Tacos al pastor is a dish from Mexico with Levantine roots stemming from the 19th century when Lebanese immigrants arrived, bringing their tradition of vertical spits for roasting lamb shawarma. Not finding much lamb, cooks switched to pork, and instead of sandwiching the meat in flatbread, they used tortillas. Subsequent generations added pineapple and dried chilies.

In this recipe from our cookbook " Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year," we combine tender pork tenderloin, spicy chilies and smoky-sweet charred pineapple for a weeknight-friendly take on tacos al pastor.