Pork chops al pastor with marinade sauce and pineapple salsa

Put four double-cut bone-in pork chops in a zip-top bag set in a bowl.

Blend a can of pineapple chunks with their juice, two tablespoons ground guajillo, one tablespoon ground New Mexico chili, ground chipotle, cinnamon, one teaspoon kosher salt per pound of meat, a little white vinegar, a few garlic cloves and sliced green onions until smooth.

Pour over the chops, massage until evenly coated, squeeze out the air, seal and marinate in the fridge 24 to 48 hours (overnight or a few hours also works).

Sear the chops in a little olive oil over medium-high heat a few minutes per side until coloured; keep the excess marinade.

Remove the chops; cook sliced onions with a big pinch of salt, ground cumin and Mexican oregano, stirring, about a minute, adding olive oil if dry.

Turn off the heat, add a splash of water or chicken broth and scrape to deglaze; set the chops on top with their accumulated juices.

Roast in the center of a 325F oven 20 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally with a brush or spoon, to an internal temperature of 140F to 145F.

Bring the excess marinade and a splash of water or broth to a simmer over medium-high in a saucepan, whisk, cook about a minute, taste and adjust; keep warm.

For the salsa, mix finely diced onions rinsed in cold water with about an equal amount of chopped pineapple, sliced fresh oregano, a big pinch of salt and fresh lime juice.

Sauce the chops, top with pineapple salsa, sprinkle with cayenne, add oregano sprigs and serve with the cumin-oregano onions.

variation: for a restaurant plating, cut the loin off the bone, slice it thinly across, and fan it on a sauced hot plate beside the bone, finished with salsa, cayenne and an herb sprig.