Mojo Marinated Grilled Pork Kebabs
Ingredients
Mojo Marinade:
6 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small white onion, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grapefruit juice (from 1 medium grapefruit)
1/2 cup lime juice (4 large limes)
1/4 cup orange juice (1 medium orange)
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons white vinegar
For the Pork Kebabs:
2 1/2 pounds pork neck meat or tenderloin, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
3 yellow, red or orange bell peppers, seeded and cut into chunks
1 medium red onion, cut into segments
20 cherry tomatoes
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
2 jalapeño peppers, thickly sliced (optional)
Directions
In a blender, add the garlic, white onion, oregano, salt, cumin, and black pepper. Add the grapefruit juice, lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, and white vinegar to the blender and puree the mixture for 1-2 minutes.
The marinade should be slightly thick, but fluid. Remove 1 cup of the marinade and reserve to brush onto the grilled kebabs later. Pour the rest of the marinade into a large non-reactive bowl or dish.
Add the chunks of pork to the bowl with the marinade. Toss the meat into the marinade a few times to coat it completely in the mixture.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate the pork in the marinade for 2-8 hours.
About 30 minutes before assembling the kebabs, soak your wooden skewers in 1/2-inch of water. A couple of paper towels laid on the skewers will keep them submerged. Skip this step if you’re using metal skewers.
Prior to assembling the kebabs, heat the charcoal, banking most of them on one side of the grill. This side will be used for direct cooking, the other side will be used to finish the kebabs.
If you’re using a gas grill, heat the grill to 400°F. Once the grill is hot, clean the grate to ensure the kebabs don’t stick during cooking.
Strain the meat in a colander to remove the excess marinade. Discard the marinade.
Set up an assembly line with the items in the following order: wooden (or metal) skewers, mojo pork, vegetables, and a clean sheet pan or tray.
Skewer a tomato, then a piece of meat, followed by a pepper slice and onion, another piece of meat, two more pepper slices, more meat, a jalapeno (or fruit), meat, pineapple chunk, a second tomato, or more veggies.
Each skewer should have 4 pieces of pork.
By the time you’ve finished assembling your kebabs, the grill should be ready to cook.
Lay the kebabs over the direct heat side of your grill and cook for 3 minutes. Flip the kebabs and baste the grilled side with the reserved mojo sauce. Cook for an additional 3 minutes.
Flip the kebabs once more, basting the second side with mojo sauce. Transfer the kebabs to the indirect heat side of the grill and allow them to cook for 3-4 minutes and seal in the mojo marinade sauce.
Once the meat is finished and an internal thermometer reads 145°F, remove the kebabs to a serving tray and tent them with aluminum foil. Allow the pork to rest for 2-3 minutes before serving.
Serve the kebabs over a bed of rice as is or off the skewer to avoid swordfights at the table.
