SPICY PORK KEBABS
There are few meals more primally satisfying than charred meat on a stick. Whether turned on a spit or threaded onto a skewer, the meat browns at the edges and sucks up the smoke, emerging, at its best, crisp, tender and very juicy, to be seasoned with salt and eaten with great relish.
Any kind of meat works, but one of the best and most versatile is brawny pork shoulder (also called pork butt for reasons having to do with archaic language, not anatomy).
It’s marbled with white veins of collagen and fat, and, if you cook it low and slow for many hours, it will turn spoonably soft, collapsing into a pile when you touch it. (Think pulled pork, drenched in sticky, spicy sauce
Rice is deeply ingrained in my psyche, and I cannot imagine a life without it. Maybe it is because I consider rice, especially with yogurt, the ultimate comfort food, and shamelessly have it any time of day every day. Or maybe it’s because making rice
Whole spices, green chile and garlic infuse the pork for these spicy kebabs, but the marinade can also work on
just about anything. was one of my first kitchen chores.
My mom would give me a steel bowl with grains that I had to rinse repeatedly until the water finally changed from cloudy white to clear. Next I would stick the four fingers (not the thumb) of my right hand into the rice and fill the bowl with water until it reached the joint closest to the palm on my index finger. The bowl then was ready to be placed in the pressure cooker. It was always the same bowl with the same amount of rice.
So when the low-carb cops and Ketonians begin their sanctimonious talk about rice’s empty calories, I subconsciously give an eye roll, thinking how it is a staple in many parts of the world. There are
and scooped onto a fluffy roll.)
If you cook it fast and hot, just until the outside singes but the inside stays just a little pink, you’ll get firmer meat that’s just as succulent, if slightly chewier. And this is how it goes with these pork kebabs, seasoned with cumin, fennel, coriander and plenty of garlic and chile.
These kebabs are easy to make and fast enough for a weeknight. You can marinate the pork for as little as 30 minutes, which is just enough time to light the grill and toss together a salad. Or, if you’re planning ahead, the pork can marinate for up to 24 hours.
Best yet, everything for the marinade is thrown in the blender, meaning you don’t have to chop. Nor do the spices need toasting or grinding. The grill takes care of the toasting, and the blender bruises them enough to release their flavor without eliminating their crunchy texture.
If pork isn’t on your menu, the marinade works with any chunks of meat (chicken thighs, beef, lamb). You can even try it on dense fish like swordfish or salmon. Just watch carefully so nothing dries out. High, direct heat is your friend here.
And if you’re grill-less, you can broil the meat, in which case you don’t even need to thread the pieces on skewers. Lay the meat out on a rimmed baking sheet, and flip it halfway through cooking.
However you end up cooking this recipe, just be sure to garnish with slices of onion and herbs. Their bright freshness is a fine way to highlight the smoky depths of the char.