Skip to main content
Bon Appétit

Spicy Pork Skewers

5.0

(5)

This image may contain Food and Bbq
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Chris Morocco and Tom Cunanan, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime

The marinade—a sweet, spicy, tangy mixture of chiles, garlic, Sprite, vinegar, and dried mushrooms—is so full of flavor, we don't want even one drop of it to go to waste. That's why we simmer the leftovers (in a pot on the grill!), then use it to baste the skewers as they cook. You can thank Tom Cunanan of Bad Saint in D.C. for this recipe.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    8 servings

Ingredients

2

lb. skinless, boneless pork shoulder

½

small red onion, thinly sliced

12

red Thai chiles, coarsely chopped

8

garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1

cup Sprite or 7UP

½

cup soy sauce

⅓

cup cane vinegar (such as Datu Puti) or unseasoned rice vinegar

¼

cup sugar

1

Tbsp. black peppercorns

1

Tbsp. kosher salt, plus more

6

dried shiitake mushrooms

Special Equipment

A spice mill or mortar and pestle; twelve to sixteen 8" metal skewers or soaked wooden chopsticks or bamboo skewers

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Freeze pork on a rimmed baking sheet until very firm around the edges, 45–60 minutes. Remove pork from freezer and slice as thinly as possible. Slice pieces lengthwise into 1"–2"-wide strips.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, combine onion, chiles, garlic, Sprite, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, and 1 Tbsp. salt in a large resealable plastic bag. Grind mushrooms in spice mill or with mortar and pestle to a powder; whisk into marinade. Add pork a few pieces at a time, coating well so they don’t stick together and can evenly absorb marinade. Cover and chill 6–8 hours.

    Step 3

    Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Remove pork from marinade and thread onto skewers. Transfer marinade to a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil on the grill. Cook 1 minute, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Move to a cooler part of the grill.

    Step 4

    Season pork lightly with salt and grill, undisturbed, until well browned, about 2 minutes. Turn and baste with marinade. Continue to grill, turning and basting every minute, until cooked through and browned all over, about 4 minutes longer.

Explore Bon AppétitSkewerFilipinoSoutheast AsianAsianPork ShoulderPorkMeatShiitake MushroomMushroomVegetableMainDairy-FreeGluten-FreeNut-FreeGrillingFourth Of JulyMemorial DayLabor DayDinner
Sign In or Subscribe
to leave a Rating or Review

How would you rate Spicy Pork Skewers?

Leave a Review

Reviews (5)

Back to Top

  • I would recommend using natural unadulterated cane (sukang iloko) or coconut (sukang tuba) vinegar

    • cesnepomuceno

    • Philippines

    • 7/8/2019

  • These were very good and pretty simple to make. Similar to those chicken skewers you get at a Chinese buffet, but much fresher, brighter flavors. I assumed we'd have leftovers, but these all got eaten in one sitting!

    • Anonymous

    • Texas

    • 7/1/2019

  • I'd recommend soaking the skewers for a few hours prior to threading the pork, this is a traditional filipino bbq and the length of time it will take to get the pork cooked will render your sticks to charcoal.

    • Anonymous

    • Oakland

    • 6/7/2019