meats texture if marinating for longer than 3 hours
• spices - smoked paprika, oregano, cumin and salt
• garlic - a few cloves which will get crushed when we blend it
• chipotle in adobo - these are smoked and dried jalapenos that are rehydrated in a tangy sauce made of tomatoes, garlic and spices. Most grocery stores will stock this

Toppings And Accompaniments

For me, when it comes to what to serve with pork street tacos or any taco I make it starts with the tortilla. La Banderita tortillas are the only way to go. Available in most fruit/veg stores and good grocery stores they are the best I've had. Make sure you heat them up - I like to char them on the BBQ.

Red cabbage - you can't have a taco IMO, without shredded red cabbage. It adds a colourful pop to any taco and a nice crunch too.

Coriander - always controversial amongst a group but for me and Mrs AnotherFoodBlogger you can't have tacos without it

Salsa/Chutney - another regular in tacos. Whether it's pico de gallo or a spicy fruit chutney/salsa these add a brightness to the dish. For these pork street tacos I've gone with charred pineapple and chopped onion

Sauce - this one is a bit controversial but I'm a big fan of kewpie mayo (I know, I know, not Mexican but it's real good), alternatively some aioli or in this case sourcream drizzled over it. Adds a creamy cooling bite to the taco

Avocado - if you live in Australia it's in your blood to love avocados! Sliced thinly, roughly chopped or smashed either way they are delicious.

My advice is when thinking about what to add, don't add too much but also think of the balance. Cabbage for texture, avocado or sour cream for that cooling addition and then either a spicy sauce, chutney or salsa with a little coriander sprinkled on top!

Preparing & Cooking Pork Collarbutt

So once you have got all the marinade ingredients together all you need to do is blend them up in a food processor so it's ready to marinate your pork collarbutt.

When it comes to the pork, prepare it by using a sharp knife and slicing the pork collarbutt into thin slices. When I say thin I mean about 1cm thick. If they are thicker then they will end up being tough. Pork collarbutt has a lot of fat going through it which typically makes them good for pulled pork as the lower the temperature the longer they cook and the more time the fat has to melt. The alternative to this is hot and fast. This only works when we slice the pork thinly so we aren't chewing through layers of fat.

Once sliced to the optimal thickness then we marinate. Layer the pork in an airtight container and cover it with the marinade. Place another layer of pork on top and cover with the marinade. Don't worry if the pork looks a little messy, once we grill it up and slice it you won't notice the difference 😉

Leave the pork covered in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours but preferably overnight for the marinade to really penetrate.

Once ready to cook crank your BBQ (I use a Masterbuilt Gravity Series, but more on that in a moment) to 275-300c. You want it really hot! Once you have hit that temperature allow the BBQ about 3-4 minutes for the grates to be red hot. This helps to burn off any residue but will also ensure you get a good sear/char on the pork collarbutt.

Cooking On Masterbuilt Gravity Series BBQ

I've owned my Masterbuilt BBQ/smoker for about 6 months now and I love it! I picked it up from Barbeques Galore and I haven't stopped using it since. Whether it's smoking some lamb shanks, grilling some steaks or making these delicious pork street tacos it works perfectly every time.

Unlike a traditional charcoal BBQ, the masterbuilt gravity series has a hopper on the side that you feed charcoal into. The charcoal lights up the same and burns the same but the beauty of it is you can regulate the temperature via the built-in fan. So, much like your oven, you can have precision cooking but with the added joy of that charcoal flavour.

The BBQ itself lights really fast, holds temperature perfectly due the fan and burns for up to 12-15 hours so cooking/smoking anything isn't a problem!

Al Pastor Taco Wine Pairing

This recipe has been created, cooked for and drunk with a delicious little number from Mount Rozier wines - their Myrtle Manor 2020 Pinotage! Pinotage, for those of you who don't know, is a cross between pinot noir and cinsault. Very popular in South Africa the wines are typically dry, medium-bodied, with low tannins and medium acidity.

They work well with grilled meats and sweet/spicy sauces too. The pork street tacos dish that I created offer exactly that. Notes of chipotle coming through from the marinade, charred flavours from cooking the pork collarbutt hot and fast and sweet/spicy flavours from the accompanying jalapenos and pineapple. My personal advice is to go easy on the fresh jalapeno as it can overpower if too many are added.

Pick this bottle up from Good Pair Days very soon when the new vintage is in stock and enjoy drinking it now and over the next few years as it improves in the bottle!

Alternative Taco Recipes

Inspired by my pork street tacos and want more tacos in your life? Wouldn't blame you! Check out these other recipes on my site and on fellow foodies sites too.

Octopus Tacos by Yours Truly

Papaya Chicken Tacos w/ Papaya Salsa by Kylie Archer of 'Kidgredients'

Calamari Corn Tacos by Yours Truly

Spiced Bell Pepper & Chickpea Tacos by Donna Mansour of 'Whole Food Bellies'

Roasted Cauliflower Tacos by Yours Truly

Prawn Tacos w/ Coleslaw by Rachithri Fernandopulle of 'Food Voyageur'

Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends