I'm grilling under a clear, blue sky, with a wispy cloud that looks like a paintbrush dragged across the sky. Most of the trees are bare; one slowpoke is covered with blazing red leaves.
It is warm in the sun. Here on the deck, in the shadow of my house, I'm glad I'm wearing a sweatshirt. The wind has a brisk edge. I take a deep breath, enjoying the feel of the cold down in my lungs, the smell of smoke from the grill.
Why do people stop grilling after memorial labor day? I know I'm a fanatic. I will grill when ice and snow cover my deck. But today? Today is fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit, and the sun is shining. It's a perfect, crisp fall day, and I can't fathom why someone would not fire up the grill.
Pork Souvlaki is ideal for fall grilling. Pork shoulder, my favorite, is cut into cubes and marinated in a classic Greek combination of lemon, onion, garlic and and spices. Skewer it and cook it long. Pork shoulder is almost impossible to overcook; cook it long enough, and the results are tender and shreddable on the inside, with a crispy, bacony crust.
I have two tricks in this recipe. The first is to brinerate instead of marinate - there is a lot of salt in the marinade, to give it a brining effect and pull flavor inside of the meat. (Normal marinades only affect the outside of the meat; a brinerade helps season the meat all the way through.) Second, I cook over medium heat, stretching out the cooking time, so the pork shoulder can cook to well done before the outside is burnt. If pork shoulder is cooked quickly, there is a good crust, but the inside is tough. Longer, slower cooking breaks down all the interior fat and connective tissue, making the pork shoulder moist and juicy.
📖 Recipe Card
Grilled Pork Souvlaki
- Total Time: 2 hours 36 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
Cubes of pork shoulder marinated in lemon, onion, garlic, oregano and olive oil, then skewered and grilled until browned - serve with pita and tzatziki.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch cubes
Marinade
- Juice and zest of ½ lemon
- 1 onion, grated or minced
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
For Serving
- Lemon wedges
- Pita bread
- Tzatziki sauce
Instructions
- Marinate the pork: Combine the marinade ingredients in a gallon zip-top bag. Add the pork, and massage until evenly coated. Squeeze out the air, seal, and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours (no longer).
- Prepare the grill: Preheat the grill on high for 15 minutes. Brush the grate clean, and turn the heat down to medium.
- Skewer the pork: While the grill heats, take the pork out of the marinade, wiping off as much as you can. Thread the pork onto skewers.
- Grill: Grill the skewers over direct medium heat for 4 minutes, until browned. Give them a quarter turn, and grill 4 minutes more. Repeat until all four sides are well browned, about 16 minutes total.
- Rest and serve: Let the skewers rest on a platter for 10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, pita and tzatziki.
Notes
Equipment: A grill (I use a Weber Summit) and skewers. Soak bamboo skewers for an hour first.
Don't marinate for more than 4 hours. The lemon juice starts to cook the outside of the pork, and the salt makes it too salty. For an overnight marinade, skip the lemon juice, and cut the salt to 1 tablespoon.
For more kebabs, try my Grilled Beef Kebabs or Zucchini and Summer Squash Kebabs.
Adapted from Peter Minakis's Souvlaki at Kalofagas.ca.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Marinate: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts:
Grilled Beef Kebabs with Tomato, Onion and Thyme Marinade
Zucchini and Summer Squash Kebabs
Adapted from:
Peter Minakis - Souvlaki [kalofagas.ca]
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Nicky says
I can’t believe I’m just posting this now, but have been using this recipe of yours for YEARS! It’s so good- everyone loves it!
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you, glad you enjoy it!
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Thank you! Glad you liked it.
korny249 says
Geez...holy crp! I just used your recipe for souvlaki and let me just say it was wonderful. Very flavorful and juicy too. I used/ cut up what the supermarket calls country style ribs, which is just boneless shoulder cut into big strips I cut to chunks. The marinade is superb! I served it with tsatsiki, greek salad and some rice. I guess pretending I'm serving greek fast food.. Lol! I'm now a fan.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
That sounds great! Let me know how it turns out, and how much of a difference there is between wild boar and pork.
Bill from Milton GA says
Buddy of mine killed a 150 pound wild boar and had it butchered for me. Will be trying this recipe this weekend with a 4.5 pound shoulder. Will let you know how it comes out.
Beth says
Could you do the same thing with a ham roast or would it be too tough? I'm with you on pork shoulder being my favorite, but all I have right now is a big ham roast. Thoughts?
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@Beth:
Absolutely, you can use ham. Don't marinate the ham, though; it is already seasoned. Change the marinade to a lemon-garlic-olive oil baste by skipping the salt, and brushing it on the kebabs for the last few minutes of cooking.
My favorite Ham Kebab is Luau Kebabs, with ham, pineapple, red pepper and red onion. Unfortunately, I haven't posted that recipe yet. Just cut the ham and pineapple into inch and a half cubes, and intersperse with slices of onion and pepper.