Grill/Barbecue

Souvlaki - Greek Meat on a Stick

by:
August  8, 2011
0
0 Ratings
Souvlaki - Greek Meat on a Stick
  • Makes four sticks
Author Notes

Go to any Greek fair or festival around here and the aroma of these meat morsels threaded on a stick and grilled makes you salivate. They can be lamb, pork or chicken, sometimes threaded with onion and bell pepper, sometimes plain. Serve them in a pita with tzatziki, on a bed of pilaf or right off the stick...any way, they're a great summer treat. This is my pork version. —inpatskitchen

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin cut in cubes about 1 to 1 1/2 inches
  • 3 lemons ( the third reserved for squeezing on the meat at serving time)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
  • Green bell pepper and white onion slices (optional)
Directions
  1. Marinate the meat in the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, paprika and the juice of 2 of the lemons for 4 to 6 hours.
  2. Soak 4 wooden 12 inch skewers in water for 1/2 hour or more before grilling.
  3. Skewer 1/4 of the meat on each skewer, adding the slices of onion and pepper here and there if desired.
  4. Grill on a medium heat to your desired degree of doneness (about 15 minutes).
  5. Squeeze the juice from the third lemon over all four skewers before serving. OPA!!
Tags:
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • lapadia
    lapadia
  • aargersi
    aargersi
  • inpatskitchen
    inpatskitchen
  • Dflip
    Dflip
inpatskitchen

Recipe by: inpatskitchen

I think I get my love for food and cooking from my mom, who was an amazing cook. She would start baking and freezing a month before Christmas in order to host our huge open house on Christmas afternoon. I watched and I learned...to this day I try not to procrastinate when it comes to entertaining. My cooking style is pretty much all over the place, although I'm definitely partial to Greek and Italian cuisine. Oh yes, throw a little Cajun in there too!

Popular on Food52

6 Reviews

Dflip
Dflip May 5, 2013
Here is another take on souvlaki, I made this last night using this marinade and pork butt. In Toronto, it is more difficult to find pork butt because it is the best meat for souvlaki and pork sausages because of its fat which keeps it moist as it cooks. It is in high demand with our significant Greek and Italian population. I've been using pork butt for the past two years with great success.

Marinate the below recipe for 5 hours or overnight and you will have great souvlaki. Firewire skewers are an asset if you are serving a crowd because a lot of meat can be put on one skewer, 30" long. It's stainless steel and flexible, so it can be formed into a circle and placed in a zip lock bag to marinate. The recipe is courtesy of Peter Minakis, http://www.kalofagas.ca/2010/05/17/souvlaki/

1 boneless pork butt (shoulder, approx 1 kg.)
1 medium onion, grated
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 heaping tsp. salt
1 heaping tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable (or canola) oil
1 heaping tsp. dried Greek oregano (sold on the stalks, in plastic wrap)
Simple, easy and really good.
 
inpatskitchen
inpatskitchen May 5, 2013
Your recipe sounds wonderful and the photo is mouth watering. I've often used pork butt (shoulder) for this when feeding a crowd and I actually add lamb cubes to the mix sometimes. Thanks for your interest!
 
lapadia
lapadia August 8, 2011
Love these and I agree - mouthwatering!!
 
inpatskitchen
inpatskitchen August 8, 2011
Thanks lapadia!
 
aargersi
aargersi August 8, 2011
Yum, I am drooling a bit right now!
 
inpatskitchen
inpatskitchen August 8, 2011
Thanks aargersi....Made a great dinner last night!