Pork Shashlik (Skewers) with Pork Stew Meat

The acidic marinade is the key ingredient

This is a method, not a recipe. We’re grilling chunks of pork on skewers, preferably over charcoal. With our Anchor Ranch Farm pork, pieces like the (already cut up) Pork Stew Meat work well, but if you’re buying leaner pork from somewhere else you’ll want to cut chunks from some of the fattier portions such as the picnic shoulder.

One traditional and great-tasting marinade is made from finely-chopped (or food-processored) onion. You’ll want a large amount of onion, maybe half as much as you have pork. Alternatively, you could use some other flavorful vinegar such as apple cider vinegar and put some diced onion in it along with the meat. Add any other spices or flavorings you want to the marinade. Salt and pepper and garlic go well.

For the best taste, let your pork soak in the marinade overnight in the refrigerator.

Now grill

That’s pretty much it. Use a high heat (grilling, not barbecue). Put the meat on skewers so you can turn it easily to make sure the center is cooked without burning the sides. Do not put anything except meat on the skewers: if you want to grill vegetables put them on separate skewers, as they take a different amount of time to cook.

The overnight marinade in a flavorful acid is key. Marinading does not make meat more tender; that’s why you need a decent fat content in the meat. It will, however, add flavor and the acid/onion marinade holds up well to charcoal grilling..

You’ll want to eat this with something that can cut the acidity. Mayonnaise or some kind of aoli, maybe a tzatziki or yogurt sauce.