Grilled Adobado Pork Steaks with Pineapple
By OcadoLife
Published on 01 July 2026
These flavour-packed Grilled Adobado Pork Steaks with Pineapple are the brainchild of Mexican chef and author Karla Zazueta. “Fans of the famous Mexican dish al pastor will enjoy this super-easy version, which has a similar marinade but is known as adobada in the north of Mexico, where I’m from. While al pastor is traditionally cooked on a trompo (similar to a vertical spit), the beauty of this recipe is that it works perfectly on a barbecue or under a grill. Serve it on corn tortillas with coriander, onion and salsa, or simply eat it with a knife and fork. The caramelised pineapple is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.” Allow 1 hour extra time for marinating. Try alongside Karla’s Mexican Tomato Rice – search for the recipe online.Time and servings
25 minsTotal time
8Servings
10 minsPrep time
15 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- ½ pineapple, cut into 1 cm-thick long slices, plus 100g for the marinade
- 100ml pineapple juice
- 50g achiote paste
- 2 tbsp ground guajillo chilli powder
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1kg pork shoulder, cut into steaks, fat trimmed
- ¼ tsp caster sugar
- 1 small handful coriander sprigs
- ½ onion, finely sliced
- 8 corn tortillas (optional)
- 4 tbsp (approx.) spicy red salsa (optional)
Method
Step 1
For the marinade, put the 100g pineapple into a blender with the juice, achiote paste, chilli powder, vinegar, cumin, garlic, oregano and salt; blitz until smooth.Step 2
Place the pork steaks in a large dish, pour over the marinade, then cover and chill for 1 hr. Bring to room temperature before cooking.Step 3
Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the pineapple slices with the sugar and cook until charred and caramelised on both sides. Remove to a plate; set aside.Step 4
Preheat the grill to high (or fire up the barbecue). Place the pork on the rack; grill for 10 mins, turn and grill for 5 mins more until cooked through with crispy edges. Rest briefly.Step 5
Cut the pork into smaller pieces and arrange on a platter with the caramelised pineapple. Top with the coriander sprigs and sliced onion. Enjoy with rice or serve on corn tortillas with salsa, if you like.