Ground Pork Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

A simple dinner with crispy browned ground pork and a tangy pineapple salsa, these Ground Pork Tacos are a quick and delicious way to get dinner on the table. Whip up this recipe in about 20 minutes and enjoy a dinner with so much flavor!

This post is sponsored by the Ohio Pork Council, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting pork farmers!

I feel very privileged to partner up with the Ohio Pork Council once again this year. After meeting the families and farmers that work hard to provide for their families, take care of the pigs and bring the best pork to our local groceries, adding more pork to our meals has been all the tastier!

While many are more likely to eat pork tenderloin, pork chops, or bacon, I am here today with these Ground Pork Tacos to give you a reason to RUN and grab some ground pork at your next grocery visit!

Did you know? More than 3500 family farms in Ohio raise enough pork to feed about 25 million people. When you buy pork at the grocery store or the farmers market, you are supporting Ohio farm families that produce that pork.

Why you will love these Ground Pork Tacos:

• They are so simple to make! Skip the taco seasoning and grab some lime juice, broth and a few spices and seasonings. You will be so happy you did. You can make the pineapple salsa all the easier with drained pineapple tidbits or pre-cut from the grocery.
• Browned ground pork means LOTS of flavor. When you brown ground pork, you can really make the meat brown and crispy if desired--that is where the flavor is. I like taking the extra minute or two in order to get that extra texture and flavor.
• Pairing these ground pork tacos with pineapple salsa brings out the flavors. The sweet tanginess of the salsa will add all the WOW to these amazing tacos. I love pairing fruity flavors with pork especially things like orange juice and lime juice as in these Instant Pot Carnitas.
• Great for meal prepping. You can prep the meat and the pineapple salsa and then eat off of both for the week. Add them to taco salads, tortillas, quesadillas and more.

Ingredients:

For the tacos:

• ground pork: Not to be confused with pork sausage. Ground pork typically comes from the pork shoulder, also known as the pork butt. In general, at the grocery, it is about 15% fat. If you can find it at your local butcher, you can get it leaner.
• broth: I use chicken or beef broth, whichever I have easily on hand. You could use water or even a bit of orange juice instead, but I like the flavor from the broth.
• lime juice: Just a touch adds the perfect citrus flavor. Opt for freshly squeezed if possible.
• spices: I use chili powder, cumin, oregano and garlic powder. For a spicier ground pork taco, add in crushed red pepper if desired.

For the Pineapple Salsa:

• pineapple: fresh is preferred, but to save time, you can use canned pineapple tidbits or pre-cut from the grocery.
• red onion: a white onion is fine as well, the red gives more color and a different flavor.
• jalapeño: for more spice, keep the seeds when chopping and adding in. For less, remove the seeds. You can also use half of the jalapeño instead.
• lime juice: again, freshly squeezed is ideal
• cilantro: freshly chopped, and plenty of extra for over top of your tacos

How to make the best ground pork tacos:

Prepare the pineapple salsa: Chop all of the ingredients and combine in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt to taste as desired. Chill until ready to assemble tacos.

Prepare the ground pork taco meat: Brown the ground pork. Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat in a non-stick skillet. Add the ground pork and break it down into smaller pieces and chunks. Allow it to sit and cook for about 5 minutes to start to brown and then stir to flip and break into smaller pieces as desired. Continue to cook until cooked through. Ground pork should be cooked to 160°F.

Turn the heat to low. Add in the broth, lime juice, spices, salt and pepper and stir to fully coat.

Allow the mixture to simmer for about 2-3 minutes or until the liquid reduces and the mixture thickens.

Assemble the tacos: Warm or char tortillas over a gas flame. Add the taco meat to warmed tortillas and top with pineapple salsa. Add cotija cheese over top and a fresh squeeze of lime if desired.

Recipe Tips and Notes:

• For the best ground pork tacos, make sure the meat is allowed to brown and crisp up. Allowing the meat to sit for a bit of time to start will help this. Once the meat is cooked, you can let it sit just a bit longer as well to allow it to crisp up.
• Not sure how to cut a pineapple? Don't be intimidated. It actually is simple. Check out this video tutorial.
• Corn tortillas or flour tortillas are both great for these tacos. If you need a gluten free option, then the corn tortillas are a great choice.
• To store leftover taco meat, refrigerate in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for about 4-5 days. When reheating, add an extra splash of lime juice or water to add back in any moisture that was lost.

What to serve with this recipe:

When it comes to these ground pork tacos, I often want just the tacos because I LOVE them so much--don't want to let anything else take away from my big taco appetite. However, there are some great options for serving them:

• Chips and dip--grab some tortilla chips and whip up some simple guacamole or perhaps some roasted tomato salsa.
• Cornbread casserole is another great option to pair with tacos. Bread you eat with a spoon!
• A nice salad is always great as well with tacos. This Cauliflower Rice Salad is a fave of ours, and you could also toss together this taco salad but skip the shrimp and instead add the ground pork.
• Corn on the cob--grilled corn or air fryer corn--both are great options as well.

Other Pork Recipes:

Find even more pork recipes at Ohio Pork!

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