Mexican Pineapple Pork Sandwich

4.75 from 8 votes

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This pork sandwich has black beans, chiles and pineapple piled on ciabatta rolls. Make this Mexican sandwich recipe soon; it’s great game day food!

mexican sandwich with pulled meat, crema, cilantro and chopped pineapple


Slow simmered chile pineapple pork makes of those messy-but-worth-it sandwiches, and it packs some big flavor! Great for weekend game day eats, family potlucks, lunch, or a light dinner.

Pineapple is a favorite fruit around this house. From tacos al pastor to smoothies, and salsa to grilled pineapple salmon, its sweet and tangy flavor and texture are wonderful.

Pineapple Pork Sandwich

There is plenty of of pineapple flavor in this Mexican sandwich recipe! The meat is simmered in pineapple juice, plus fresh pineapple is added to each pork sandwich.

I love guajillo peppers and when added to soups like my red pozole pork, it creates another level of complexity to the dish as with this one.

chile pulled pork sandwich

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Pork shoulder– Either boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (also known as pork butt) can be used. You’ll want about 2 pounds of meat, so if you’re going to use bone-in meat, you’ll want to buy a 3-4 pound shoulder.
  • Guajillo chiles– The dark red guajillo chile has a subtle green tea flavor with berry overtones. It’s also a little smoky and mild spicy heat.
  • Fresh pineapple– If at all possible, use fresh fruit and not canned. Although canned pineapple is less expensive, the flavor and texture of fresh is so much better.
  • Mexican oregano– If you’re a regular here on Kevin is Cooking, this ingredient is one you’ve probably read about before. For Mexican and Latin recipes, I always use Mexican oregano rather than the Mediterranean oregano that’s sold on the spice rack in the grocery stores. It has a mild licorice flavor that pairs well with spicy ingredients. If you can’t find Mexican oregano, the Mediterranean blend works too.
  • Ciabatta rolls– You can serve the pulled pork on any type of bread you like. I think a toasted ciabatta roll has the perfect structure to keep the pork sandwich from falling apart. Keep in mind that there will be a lot of juicy pineapple pulled pork inside the bun.
  • .

Don’t own a food processor?

To make the chile sauce, you’ll need to puree the ingredients. If you don’t have a food processor, a regular blender or immersion stick blender will work just fine.

pineapple pork on ciabatta roll with glass of mexican beer

How to Make Pork Medallions

  1. Soak the guajillo chiles. Let the dried chiles soak in hot water for at least 30 minutes but no longer than an hour.
  2. Make the red chile sauce. Put the soaked chiles into the bowl of a food processor and purée them with garlic, habanero pepper and some of the pineapple juice.
  3. Season, sear, and cook the pork. Don’t be afraid to give the pork a good rub down! The salt will work its way into the meat and help to keep it nice and moist as it braises.
    As you season the meat, let your Dutch oven preheat. When it’s completely hot, THEN add the oil and let it heat up so it’s hot enough to create a nice sear on the outside of the pork butt. If you add the oil before the pot is hot, it’s likely to burn.
  4. Shred the pork, add the chile sauce, and continue cooking. After you add the sauce to the pot, let everything for another hour. The sweet, tangy flavor of a pineapple pulled pork sandwich is gonna knock your socks off!
  5. Assemble the pork sandwiches. All you need to do is open the ciabatta rolls and lay them out on a baking sheet. Toast them under the oven broiler for a minute or two, or if you have a toaster oven, use that instead if you’d like.
braising seared pork butt in large pot

Video: Making Pineapple Pork

This is one easy recipe, because aside from searing the meat, the cooking is pretty much hands off! To see the process from start to finish, watch the video located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

pineapple pulled pork in large dutch oven

What to Serve with a Mexican Pork Sandwich

The pineapple pulled pork pairs really with sides ike Mexican pickled carrots and arroz rojo (Mexican red rice). If it’s a game day party, you might want to put out a pitcher of horchata, and don’t forget the chips and fire roasted salsa!

pulled meat sandwich topped with pineapple chunks, cilantro and crema

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mexican sandwich with pulled meat, crema, cilantro and chopped pineapple

Mexican Pineapple Pork Sandwich

4.75 from 8 votes
This pork sandwich has black beans, chiles and pineapple piled high on ciabatta rolls. The Mexican sandwich recipe makes great game day food!
Servings: 8 servings
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 4 hours
Total: 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 2 lb boneless pork shoulder or 3-4 pound bone-in
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 6 cups pineapple juice divided
  • 7 dried guajillo chiles soaked
  • 10 cloves garlic
  • 1 habanero pepper stem removed
  • 8 ciabatta rolls
  • 30 oz canned black beans drained and mashed
  • 3 cups diced pineapple
  • 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions 

  • Heat olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Rub salt all over pork shoulder and add to pot. Sear pork on all sides, then remove from pot, discard all but 1 tablespoon of oil from pot and return pork to pot, fat side up.
  • Add 4 cups of pineapple juice, sprinkle the oregano and cumin over pork fat cap, and simmer covered on low heat for 2 hours. Use 1 cup pineapple juice to baste pork occasionally as it continues to cook 1 more hour, covered.
  • Remove stems from dried guajillos and shake out excess seeds. Pour hot water over them to cover and allow to soak at least 30 minutes and up to an hour. Remove chiles from water and purée in food processor with garlic, habanero pepper and 1 cup pineapple juice. Set aside.
  • Remove bone (if any) and use two forks to pull/shred meat in pot. Add red chile sauce and simmer for 1 more hour, uncovered.
  • Toast ciabatta rolls and spread inside of each with 1/4 cup mashed black beans. Top with shredded pork, pineapple, a drizzle of Mexican Crema and chopped cilantro.

Video

Notes

Nutritional information includes ciabatta rolls.

Nutrition

Calories: 554kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 1686mg | Potassium: 1148mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 1020IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 4mg

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Course: Lighter Meals
Cuisine: Mexican
Have You Made This Recipe? Let Me Know on InstagramTag @keviniscooking or tag me #keviniscooking!
titled image: mexican pineapple pork sandwich with black beans

Kevin

Whether in the kitchen or on the grill, you’ll find me cooking American favorites with a love for BBQ, Mexican and Tex Mex. I’m passionate about making tasty food because life’s too short to be bland!

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44 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    We made this last night for ourselves & my folks – definitely a keeper!! It was delicious!! We used bolillo rolls which held up pretty well, extra napkins required – LOL!! We will make this again!!

  2. 5 stars
    This recipe is excellent and perfect for the crowd or dinner. I could not obtain a pork shoulder as I live in Panama and that cut is not available here so I used fresh ham. We really enjoyed it but do use the pork shoulder it is much more tender. Used the Instapot and it worked great.