Miso & Maple-Marinated Pork with Apple & Onion
Submitted by brsugar
Miso and maple marinated pork skewers grilled with apple wedges and onion. Thin-sliced tenderloin woven onto skewers for a sweet, savory, Japanese-inspired cookout.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
10 minREADY
4 hrsMiso and maple syrup together make one of those marinades that sounds unusual but tastes completely right. The miso brings deep, salty umami. The maple brings caramel sweetness. Fresh ginger and sake tie them together into a glaze that caramelizes beautifully over charcoal.
The pork gets sliced paper-thin, about ⅛ inch, then marinated for at least an hour. Thin slices mean the marinade penetrates quickly and the meat cooks fast on the grill. You weave each slice onto a skewer, threading apple wedges and onion layers between the folds. It’s a Japanese yakitori-style approach applied to pork tenderloin.
The apples char slightly on the grill and soften into a sweet, smoky counterpoint to the salty miso glaze. A squeeze of lemon juice before skewering keeps them from browning.
Ten minutes over medium coals with frequent turning and basting, and these are done.
Chef Tips
- Slice the pork while it’s partially frozen. It’s much easier to get thin, even slices from firm meat
- Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes before threading to prevent them from burning on the grill
- Baste with the marinade during the first half of grilling, then stop. The last few minutes of cooking should be clean heat to kill any bacteria from the raw meat marinade
- Use a firm apple like Granny Smith or Fuji that won’t fall apart on the grill
Variations
- Use chicken thigh meat instead of pork, sliced the same way
- Swap sake for dry white wine or even a splash of rice vinegar
- Broil in the oven 4 to 6 inches from the heat if grilling isn’t an option
Ingredients
Directions
Cut meat into ⅛ inch thick slices 6 to 7 inch long.
In a heavy plastic food bag (about 1 quart), combine miso, syrup, sake, ginger, and pork; mix well.
Seal shut and chill for at least 1 hour or up until the next day.
Core apples; cut into ½ inch wedges.
Moisten with lemon juice to preserve color.
Thread a thin skewer through the end of a pork slice, then a piece of onion and a piece of apple.
Weave skewer through meat slice again and repeat process, dividing ingredients among 4 to 8 skewers.
If made ahead, cover and chill up to 3 hours.
Lay skewers on grill 4 to 6 inch above a solid bed of medium-coals (you can hold you hand at grill level for only 4 to 5 seconds).
Baste with marinade and turn often until meat is no longer pink in center (cut to test), about 10 minutes.
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