Pork Souvlaki
Greek street skewers done right: pork shoulder in lemon, oregano and garlic, charred hot, wrapped in pita with tzatziki.
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total
- 32 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- easy
In Greece, souvlaki means pork unless stated otherwise, and shoulder is the cut: enough fat to stay juicy through a proper char. The marinade is the holy Greek trinity of lemon, oregano and garlic, and it needs at least two hours to count.
The wrap is half the dish: warm pita, tzatziki, tomato, raw onion, and the skewer’s contents slid straight in.
Pork Souvlaki is one of the world's classic dishes from 67 countries.
method
Marinate the pork in the lemon juice, oregano, garlic, oil, salt and pepper for 2 to 8 hours.
Make the tzatziki: stir the yogurt with the squeezed cucumber, extra garlic, a little oil and salt. Chill.
Thread the pork snugly onto skewers.
Grill over high heat or in a scorching grill pan, 10 to 12 minutes, turning for char on all sides.
Rest 3 minutes, then serve on warm pita with tzatziki, tomato, onion and lemon wedges, wrapped or unwrapped.
chef's tips
- Shoulder, not loin; lean souvlaki is dry souvlaki.
- Greek oregano, rigani, is stronger and sweeter than Italian; it is the smell of the dish.
- Squeeze the cucumber hard or the tzatziki weeps into the pita.