Thai Style Pork Kabob
Though the look of these kabobs are not quite the same as the traditional Thai style pork Kabob or “Moo Ping”, you can still find this type of kabob on busy streets of Thailand. Marinate pork shoulder in a rich blend of garlic, cilantro, and spices. Add sweet peppers, onion, pineapple, mushrooms, and zucchini for vibrant, customizable skewers. A touch of coconut palm sugar and pineapple juice brings a perfect balance of sweetness.
Thai Style BBQ Marinade
The Thai meat marinade starts with the holy trinity of Thai spices: cilantro roots (or cilantro stems as a substitute), garlic, and pepper. Additional seasonings include salt, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and black soy sauce for color. Pineapple juice is the key ingredient that quickly tenderizes the pork. This is why pineapple chunks often appear on the skewers alongside other vegetables of your choice.
What is the best cut of pork for kabobs?
Usually, the best cut of pork and beef for kabobs is tenderloin. However, another great cut for the Thai skewers is the pork shoulder. This is because we use the pineapple juice to quickly tenderize the meat while the pork fat keeps the BBQ tender and juicy. In fact, you do not even need to take of the silver skin because the pineapple juice takes care of it quickly.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. I only recommend products I believe will be helpful to you. If you decide to purchase products through my links, please know that I truly thank you.
Safe Temperature for Meat
Based on the information on USDA, following are the safe meat temperature for consumption.
- Pork : Cook pork, roasts, and chops to 145 – 160 ºF as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source, with a three-minute rest time before carving or consuming.
- Ground meat: This includes beef, veal, lamb, and pork should be cooked to 160 ºF and do not require a rest time.
- Poultry: The safe cooking temperature for all poultry products, including ground chicken and turkey, stays the same at 165 ºF.
How to Customize Pork Kabob
- You can switch to other meats but use the same marinade. However, since fish and chicken are more tender than pork and beef, you should reduce the marinade time to no more than 20 minutes.
- Use vegetables that you like to grill, such as kabocha squash, butternut squash, eggplant, corn, zucchini, pineapple, pepper, onion, and asparagus.
- Consider air frying the skewers instead of grilling them. Personally, I prefer the air-frying method.
Other BBQ recipes
If you are planning several BBQ and grilling dishes this summer, consider trying my recipes for weeping tiger, Sotteok Sotteok, Thai Northern sausage, Sai Krok Isan, sticky Asian pork ribs, and 45 minutes tender BBQ ribs.
Thai Style Pork Kabob
Equipment
- 20 skewer
Ingredients
- 1 lb pork tender loin (or pork shoulder)
For Marinade
- 3-4 cilantro stems
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 4 TBS coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar)
- ½ tsp ground coriander (or 1 tsp whole coriander seeds : optional)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp white pepper (or use1 tsp black or white pepper. Just 1 kind.)
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice (fresh or canned)
- 3 TB dark soy sauce
- 3 TB low sodium soy sauce
- 3 TB oyster sauce
- 1 TB corn starch (or tapioca starch)
Vegetables for Grilling (and seasoning)
- 1 zucchini (small or medium size)
- 1 pineapple (or 1 can)
- 1 cup Baby Bella mushrooms
- 1 cup sweet or bell pepper
- ½ cup red onion (or yellow or white onion)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp paprika (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the bamboo skewers in room-temperature water to prevent them from burning too quickly.
- Slice the pork into bite-sized pieces, preferably in squares or rectangles.
- Make the marinade. If using a pestle and mortar, pound the garlic, cilantro stems, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and salt to form a paste. Then, combine this paste with the other seasonings listed above. If using a blender, combine all the marinade ingredients and blend for 1 minute. Don’t forget to add the pineapple juice.
- Marinate the pork for 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the vegetables and season them with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika (optional).
- Thread the skewers with the marinated pork and vegetables. Personally, I like to place the pork next to the pineapple to keep the meat tender while grilling.
- Grill or air fry the skewers at medium-low heat (350℉) for 7 minutes on each side. I strongly recommend spraying or brushing oil on the grill before placing the skewers. Additionally, brush oil on the skewered pork and vegetables before flipping them to prevent sticking. Enjoy!
Video
@stickyricethaikitchen Thai Style Pork Kabob: Ingredients ⬇️ 1 lb pork tender loin (or pork shoulder) For Marinade 3-4 cilantro stems 5-6 cloves garlic 4 TBS coconut palm sugar (or brown sugar) ½ tsp ground coriander (or 1 tsp whole coriander seeds : optional) ½ tsp black pepper ½ tsp white pepper (or use1 tsp black or white pepper. Just 1 kind.) 1 tsp salt ¼ cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup pineapple juice (fresh or canned) 3 TB dark soy sauce 3 TB low sodium soy sauce 3 TB oyster sauce 1 TB corn starch (or tapioca starch) Vegetables for Grilling (and seasoning) 1 zucchini (small or medium size) 1 pineapple (or 1 can) 1 cup Baby Bella mushrooms 1 cup sweet or bell pepper ½ cup red onion (or yellow or white onion) ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper ¼ tsp garlic powder ¼ tsp paprika (optional) Step by step recipe, measurement conversion, and helpful tip from my website. (link in my bio) #thaifood#bbq#summer2024#kabob#kebab#grilling#grill#easyrecipe#appetizer#streetfood#cocina#tiktokrecipe
♬ A Gentle Sunlight – James Quinn
