Mexican Pineapple Pork Sandwich
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
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!
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.
- 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.
- Soak the guajillo chiles. Let the dried chiles soak in hot water for at least 30 minutes but no longer than an hour.
- 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.
- 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. - 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!
- 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.
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.
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!
Share this recipe on Pinterest!
Love this recipe? Share it with the world on Pinterest.
Subscribe to my Newsletter, follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube for all my latest recipes and videos.
Mexican Pineapple Pork Sandwich
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
Nutrition
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.
YUM I just want to grab one of those sandwiches straight out of the screen! The pulled pork looks divine – I can imagine that the pineapple juice would just make it super sticky, sweet and tangy. Perfect with extra fresh pineapple and cilantro, love it!
Thanks Claudia for the kind words and for visiting my food blog here. They are super delicious and you’re right, that pineapple makes it as does the cilantro. Have a great day!
Hold on, I have to wipe away my drool and pick my jaw up off the floor. Oh my goodness, I want this sandwich in my belly. Now! Kevin, this looks soooooooo freggin’ delicious!!! Nom nom nom♡
Thanks Cheyanne! They were so good, and the leftover were made into enchiladas!
I don’t even need to read the recipe to tell how great it tastes! Your pictures make me mouth watering. Right now, just 10 minutes after lunch. Lately, I love to add fruits into my savory dish to add a sweet flavor. They always worked out well. I’d like to try the idea of combining pineapple and pork!
Ha, that’s funny! I see photos and that happens to me too. Pineapple and pork is fantastic. I also like to introduce herbs to sweets, it works very well like my Blueberry, Strawberry, Goat Cheese and Basil Tart and this Lemon Rosemary Cake. Try it out, it’s very good!
It’s only breakfast as I read this and devour your photos with my eyes. I am sure this would make the perfect breakfast food! 😉 Pork and pineapple are a fave combo of mine, looks delish.
Thanks so much for the kind words Sara. I am loving your blog, beautiful photo and recipes. I’ll be visiting often!
I LOVE the flavors in this sandwich. Hooray for pineapple and pork! Gorgeous photos too, Kevin!
Thanks so much Marissa, especially the photo comment. 🙂
I can NOT wait to try this!! It looks so incredibly flavorful!
Thanks Kristen, they will not disappoint!
Love cooking pork in a crock pot. Looks and sounds SO GOOD!!!!
Thanks Patricia, easy can be so good!
I can’t even. Is this for real? Regardless it’s happening. I don’t know when but it must.
Happy weekend!
Thanks Chrissy, it’s comments like that that keep me going! Have a great weekend. Oh, and it’s for real… I ate two in one sitting! 🙂
I’m loving everything about this recipe, Kevin. Great layers of flavor! Great photos as well!
Thanks so much Bill. Have a great weekend!
Dude! All I can think about when I look at this sandwich is where are the leftovers? I KNOW there are leftovers! And it would be a very Waolfpack thing to do to send one of these sandwiches out to all the Wolfpack brethren. You know, just to be nice and stuff. Seriously, though, my mouth is watching for this savory sandwich…and it’s only 8:45am here. Well done, my friend! #WolfpackSandwichShoppe
Thanks David. These were pretty damn good if I say so myself. I’ve made it three times now just to be sure! The crowd we had for lunch on the second batch ate it all up. This last time, with the leftovers I made enchiladas and froze them. Send me your address, I’d be happy to send the East Coast Brethren some. 🙂