Guajillo and Pineapple Pulled pork

Pineapple Guajillo Chile Pulled Pork is a mouthwatering taste of Mexico. Full of fragrant guajillo chilis and pineapple, this recipe brings up images of sitting at an outdoor Mexican café on a tropical beach sipping margaritas and eating this incredibly juicy and savory pulled pork. Last week for the first time, in almost a year and a half, I got to work as a stagehand. The local stagehand union here in northern Colorado needed extra hands to staff the main stage at The Adams County Fair. Adams County is located northeast of Denver. The county fair had a distinctly Latino flair. All the bands played Hispanic, Mariachi, or Modern Latinx music, most of which I had never heard. Even the rodeo, which was right in front of the stage, was announced in Spanish. It was absolutely fantastic to be surrounded by part of American culture that many of us don’t even know exists here in Colorado or elsewhere. The Latino culture has been part of America before Colorado was even a territory. As part of the stagehand job for the fair, they catered our lunch. These beautiful Latino women and men were all lined up, all decked out in nice rodeo clothes, ready to serve us. What they served us smelled so mouthwatering I could barely control my hunger.

There were huge trays of this incredible roasted pork slathered in a thick red spicy chili coating in the catering tent. The pork was served in rough chunks, almost shredded, along with the traditional rice, beans, and a quick pickled salad of onions, cucumbers, cilantro in lime juice. It was served with the most incredibly soft, fluffy freshly made corn tortillas. This meal literally brought tears to my eyes. The pork had just the right amount of spice with a hint of sweetness, and the onion salad brought an amazing freshness that pulled everything together. Put that together with amazing tortillas, and I was in heaven. I, of course, had to see if I could find a recipe for it and then do my own spin. I came up with a Guajillo and Pineapple Pulled Pork recipe that ended up being pretty darn perfect, a little more saucy but amazing.

Guajillo chilis are a medium heat dried chili with an absolutely delicious fruity flavor and deep red color that is a basis for many Mexican dishes. I absolutely adore this dried chili and am always looking for new recipes for using them. This is right up there at the top for a flavorful and fantastic way to use these dried chilis. The pineapple adds sweetness to balance out the spice and compliments the fruitiness of these Guajillo chilis. And the onions add an added layer of depth to this dish. If you are lucky enough to have a local source of fresh tortillas or want to make your own, this dish is worthy of showcasing them in all their soft fluffy glory.

This Guajillo and Pineapple Pulled Pork is a fantastic dish to let simmer along as you do other things in the house. There is very little actual work to do to have an incredible Mexican feast for dinner.  Dried chilis are found in most Latin grocery stores or can be found here on Amazon for the Guajillo chilis and here for the Ancho. (I get a small commission if you use any link on this page at no cost to you. Please consider helping fund this blog.) This might work in an Instant pot except for the way you really want the chilis and juice to evaporate and the Instant Pot doesn’t let you do that. If you are in need of a dutch oven this one from Lodge is my favorite one I have used for years.

Try to think of others and stay safe. Times are still worrisome. But there is still a big bright light at the end of this crazy tunnel we all are traveling through. We can do this together. So please think of the bigger picture, and someday we will all be able to hold hands, hug, and have grand gatherings of friends and family again. Well, that is all for this week, until the next one!

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Guajillo and Pineapple Pulled pork

Pineapple Guajillo Chile Pulled Pork is a mouthwatering taste of Mexico. This recipe is full of fragrant guajillo chilis and pineapple coating tender pork.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ -3 lbs Bone-in pork shoulder
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp Mexican dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 large red onion cut in half and sliced thin
• 6 cups pineapple juice separated
• 7 dried guajillo chiles soaked
• 2 dried ancho chilis
• 10 garlic cloves

For serving

• Corn tortillas fresh if you can find them
• Quick pickled onions cucumbers, and cilantro for serving
• Grilled pineapple optional
• Lime wedges

Instructions

1. Rub salt all over the pork shoulder and in a 5-6 quart Dutch oven, brown on all sides in olive oil. Remove pork, discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pot and return pork to pot, fat side up.
2. Add 4 cups of pineapple juice, the red onion slices, and sprinkle the oregano and cumin over the pork.
3. Simmer on low for 2 hours, covered.
4. While the pork is cooking, remove stems from dried guajillo and ancho chilis and shake out excess seeds. Pour hot water over them to cover and allow to soak for 30 minutes to an hour. Remove chiles from water and purée with garlic and 1 cup pineapple juice in a food processor or blender. Set aside.
5. Add the remaining pineapple juice to the simmering pork to keep moist as it continues to cook, 1 more hour, covered.
6. Remove the pork and shred, leaving it in nice chunks but small enough for serving. Remove any visible fat pieces and any bones.
7. Return the shredded pork to the pot with the cooked onions and stir in the dried chili sauce.
8. Let the pork simmer for an additional 1 ½ hours uncovered to thicken the sauce to make this amazing pulled pork.
9. Serve with warm tortillas, pickled onions, cucumbers, cilantro, and grilled pineapple and lime wedges for squeezing.
10. Add some Spanish rice and beans, and you have a feast.

Recipe Notes

To quick pickle the onions, cucumbers, and cilantro, slice some onions, cucumbers and chop some cilantro. Generously add some fresh lime juice and a sprinkle of salt. Toss and let sit for a few minutes.