Cumin Chile Pork Kebabs Recipes

SPICY CUMIN KEBABS

Steps:

• You will need a charcoal or gas grill, 12 to 15 small bamboo or metal skewers, and a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
• Preheat grill. If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes. Remove excess fat from the meat. Cut lamb into small chunks, 1/2-inch across or less. Thread them onto skewers, without packing them too tightly together.
• Grind or pound together the cumin, cayenne, and black pepper to a blended powder. Using your hands, rub spice mixture onto the skewered meat. Grill lamb for 5 to 8 minutes over hot coals. Halfway through the cooking, sprinkle the kebabs with a little salt.

PORK KEBABS WITH PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Soak 4 wooden skewers in water 15 to 20 minutes to prevent scorching. Preheat a grill to medium high. Combine the pork, bell peppers, red onion, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons cherry pepper brine, the oregano and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; toss.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain and rinse under cold water; transfer the pasta to a large bowl and add the cherry peppers, the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons brine, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss.
• Thread the bell peppers, pork and red onion, alternating, onto the skewers. Drizzle any remaining marinade over the kebabs. Brush the grill grates with olive oil. Grill the kebabs, turning occasionally, until the pork is cooked through and the vegetables are well marked, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add the basil, parsley and bocconcini to the bowl with the pasta; season with pepper and toss. Serve the kebabs with the pasta salad.

BACON-WRAPPED PORK KEBABS

Steps:

• For the brine: Combine salt, sugar, bay leaves, thyme, and garlic in a pot with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and once everything has dissolved remove from heat. Add ice cubes to cool down and set aside.
• For the pork: Place the pork cubes in the cooled brine and set in the fridge for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the bacon into six 1/2-inch-thick slices, about 2 1/2-ounces each. Set a large pot of cold water over high heat and add the bacon slices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the Italian seasoning, granulated garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Drain pork from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Working with one skewer at a time, thread the bacon at one end followed by a piece of pork. Loop the bacon over the pork so it forms an "S" shape around the pork and continue to thread the bacon and pork together so each skewer has 4 pieces of pork and one thick strip of bacon on it. Sprinkle all with the seasoning mixture.
• Heat a grill to medium and wipe down grates with oil. Place pork kebabs across grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each of four sides until bacon is crisped around edges and pork is a tender medium. Once the pieces have been seared, glaze the kebabs with the Orange Honey Mustard.
• Heat the oil in a small saute pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the shallots and saute until softened. Add the orange juice, honey and mustard, whisking to thoroughly combine. Bring to a simmer and reduce for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir well, remove from heat, and keep warm until ready to use.

SPICY GRILLED PORK WITH FENNEL, CUMIN AND RED ONION

Steps:

• Season pork lightly with kosher salt and put it in a bowl or resealable bag.
• Juice the lime into a blender or food processor and add cilantro, fish sauce, garlic, jalapeño and honey. Blend until the jalapeño and garlic are puréed, then add fennel, cumin, coriander seeds and pulse four or five times to bruise the spices and mix them in.
• Pour mixture over the pork, tossing to coat the pieces. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes while you heat the grill, or up to 24 hours.
• When ready to cook, heat the grill or broiler with a rack positioned 4 inches from the heat source.
• Thread the pork onto skewers, leaving a little space between cubes. Grill over the highest heat possible, or broil on high, for 2 to 5 minutes, then flip the skewers and continue cooking until the meat is browned all over and charred in spots. It should be just cooked through: A little pink is OK, but there shouldn't be any red spots.
• Serve the pork with cilantro sprigs and onion slices on top, and lime wedges on the side for squeezing.

CUMIN-CHILE LAMB KEBABS WITH GARLIC YOGURT

Steps:

• Make the garlic yogurt:
• Stir garlic, lemon zest, and lemon juice into yogurt in a small bowl to combine; season with salt and pepper.
• Make the lamb kebabs:
• Coarsely grind cumin seeds, peppercorns, caraway seeds, red pepper flakes, and sugar in spice mill or with mortar and pestle until only a few whole spices remain.
• Prepare a grill for medium-high, indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Oil grates. Thread lamb onto 6-8 skewers, leaving a small gap between each piece of meat. Season with salt, then sprinkle generously with spice blend, pressing it onto the meat with your hands to help it adhere if needed.
• Grill lamb over direct heat, turning every minute or so, until browned and beginning to char in spots, about 4 minutes. Move to cooler side of grill and continue to grill until lamb is cooked to desired doneness, about 4 minutes longer for medium-rare.
• Top garlic yogurt with cracked black pepper and a little lemon zest. Serve alongside lamb.
• Do Ahead
• Yogurt can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Spice blend can be made 1 month ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.