Spicy pork kebabs: A go-to for as long as summer lasts
When you need a dinner off the grill in a hurry, “high, direct heat is your friend,” said Melissa Clark in The New York Times. Pork shoulder, the cut you use to make slow-cooked pulled pork, can also be cut into chunks, quick-marinated, and threaded on a skewer. In minutes, the meat “browns at the edges and sucks up the smoke, emerging, at its best, crisp, tender, and very juicy.”
The marinade is key and only requires that you throw all the ingredients in a blender. The pork can marinate 24 hours or as little as 30 minutes—“which is just enough time to light the grill and toss together a salad.” Better yet, the marinade will “work with just about anything,” including beef, chicken thighs, lamb, and dense fish such as salmon or swordfish.
You can also broil the meat on a rimmed baking sheet, flipping it once. 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.” lime into a blender or food processor and add cilantro, fish sauce, garlic, jalapeño, and honey. Blend until the jalapeño and garlic are pureed, then add fennel, cumin, and coriander seeds and pulse four or five times to bruise the spices and mix them in.
Pour mixture over pork, tossing to coat the pieces. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes while you heat grill, or up to 24 hours.
When ready to cook, heat grill or broiler with a rack positioned 4 inches from the heat source.
Thread pork onto skewers, leaving a little space between cubes. Grill over the highest heat possible, or broil on high, for 2 to 5 minutes, then flip skewers and continue cooking until meat is browned all over and charred in spots. It should be just cooked through: A little pink is OK, but there shouldn’t be any red spots.
Arrange pork on a platter or individual plates with cilantro sprigs and onion slices on top, and lime wedges on the side for squeezing. Serves 4.
Editor’s note: Red onions from a major supplier were recalled last week after being tied to a salmonella outbreak. Consult news reports for safety information.