Pork and Pineapple Skewers
This is my new favorite summer dish. I’m not going to lie, skewering things is not my thing… its not exactly fast. There are many steps - chopping, marinating, grilling. But the end result is really tasty and totally worth it.
I give most of the credit to the Traders Joes Soyaki Sauce. Marinating the pork in it for a few hours gives the pork incredible flavor and it literally melts in your mouth. If nothing else, just marinate some pork tenderloin in the Soyaki Sauce and skip the chopping and skewering! Serve it with some grilled veggies (I’m thinking zucchini and squash just halved and thrown on the grill) and you have a much more simplified version of this meal. But… if you have time, maybe on a weekend, make this version… the pineapple and marinated veggies really take it over the top and everything screams “SUMMER!”
We serve ours with rice nobody really complains. If you don’t have rice fans in your house and you don’t think your people will be on board with the pork and veggies, maybe pair all this with some corn on the cob. Or, maybe even rice noodles (if you have more of a pasta lover) might work.
Enjoy!
Pork and Pineapple Kebabs
Ingredients
- 2 pork tenderloins (about 2.5 pounds) cut into chunks
- 1 cup Trader Joes Soyaki Sauce*
- 1 medium pineapple cut into chunks
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
- 2 zucchini cut into 1-inch medallions (halved if very large)
- 2 squash cut into 1-inch medallions (halved if very large)
- 1 red onion cut into small wedges
- 1 red pepper cut into large chunks
Instructions
- Combine the pork chunks and Soyaki sauce in a large zip lock bag. Chill for 4-6 hours.
- Combine olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl stirring with a whisk. In medium-sized bowl, add the zucchini, squash, and peppers (I don't marinate the onion). Pour the oil mixture on top of the veggie and toss them so they are coated in the marinade. Cover and chill for 1-6 hours.
- Meal while, soak wooden skewers in a water bath for at least 30 minutes prior to assembling the kebabs. I usually let them soak for 2 hours or so (this prevents them for burning on the grill). You could also use metal skewers if you have them.
- To assemble the pork and pineapple kebabs, thread about 4-5 pieces of pork and 3 pineapple chunks onto each soaked skewer. You will have about 8 skewers total.
- To assemble the vegetable kebabs, thread the zucchini, squash, peppers, and onion onto the soaked skewer. You will have about 8-10 skewers total.
- Preheat the grill to medium high heat and spray it with nonstick spray.
- Grill the veggie kebabs for 5 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove them from the grill once they are slightly charred and tender.
- Place the pork kebabs on the grill. Grill for 5-7 minutes. Flip the kebabs and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for about 10-12 more minutes flipping them as needed (a thermometer will read 145 -150 degrees for medium rare or 155-160 for medium well). Remove them from the grill and allow them to rest for 5-10 minutes.
- De-skewer the pork, pineapple and veggies and serve it all over rice.
Notes
*I've never tried this with teriyaki sauce but I don't see why regular teriyaki sauce wouldn't work.