Greek Festival BBQ is all about Souvlaki! Our Pork Souvlaki Recipe is one not to be missed. Tender cuts of pork loin flavored in a savory wine, herb and garlic marinade…and yes, you are quite welcome!
From Lizz: My mother Eleni’s Pork Souvlaki was a favorite for us growing up. As busy as she was, my mother would typically plan ahead and marinate the pork at least one day ahead of time. If you have a hard time planning ahead, don’t worry, because our family’s Pork Souvlaki recipe tastes just as great with only 2 hours of marinating time!
From the start of this Cook Like A Greek blog adventure, I commented on how the most simple ingredients, combined in the right way, would yield some of the most flavorful foods. This recipe is just that because there is really nothing fancy about it. Some extra virgin olive oil, red wine, herbs, garlic, lemon juice. It’s very likely that these are ingredients you already have available in your pantry. The freshly squeezed lemon juice, as the meat comes off the grill, adds another layer of flavor that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. In fact, when I made this recently, my daughter Stephanie said to me, “Mom, I think this is the best meat you have ever made!” You be the judge! Please let us know what you think.
Serve this main dish with some fresh Pita Bread and Tzatziki (that stuff goes with everything!)
Kali Orexi!
HOW TO MAKE PORK SOUVLAKI
- Measure all ingredients for marinade
- Add all marinade ingredients to a mason jar and shake well.
- Place the cut up pork in a ziplock with the marinade, and leave in fridge for at least 2 hours. Mix 2-3 times during that 2 hours.
- Quarter 1/2 red onion, pull apart and place in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well to cover onion with olive oil, salt and pepper and set aside.
- Place wooden skewers into water to soak.
- Once pork is done marinating, place on skewers alternating with pieces of red onion.
- Heat your grill to medium-high. Grill Souvlaki for 10-15 minutes turning every 3-4 minutes until they are cooked through. Please note that the USDA recommends cooking pork to a minimum internal temperature of 145° F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the grill. Allow meat to rest for at least 3 minutes before serving. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice on your Souvlaki after you remove it from the grill.
CAN I USE OTHER CUTS OF PORK FOR THIS RECIPE?
You can also use pork shoulder to make Pork Souvlaki. We have recommended pork loin because it is a lean cut of meat and tender. Marinating in the red wine also helps tenderize the meat further.
HOW DOES THE RED WINE MARINADE HELP TENDERIZE THE PORK?
Wine is basically an acid ingredient (which helps tenderize the outside of the meat) and it has a lot of flavor. A wine based marinade helps keep the meat moist while it cooks too.
HOW DO I COOK MY PORK SOUVLAKI IN THE OVEN?
Set oven temperature to 350 degrees F. The Pork Souvlaki should take about 20-25 minutes to cook and we recommend turning them at least 2 times during that period. Depending on how well you want the meat cooked, it may take a bit longer. Use a thermometer to ensure your Pork Souvlaki is at least 145 degrees F. and once you remove from the oven allow the meat to sit for 3 minutes before serving.
Pork Souvlaki Recipe
Pork Souvlaki
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork loin, cut into 1 inch cubes have butcher cut up meat to save time
- 1/2 red onion, quartered and pulled apart
- 1 lemon, quartered squeeze over Souvlaki as soon as removed from gill
Marinade
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp, extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1/2 tsp Greek oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried mint
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Measure and prepare ingredients for marinade. Add all marinade ingredients to a mason jar and shake well to combine.
- Place cut up pork loin into a plastic zip-lock bag and pour marinade into bag to cover pork. Zip the plastic bag, removing air. Place bag with meat and marinade into the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours. Mix two or three times over the 2 hours.
- Quarter 1/2 red onion, pull apart and place in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well to cover onion with olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Place 4 wooden skewers into water to soak.
- Once pork is done marinating, place on skewers alternating with pieces of red onion.
- Heat your grill to medium-high. Grill Souvlaki for 10-15 minutes turning every 3-4 minutes until they are cooked through. Please note that the USDA recommends cooking pork to a minimum internal temperature of 145° F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the grill. Allow meat to rest for at least 3 minutes before serving.
- Squeeze some fresh lemon juice onto your pork after you have removed it from the grill.
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