One of the most popular Puerto Rican street food is the Pinchos de Cerdo. These are delicious pork skewers made with the flavors of the Caribbean.
Pinchos de Cerdo are a very popular food in Puerto Rico, just like the pinchos de pollo Puerto Rican style.
These pork skewers are juicy and tender meat that is seasoned to perfection. But the best part is that it is topped with a piece or two of delicious sweet Puerto Rican bread.
While this is a typical summer grill recipe, it can be made on the stovetop with a grill pan. Trust me, that is just as good!
The best part is that you can eat this by itself, or it can be the meat of a recipe like a caribbean salad. Or take the meat of the stick and put it in a cassava tortilla or plantain tortilla.
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Why This Recipe Works
- This is a pincho recipe that is cooked differently to get the most tender and juicy pork skewers.
- This is an easy recipe that you can prepare, freeze, and then enjoy!
- This is a recipe that can be grilled or made on a stovetop, and it will be just as delicious.
- The perfect recipe to make on a busy weeknight and an even better recipe to feed a crowd.
Recipe Ingredients
- Pork- I used boston butt. You can also use pork shoulder. What you really want a a fatty cut because this is going to prevent the meat from being dry and rubbery.
- Seasonings- The seasoning I used was a combination of salt, adobo, sazon, onion powder, and black pepper. This combination is the typical seasoning used in Puerto Rican cuisine. It will give the pincho flavor and color.
- Water- The water is used to cook the pork. No need to use stock for this part.
- Oil & garlic paste- This combination of oil and garlic is one of the secrets to adding an extra layer of flavor to the pork skewers. Plus, it helps to keep the meat juicy!
- BBQ sauce- For the barbecue sauce, you can use whichever one you like. You can use a spicy sauce or a sweet sauce like the salsa de guayaba recipe.
- Bread- If you’ve never had a Puerto Rican pincho, you won’t know this, but when eating one, the bread is a must! The more the better!
How to Make Pinchos de Cerdo
- Photo 1: The first step is to make the garlic oil. Add the garlic to the oil and mix. You will brush this on the pinchos and the bread.
- Photo 2: Cut your bread into 1-inch thick pieces. I like to cut my pieces slightly sideways to get a bigger surface. Set the bread aside until ready to use. Best if you save the bread in an airtight container so the bread doesn’t dry up.
- Photo 3: Cut the pork into ½ inch cubes or even 2 inches. You want to stay in this range. Not too little or they’ll dry up fast, nor too big because the meat can stay tough.
- Photo 4: Add all the seasonings, meat, and water to a large saucepan. Cook for 40 minutes and then drain the water.
- Photo 5: After the meat has cooled down, put 6 pieces of meat in each bamboo stick. You can always put more or less, but this will affect the total number of pinchos you get from the recipe.
- Photo 6: Brush some of the garlic oil on both sides of the bread. Set your grill pan to medium high heat and toast the bread for about 30 seconds per side.
- Photo 7: Put the pork pinchos to cook for 15 minutes and turning them every 4 minutes. Every time you turn the pinchos, brush them with the garlic oil.
- Photo 8: In the last 3 minutes or so, brush the pork skewers with the bbq or sauce of your choice. Brush them on both sides. Be generous because a lot of the sauce falls off.
Recipe Tips
- Prepping ahead of time. The best part of this recipe, hands down has to be that you can do all the hard work ahead of time. You just prep the recipe but don’t grill it.
- Storing. Keep the pork pinchos no more than 5 days in the fridge. The most important part is that you cover the meat so it doesn’t dry out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make Pinchos de Cerdo in an air fryer?
Yes, you can “grill” pork pinchos in an air fryer. Set it to 400°F and cook for 15 minutes. Just make sure to flip halfway through.
Do I have to precook the skewers before grilling?
While you don’t have to precook the meat, I really suggest you do. This only applies to pork skewers. This is because precooking the meat will help you get super tender pork chunks.
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Puerto Rican Pinchos De Cerdo
It doesnt maktter if you call them pinchos de cerdo or pork skewers, these are super easy and delcious!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Take the garlic paste and mix it in the oil. Cut the bread into 1 inch thick slices and set aside. Brush each side of each piece of bread with the garlic oil. Set it aside for later.
- Cut the pork into 1 ½ inch thick chunks.
- In a big pot over high heat, add the meat, salt, adobo, sazon, onion powder, black pepper, and water. Cook for 40 minutes. Then drain the water and let the meat cool.
- Take a bamboo skewer and put 6 pieces of meat on each stick. Cook the skewers on a grill or grill pan over medium high heat.
- Cook the skewers for 15 minutes, but every 4 minutes brush some of the garlic oil on top and turn them.
- In the last 3 minutes, brush some of the bbq sauce over and finish cooking for 3 minutes.
- Add the bread to the grill and warm it up for 30 minutes per side. Serve and buen provecho!
Recipe Notes
- Making ahead- You can make this recipe ahead by boiling the meat, putting it in the sticks, and freezing. Then all you have to do is grill them. Just make sure that you seal the pinchos well so they don’t get any freezer burn.
- Meat- For the meat, I used a pork butt. You can use any pork cut that is fatty. This is because the fat will help the meat not be dry.
- Seasonings- I used the typical blend of seasonings used in Puerto Rico when seasoning meat. But you can use your own seasonings and just use my method of cooking the pinchos de cerdo.
- Sauce- You can use your favorite BBQ sauce. I like to mix my BBQ sauce with salsa de guayaba for a sweet touch.
- Bread- When making pinchos, typically, pan de agua or pan sobao is used. But any loaf of bread should be good for this recipe.
- Additions- If you want to add vegetables between the meat chunks, you can do so. My favorites are peppers and onions, but you can also add sweet plantains.
Nutrition
Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 1926mg | Potassium: 477mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg
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