Pinchos Morunos (Spanish Grilled Pork Kebabs)
By Andrew JanjigianPublished on July 14, 2019
Time
1¼ hours
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You will need four or five 12-inch metal skewers for this recipe. Look for country-style ribs with an even distribution of light and dark meat. We prefer natural pork, but if your pork is enhanced (injected with a salt solution), do not brine it in step 1.
Instructions
- Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 1½ quarts cold water in large container. Submerge ribs in brine and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, 1 teaspoon oregano, paprika, coriander, salt, cumin, pepper, and cayenne in small bowl until combined.
- Remove pork from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Cut ribs into 1-inch chunks; place dark meat and light meat in separate bowls. Divide spice paste proportionately between bowls and toss to coat. Thread light and dark meat onto separate skewers (do not crowd pieces). Place dark meat kebabs on left side of rimmed baking sheet, and light meat kebabs on right side.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Place dark meat on hotter side of grill and cook for 6 minutes. Flip dark meat and add light meat to hotter side of grill. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip all kebabs. Continue to cook, flipping kebabs every 4 minutes, until dark meat is well charred and registers 155 degrees and light meat is lightly charred and registers 140 degrees, 4 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer to serving platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove pork from skewers, toss to combine, sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon oregano, and serve, passing lemon wedges separately.
Time
1¼ hoursYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Pinchos morunos is a dish normally served as part of a tapas spread, but it works equally well as an entrée. To develop our version of these Spanish pork kebabs, we used country-style ribs for both their convenience and their ability to remain juicy and tender when grilled. To increase juiciness, we brined the pork for 30 minutes before cutting it into cubes and coating it with a robust spice paste that included garlic, lemon, ginger, coriander, smoked paprika, and fresh oregano. And because country-style ribs contain a mix of lighter loin meat and darker shoulder meat, we kept the light meat and dark meat on separate skewers and cooked each to its ideal temperature (140 and 155 degrees, respectively) to ensure that the light meat didn't overcook and the dark meat wasn't chewy.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
You will need four or five 12-inch metal skewers for this recipe. Look for country-style ribs with an even distribution of light and dark meat. We prefer natural pork, but if your pork is enhanced (injected with a salt solution), do not brine it in step 1.
Instructions
- Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 1½ quarts cold water in large container. Submerge ribs in brine and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, 1 teaspoon oregano, paprika, coriander, salt, cumin, pepper, and cayenne in small bowl until combined.
- Remove pork from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Cut ribs into 1-inch chunks; place dark meat and light meat in separate bowls. Divide spice paste proportionately between bowls and toss to coat. Thread light and dark meat onto separate skewers (do not crowd pieces). Place dark meat kebabs on left side of rimmed baking sheet, and light meat kebabs on right side.
- FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).
- Clean and oil cooking grate. Place dark meat on hotter side of grill and cook for 6 minutes. Flip dark meat and add light meat to hotter side of grill. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip all kebabs. Continue to cook, flipping kebabs every 4 minutes, until dark meat is well charred and registers 155 degrees and light meat is lightly charred and registers 140 degrees, 4 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer to serving platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove pork from skewers, toss to combine, sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon oregano, and serve, passing lemon wedges separately.
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