Tacos al Pastor...with Leftover Pork Tenderloin

I feel a little guilty posting this as Tacos al Pastor because the changes I made should mean I change the recipe name.  However, there are parts of the recipe that are directly from this wonderful Mexican taco.  I found myself with a leftover pork tenderloin...Wayne grilled two, we ate one.  I had planned to reheat it and serve as is, then  I thought "What Mexican dishes are out there that use pork?".  Google Time!  I found Tacos al Pastor...a delicious sounding taco that combines spicy marinated pork with pineapple, onion and cilantro.  It really sounded great but some of the ingredients to the authentic recipe
 http://eauthenticmexicanrecipes.com/taco-recipes/mexican-pork-recipes-how-to-make-homemade-authentic-tacos-al-pastor
 were not available at my grocery store.  So I took the idea and made one major change and it was with the pork. I used leftover pork tenderloin that had been cooked just to the point of done and had not been sliced, it was still tender and juicy.    In the original recipe the pork is marinated and then grilled...I sliced the pork, marinated it, then cooked the slices quickly on my stove top grill.   I want to try the real thing sometime, but, this was really good and a fun dish to serve (even if if was just for the two of us)!


The Salsa

1 lb. tomatillos

1 poblano pepper

2  jalapeño peppers (yep...I added some heat!)

2 garlic cloves

½ cup cilantro

2 tbs. lime juice

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place peppers, tomatillos, onion and garlic on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes. Put baked vegetables in food processor with cumin, salt, cilantro and lime juice.  Pulse until well combined.  




The Pork
1 leftover pork tenderloin (must be cooked just still done, slightly pink center), sliced thin
1 cup Tomatillo Salsa 
Juice from 1 orange (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp cinnamon


Combine Salsa, orange juice, vinegar and cinnamon and pour over tenderloin slices and marinade for 1 hour.  Remove the pork from the marinade and grill for 4 minutes on each side.


The Pineapple/Onion Topping
1/2 pineapple (normal size)
1 white onion (large), minced
20 branches of cilantro, chopped
Juice of 2 limes (or more to taste)
salt to taste


Slice the pineapple into 1/2 inch slices...no need to peel and place on stove top or outdoor grill and cook until slices are soft throughout and a bit charred.  Peel the pineapple rings and chop them into small pieces.  Combine the onions, minced onion, chopped cilantro in a bowl.  Squeeze the lime over this and salt to taste.  Combine all.


When all these parts are ready you will build your tacos.  Heat corn tortillas, place pork on tortilla, next add the pineapple/onion topping and then the salsa.


I served these with sliced oranges and avocado.