Pork & Pineapple tacos combine a punchy marinade with pork steaks for an easy weeknight meal. They’ve got a sweet and savory kick from a blend of pineapple and orange juice with zesty seasonings. Pile the pan fried nuggets into a tortilla with your favorite toppings for a porky steak taco dinner.
Why Pork Steak?
Pork steak is not the most tender of cuts. But slicing it into bite size pieces, using fruit juice in the marinade, and pan frying quickly help to ensure a pleasing texture. Pork steaks typically contain some bone and gristle so trim it carefully before slicing into small pieces. There’s also some marbling which provides richness.
Pork steak is great for quick thrifty tacos. It’s not always available in my local grocery stores. But it’s usually less expensive than pork chops or tenderloin so I’ll throw a pork steak in my cart when I spot it.
While I can’t get enough of braised and fried pork shoulder (aka carnitas), it’s impractical for my empty nest, better for feeding a crowd. Pork steaks have a similar mild sweetness, but are quicker, easier to manage, and better suited for a smaller household.
Flavor by Marinade
A marinade for a quick taco filling might seem a bit much. But it’s a great way to add flavor and promote browning. It’s more about flavoring than tenderizing, which means a brief marination is enough.
The timing for marinating is flexible. For this recipe, I typically marinate the pork for 2 to 3 hours. When I’m in a hurry, I aim for at least 30 minutes. Though I’ve also prepped the pork in the morning and let it marinate until dinner time with good results.
Pork & Pineapple Tacos are inspired by Tacos Al Pastor. Though I’ve tried, taqueria style Tacos Al Pastor are not easily replicated at home. I leave that to the experts. Instead, I make homestyle pork tacos using a fruity and well-seasoned marinade with a quick pan-fry method.
Assembly Required
Once you’ve got nicely browned nuggets of pork steak ready to go, add personality with your favorite taco fixings. Give Pork & Pineapple tacos the homestyle treatment with shredded cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Maybe a dollop of sour cream. Or go taqueria style with cilantro, onions, and green salsa. Sometimes, I might add sautéed diced green peppers or canned chiles.
The beauty of taco night leftovers is the opportunity to change things up the next day. The pork filling makes for a tasty quesadilla or rice bowl. Next day nachos anyone?
More Please?
In lieu of meal planning, I use a routine based strategy that revolves around flexible and repeatable recipes. Tacos, in all their glorious variations, are one of my standby meals. Given the rising prices for beef, skirt steak tacos are a luxury. And due to its size, braised pork shoulder is a commitment. But the affordable pork steak satisfies my craving for easy and meaty homestyle tacos.
Pork & Pineapple Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 pounds thin-cut pork steaks, trimmed and sliced into ¼ inch strips
Marinade
- ¼ cup orange juice (from 1 navel orange)
- 4 oz fruit bowl of pineapple tidbits with juice (1/2 cup, see notes)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon Mexican adobo seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon seasoned salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- pinch cayenne pepper
Pan Frying
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided for pan frying
Serving
- 8 soft corn or flour tortillas
- toppings as desired
Instructions
- Cut pork steaks into ¼ – ½ inch strips, trimming away bone and gristle. Then cut strips into smaller bite size pieces. Transfer sliced pork to a non reactive container.
- Add all the marinade ingredients to the container with the pork. Stir well or massage to evenly distribute marinade ingredients and coat the pork.
- Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
- Cook pork in two batches. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add half the pork to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until pork is cooked through and well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove first batch of cooked pork from the pan and transfer to a clean bowl. Add another teaspoon of olive oil to the pan and cook the second batch of pork.
- Discard any remaining marinade.
- Serve the pan fried pork with your preferred tortillas and toppings.
Notes
- Prep time for recipe reflects a 30 minute marination time.
- The recipe calls for a 4-ounce fruit bowl of pineapple tidbits, which measures 1/2 cup of combined fruit and juice. I use one of the 4-ounce single serving fruit bowl snack containers. But canned pineapple tidbits also come in larger sizes, in which case use 1/2 cup of pineapple tidbit pieces with juice.
- Please note the recipe calls for canned (or packaged as in the snack fruit bowl) pineapple tidbits. Fresh pineapple contains a compound which has a meat tenderizing effect. The compound is largely inactivated in cooked or canned pineapple. I have not made this recipe using fresh pineapple, but I would suggest a short marination time of approximately 10 minutes. (For a deep dive into the science of marination, check out this Serious Eats article.)
- The Mexican style adobo seasoning that I use contains a blend of garlic, onion, black pepper, cumin, lemon zest, orange zest, sea salt and Mexican oregano. Substitute your preferred taco seasoning blend or maybe a pinch of ground cumin.
- Use more or less cayenne pepper as you like to adjust the heat level.
- I serve pork and pineapple tacos with green salsa. My go to toppings include diced onions and cilantro. Shredded white cheddar on top is great when you want cheese.
- Serve with your preferred type of tortilla. I like to use a local brand of tortillas and choose corn or flour based on which one seems fresher at the time.
- For reference, here is information on marinade safety.
