Greek Pork Souvlaki with Marinade

Name: Traditional Greek Souvlaki with Pork
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 Pounds Pork Loin (cubed into 1" pieces); 1 Large Lemon ((optional)); ¼ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice (Juice of 1 Large Lemon); ½ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1 Teaspoons Dry Oregano (Greek oregano preferred); 3 Cloves Garlic (minced or pressed); 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar; 1 Teaspoon Pepper; 1 Teaspoon Salt (or salt to taste)

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This Greek Pork Souvlaki and its amazing Marinade is everything you need for a weeknight dinner or family barbecue. Delicious bright lemon, garlic, and oregano coat perfectly grilled pork for a fresh taste of the Mediterranean any night of the week.

These pork skewers are tender, full of flavor, and ready in 25 minutes. Last Minute Dinner Crew, this recipe is just for you!

Serve with Rice Pilaf and a Traditional Greek Salad for an amazing Greek Dinner.

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Ingredients

Instructions

FAQs

Related Recipes

📖 Recipe

Traditional Greek Souvlaki with Pork

Pork Souvlaki Skewers

Pork Souvlaki Marinade Ingredients

Make this Recipe Tonight!

Pork loin pieces are lean and easy to work with.

It is a delicious and inexpensive protein.

The simple marinade is bursting with bright Greek flavors of lemon, oregano, and garlic.

You don’t have to plan ahead to have time to marinade. You can season and cook within minutes.

Ingredients

Pork - I recommend a pork loin for this recipe. It is inexpensive and has the right amount of fat for grilling. You can substitute pork tenderloin for this recipe. It is leaner, but also very flavorful. Pork shoulder is a great choice as well. It is fattier and may require some trimming.

If you can’t find the right size piece of pork loin at the meat counter, substitute a package of pork chops. Boneless chops are cut from the pork loin, and can be easier to find in smaller portions.

Instructions

Step 1

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic cloves, oregano, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Put half in a large bowl or gallon zip lock back to coat the chunks of meat, and reserve the second half for basting meat after it is cooked.
Cut pork into 1 inch cubes.
Next, cut a lemon into thick slices and then quarter the slices. This will make thin lemon wedges. (optional) If you skip this step, add a good squeeze of lemon juice while grilling. and lemon slices in half of the marinade and allow to marinate for 15-30 minutes.
Place pork cubes, lemon slices, and half the marinade into a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it marinate for 10-15 minutes.

Step 2

Then, thread pork pieces and lemon slices onto the skewers. Add a lemon slice every 2-3 pieces of pork.

Step 3

Heat a grill pan, griddle pan, or your outdoor grill on a medium-high heat.
Place the skewers onto the hot cooking surface and let cook for 3-5 minutes per side. Grill skewers until they are golden brown and have reached a safe internal temperature of 145° or higher.
Then, remove fully cooked pork souvlaki skewers from the pan.
Finally, drizzle the remaining marinade over hot skewers, and let rest with foil over them for at least 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serve with your favorite Greek side dishes or as a souvlaki wrap with pita and a dollop of tzatziki sauce.

FAQs

What is Souvlaki?

Souvlaki is actually the skewer itself. You can use any meat you like or even vegetables.

How long should I marinate the pork?

I just haven’t found any benefit to letting meat sit in a marinade for hours and hours. You also run the risk that a highly acidic marinade will degrade your meat quality and make the outer layers mushy.

The best thing to do, especially for nice cubed pork souvlaki, is to put a light coating of marinade on before cooking and hit it with a drizzle of marinade right after you take it off the grill and let it rest in the marinade.

Can I get an intensely flavored pork skewer without marinating meat for hours?

Yes! Rather than let meat sit in marinade for hours or days, use a half and half method. Use half the marinade for before cooking and half for basting. Dividing the souvlaki marinade in advance prevents contamination.
Coat cubed pork in half the marinade and store covered in a bowl or food storage bag for 10-20 minutes. Discard excess marinade after use.

Cook pork skewers to desired doneness. Drizzle or bush hot souvlaki with the remaining marinade. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving to have the most flavorful pork you’ve ever made.