Thursday, March 24, 2011

Chipotle-Grilled Pork Tacos


While looking through my recent posts, as well as my backlog of recipes waiting to be posted, I realized that we have been eating a LOT of Mexican and Mexican-inspired food lately!  I guess it's the warm weather - it makes me crave those bold flavors! 

These tacos are full of just that - pork tenderloin is slathered in a sweet-spicy wet rub, then grilled.  They are then topped with a crunchy and spicy pineapple slaw, and rolled up into a warm corn tortilla.  When I tasted the slaw on its own, I thought it was a bit too spicy for my taste.  However, in combination with the pork and tortilla, all the flavors are nicely balanced.

I was a bit hesitant to make this recipe, as it contains mayonnaise, which I really don't like.  I was tempted to use Greek yogurt instead, but I wasn't sure how it would hold up to the high heat of the grill.  The mayo ended up being great though; I think more than anything it just provides a base for the other flavors.  The pork tenderloins are halved lengthwise, so they cook quite quickly, and since you have more surface area, you're left with more of that delicious crispy outside.  I really really loved this pork.  So much that I kept sneaking bites as I sliced it. 

I served these tacos with the strawberry, mango, and avocado salad, plus chips and leftover roasted tomatillo salsa.  This was the first dinner of the year that we enjoyed on our deck, and I can't wait to enjoy many more this spring and summer.


Chipotle-Grilled Pork Tacos
adapted from The Best Simple Recipes
serves 4
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 (8-oz) can pineapple chunks in juice, drained and chopped fine, 1/4 cup juice reserved
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 Tbs minced chipotles in adobo + 2 tsp adobo sauce
  • 1 (8-oz) bag broccoli slaw mix
  • 4 scallions, sliced thin
  • juice of 1/2 lime, plus wedges for serving
  • 2 pork tenderloins, trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise
  • kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 12 corn tortillas
Prepare grill over medium-high heat.  Oil grates.

Whisk mayonnaise, pineapple juice, cilantro, garlic, and chipotle + adobo sauce in a large bowl.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the mixture, then add the pineapple chunks, lime juice, scallions, coleslaw mix, and 1/2 tsp salt to the bowl.  Toss to combine.

Pat the pork dry and season with salt and pepper.  Rub the remaining mayonnaise mixture over the tenderloins, and grill until browned all over and meat registers 145 degrees, about 6 minutes, turning once.  Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes.

Grill tortillas until lightly charred and warmed through, about 15-30 seconds per side. 

Slice pork thinly on the bias, arrange on tortillas, and top with pineapple slaw.  Serve with lime wedges.


6 comments:

Unknown said...

I want to bookmark just about everything you post Josie! These tacos sound amazing.

Laurel {Make and Takes} said...

Mmm, this looks like a super yummy recipe! I'd love for you to submit this to the M&T Spotlight at http://www.makeandtakes.com/spotlight

Katie said...

I'm so ready for grilling to begin! Woohoo!

Lucy@The Sweet Touch said...

Ohhh, these look great, bookmarking for Cinco de Mayo! Would be yummy with the avocado salad you posted earlier in the week!

Kelly said...

This is just what I'm looking for. The weather is going to be warmer this week and I'm ready to grill. What size pork tenderloins do you use?

Josie said...

Our Humble Nest,
I have never seen pork tenderloins in different sizes... I just buy a pack of them - 2 come in a package. They are maybe around a pound each?

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