Pork Al Pastor Panzerotto

I have made a lot of tacos in my career. Like. A LOT. That's why it only seemed fitting to try out one of my favourite taco flavours as a panzo. And let me tell you, this Pork Al Pastor Panzerotto was insanely good, dare I say even better than as a taco?? It's also pretty easy to make, I just marinated a pork shoulder steak in an Al pastor marinade and then cooked it off in the oven, finishing it off under the broiler to get a good char on it. My only hangup about making an al pastor panzerotto was that I am very against pineapple on pizza, like it should not be a thing, mainly because tomato sauce and pineapple do not go and pineapple is necessary for al pastor. So, as a workaround, instead of having a tomato sauce as part of the panzo component, I opted for a white queso dip cheese sauce and made a spicy pineapple salsa to tuck into the the pizza dough, and then also use as a garnish. Once the panzo was fried golden and crispy, I topped it off with a sprinkle of tajin and fresh lime. It was insanely good. If you want to know how to make this Pork Al Pastor Panzerotto keep reading, or jump to the full recipe!

Season your pork shoulder steak with salt and pepper on both side. Place in a sealable plastic bag with the Al pastor marinade, moving it around the bag to make sure it’s coated in the sauce. Let the pork marinate in the fridge for minimum one hour, but ideally overnight.

Finely chop the pineapple, cilantro and onion. Set 1 tbsp of the chopped cilantro aside for garnish.

Add the chopped pineapple, cilantro and onion to a bowl and squeeze in the juice from half a lime. Add the can of pickled chilis and mix together.

Preheat oven to 450F. Place the pork shoulder steak on an elevated rack on a baking tray and cook in the oven for eight minutes, flipping midway. Finish on broil, about one minute per side.

Once the pork is done, remove from the oven and allow to cool, then slice.

In a pan on low heat, add the butter and let it melt. Sprinkle in the flour and mix. Slowly pour in the milk and mix. Add the cheese and mix, slowly pour in more milk if needed to thin in out. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with tajin and mix. Let cool.

Sprinkle a bit of flour onto your work surface and then stretch out the dough into a circle, kneading it with your fingertips until it is about a half an inch thick. Spread some of the cheese sauce onto one side of the dough and add a small handful of cheese.

Add the slices of pork, the pineapple salsa and finish with a bit more shredded cheese.

Fold over the pizza dough and press the edges together with your fingers, crimp the edges to seal the panzo.

Add an inch of oil to a pan or heavy bottom pot, once hot, add the panzo. Allow to cook about 1-2 minutes, spooning the hot oil over the top. Flip and allow to cook another 2-3 minutes, while spooning the hot oil on top. Flip once more and let cook another minute, continuing to spoon the oil on top.

Once the panzo is golden and crispy, remove from the oil. Season with tajin while hot.

To plate, cut the panzo in half and top with a couple of spoonfuls of the pineapple salsa. Serve with a wedge of lime.

And now for the full recipe...

Pork Al Pastor Panzerotto

Makes 1 panzerotto

Prep Time: 8 hours

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 8 hours, 20 minutes

Ingredients

8oz pork shoulder steak

Salt

Black pepper

100 ml Al pastor marinade

3 rings of pineapple, ¼ cup chopped

3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro, divided

½ small onion

1 small can pickled chilis

½ juice from lime

2 tbsp butter

¼ cup milk

2 tbsp shredded mozzarella

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

Tajin  

~230g pizza dough

Oil for frying

How to Make a Pork Al Pastor Panzerotto

Season your pork shoulder steak with salt and pepper on both side. Place in a sealable plastic bag with the Al pastor marinade, moving it around the bag to make sure it’s coated in the sauce. Let the pork marinate in the fridge for minimum one hour, but ideally overnight.

Preheat oven to 450F.

Finely chop the pineapple, cilantro and onion. Set 1 tbsp of the chopped cilantro aside for garnish. Add the chopped pineapple, cilantro and onion to a bowl and squeeze in the juice from half a lime. Add the can of pickled chilis and mix together.

Place the pork shoulder steak on an elevated rack on a baking tray and cook in the oven for eight minutes, flipping midway. Finish on broil, about one minute per side. Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool, then slice.

In a pan on low heat, add the butter and let it melt. Sprinkle in the flour and mix. Slowly pour in the milk and mix. Add the cheese and mix, slowly pour in more milk if needed to thin in out. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with tajin and mix. Let cool.

Sprinkle a bit of flour onto your work surface and then stretch out the dough into a circle, kneading it with your fingertips until it is about a half an inch thick. Spread some of the cheese sauce onto one side of the dough, add a small handful of cheese, then the slices of pork, the pineapple salsa and finish with a bit more shredded cheese. Fold over the pizza dough and press the edges together with your fingers, crimp the edges to seal the panzo.

Add an inch of oil to a pan or heavy bottom pot, once hot, add the panzo. Allow to cook about 1-2 minutes, spooning the hot oil over the top. Flip and allow to cook another 2-3 minutes, while spooning the hot oil on top. Flip once more and let cook another minute, continuing to spoon the oil on top. Once golden and crispy, remove from the oil. Season with tajin while hot.

To plate, cut the panzo in half and top with a couple of spoonfuls of the pineapple salsa. Serve with a wedge of lime.

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