Marinade tenderizes souvlaki-inspired pork skewers
In Greece, skewers of garlicky meat called souvlaki are sold on street corners, in restaurants and at the beach, served hot off the grill to be enjoyed while out and about.
Though a yogurt marinade isn’t traditional for pork souvlaki, in this recipe from our cookbook “Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year,” we take advantage of the tenderizing effects the cultured dairy has on meat. The combination of lactic acid and calcium loosens the structure of the proteins, tenderizing the meat. Flavored with red wine vinegar, oregano, garlic and salt and pepper, the yogurt pulls double duty as a creamy, tangy sauce.
Easy-to-source pork tenderloin is trimmed of its silver skin, halved lengthwise and cut into chucks before being tossed with the yogurt mixture. After marinating, the pork is threaded onto skewers with sweet-tart Campari or cocktail tomatoes. Zucchini cut into chunks works nicely, too — or even a combination. Rather than grilling, we move the cooking indoors and broil the skewers until the vegetables blister and the meat chars.
Enjoy right off the skewer, over a bed of rice or orzo pilaf, or stuffed into warmed pita. Serve with the yogurt sauce and lemon wedges.
Souvlaki-Inspired Pork Skewers
Start to finish: 30 minutes. Serves 4.
¾ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
3 medium garlic cloves, finely grated
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1¼-pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of silver skin, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch chunks
8 Campari or cocktail tomatoes (about 1½ inches) OR 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into ½-inch pieces OR a combination
Set a wire rack in a broiler-safe rimmed baking sheet and mist it with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together the yogurt, vinegar, oil, oregano, garlic and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Measure ¼ cup of the mixture into a small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon water; set aside for serving.
Add the pork to the medium bowl and mix until evenly coated. Thread the pork, alternating with the tomatoes, onto four 8- to 10-inch metal skewers. Place the skewers on the prepared rack, spacing them evenly apart. Let stand at room temperature while the broiler heats.
Heat the broiler with a rack about 4 inches from the element. Broil the skewers until lightly charred, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip and broil until charred on the second sides, another 4 to 6 minutes. Serve with the yogurt sauce.
