Greek-Style Pork Kebabs

This recipe and photos were provided by Sally Roeckell of Table and Dish and were originally published at 365Barrington.com.

Marinated and grilled Greek-Style Pork Kebabs are great for weeknight meals, picnics and BBQs. Grilling and skewering meat is a timeless method of cooking. It’s easy to handle, slides right into a pita and cooks quickly for hungry crowds. During my time in Morocco, I found kebabs on pretty much every street vendor’s grill.

In my teen years, my girlfriend’s family owned a small Greek-American restaurant named The American Café. Every summer for our annual town street fair, The American Café covered big grills with wildly delicious Greek pork kebabs. You could smell the combination of garlic, lemon and oregano before you even placed your order. Since then, I’ve served these tender, delicious pork kebabs countless times.

Greek-Style Pork Kebabs Raw

I’ve adapted the recipe over time, adding vegetables. I’m not sure if it matches the recipe used by my friend’s family, but it sure tastes as good as I remember.

I prefer marinating 24 hours or more for maximum tenderness. If you’re in a rush, one hour of marinating is enough.

Ingredients

For the Skewers

1 1/2 lbs. Heinen's CARE Certified pork loin, trimmed of silver skin and excess fat, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 green peppers
1 large red onion
Wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes before use
Pocketless Pita

For the Marinade

1/2 cup olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. Greek oregano
Salt and pepper

For the Tzatziki

2 cups Greek yogurt
1 English cucumber, peeled and grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl. Place pork cubes in a Ziploc bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag and toss to coat pork evenly. Open the bag and reseal, removing as much air as possible. Place the pork in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Mix all of the the tzatziki ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Once ready to cook, turn the grill to high heat. Meanwhile, thread the pork cubes onto the skewers alternating with pieces of red onion and green pepper.
Grill the pork skewers on high to sear on two sides. Reduce heat to medium and grill until the pork skewers are browned on all sides and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Turn 4 times during cooking.
Remove the skewers and place on a plate. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
While the pork rests, grill the pita until lightly browned on both sides, about 1 minute per side.
To serve, place pita slices on a plate, lay the souvlaki on top, and place a dollop of tzatziki on the side.