Name: Souvlaki - Grilled Pork Skewers
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 3/4 lb. Pork cut into smallish (bite-sized cubes;); 3 tbsp. Olive Oil;; 2 tbsp. bruised fresh Rosemary needles;; 1 tsp. chopped Garlic;; 1 tsp. coarsely ground Black Pepper;; ½ tsp. Salt;; 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice;; Cherry Tomatoes … optional.

Souvlaki is a Greek favorite with many variations. Here, skewers of Pork are marinated with Rosemary, Garlic and Lemon Juice before grilling.

For ages, I thought Souvlaki was just a Greek version of the Donair, except with grilled chunks of meat rather than the slices cut from those huge rotating cylinders of meat that always look a bit like a dead man’s leg.

In actual fact, however, Souvlaki, in Greek cuisine, refers to any grilled skewers of seasoned meat. They can certainly be eaten Donair-style in Pita bread with sauces and toppings, but they can also be simply eaten out of hand, or served as a main course with sides like rice, or potatoes, and other vegetables.

If you had asked me to guess, I probably would have said that Lamb would be the most popular meat of choice in Greece. I am informed, though, by Wikipedia no less, that Pork comes in as the number one Souvlaki meat, and that is what I have used for this recipe.

The Method

Pork Marinating with Olive Oil, Lemon Juice and Rosemary

First, mix the cubes of pork with all the remaining ingredients except the tomatoes (if using), and set aside to marinate for several hours.

Next, thread the meat on to suitable skewers, saving the remaining marinade for basting. I don’t often mix meat and vegetables on the same skewers because of the different cooking times but I am including tomatoes here. They stand up to quite lengthy grilling times, if you are reasonably careful, and they also look quite attractive interspersed between the cubes of pork.

The skewers will take about 15 minutes or so to cook over a moderate high flame (depending on the size of the chunks). Turn frequently, basting as needed, until the meat is golden and charred in just a few spots.

If you wish, you can burn some wood chips and extra rosemary sprigs alongside the skewers (although this only works if you are cooking with the barbecue cover down). On a gas grill, it helps to capture some of the smoky goodness of a real fire.

When I cook pork this way I almost always serve it ‘fast-food’ style in pita bread. Here, the meat is served over some home-grown Mesclun mix, and topped with chunks of raw tomato and onion, and a nice Tzatziki Sauce sweetened with a little extra sugar. This is one of my favorite barbecue suppers!

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