Pinchos de Cerdo are a popular Puerto Rican street food. They feature marinated pork skewers grilled to perfection over an open flame. The skewers are often served with a piece of bread on top. They are known for their smoky, savory flavor and tender texture. This dish represents summer celebrations and town festivities on the island.
Pinchos can be made with any meat or even vegetables, but in Puerto Rico, they are most often made with pork unless noted otherwise. You’ll find them at chinchorros (food kiosks, carts, or trucks) across the island, especially during town festivals and celebrations, as well as at home for personal gatherings. Accompany pinchos with Arroz con Gandules, Arroz Amarillo (Puerto Rican Yellow Rice) or Cauliflower Yellow rice (as a low-carb option), or an escabeche salad of green bananas or Zucchini.
Because pinchos are an excellent recipe for gatherings and festivities, here are a few more recipes to help you plan your next gathering: Mojito Sauce (Savory Sofrito and Ketchup Sauce) is an excellent dipping sauce for these pinchos. Empanadillas, tasty and crispy meat pockets. Mofongo, fried and smashed green plantains with garlic and pork rinds. Ceviche is a briny fish, shrimp, onions, and tomato salad. Crispy Bacalaitos, deep fried salted cod fritters that are sure to please a crowd. And Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, spicy, juicy meatballs dipped in Buffalo sauce.
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Why this recipe works
- Extremely easy: Other than cutting the pork into bite-size pieces, Minimal prep is needed to prepare these tasty skewers.
- Flavorful: Juicy, smoky, and full of delicious spices. Packed with flavor from the marinade and seasoning.
- Customizable: It can be customized with different meats or veggies.
- Versatility: You can make them for a casual backyard hang out. Or as the main course for a family gathering. Great for meal prepping or quick weeknight dinners.
- Tradition: Bring a taste of Puerto Rico to any table, served with a classic piece of pan de agua (Puerto Rican Water Bread) for an authentic touch
- Fun and Crowd Pleasing: It is fun to eat on a stick—no utensils are needed. A crowd-pleaser for parties and BBQs.
Ingredients
- Pork: Pork is king in Puerto Rico, at least for this humble Puerto Rican cook. To make this recipe I used a mixture of pork loin and country-style ribs. The reason is that the pork loin is a leaner cut, mostly muscle. Whereas the country-style ribs, although there are no bones, the meat does have a good amount of fat and grizzle. This combination helps to balance the number of fatty pieces to the amount of lean.
- Adobo: Adobo means seasoning in Spanish. A combination of herbs and spices that create a unique flavor that tastes like Puerto Rico. Some ingredients onto limited or exclusive for the creation of adobo are onion, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, paprika, achiote, cumin, and coriander. AMst adobos can be found already mixed to perfection. But to create your own, please read my post on adobo, and you will learn how to make it as a fresh like a garlic paste or powder.
- BBQ Sauce: Growing up I want to say that the BBQ sauce used on pinchos was not just BBQ sauce, rather a combination of BBQ sauce and ketchup. Regardless, it was delicious. For this recipe, I used Hey Grill Hey BBQ sauce which has a great combination of sweet and tangy, and pairs well with anything your drizzle it on.
- Baguette: If a good Puerto Rican Pan de agua is unavailable, a French or Cuban baguette will do the trick. Pan de agua has a pale, thin golden yellow crust, that is smooth than a hardy crust. And inside, it is soft and airy, perfect for catching all the drippings.
For a complete list of ingredients, please see the recipe card.
Variations/Substitutions
- Other meats: You can make pinchos out of any meat you desire. Chicken is the next popular choice, but lamb pinchos would also work.
- Gas Grill: There is nothing wrong with a gas grill. Charcoal gives a smoky flavor that I am accustomed to from growing up on the island.
- Baked or roasted: If grilling is unavailable, consider roasting them in the oven. Set up a baking sheet with aluminum foil and a cool rack to catch the drippings, and you should be able to roast your pinchos easily in a 400 oven.
Step-by-step Instructions
Soak wooden skewers for at least 30 minutes before beginning the skewering process.
- Start by breaking down the meat.
- Cut the country-style ribs into bite-size pieces.
- Slice pork loin into 1-inch slices.
- Cut slices into 1-inch dice. Place meats into a mixing bowl.
- Season the meat with adobo.
- Add sazon and lemon juice.
- Continue with adding paprika.
- And salt.
- Add black pepper.
- Olive oil.
- Mix pork and cover each piece with seasonings. Here is an option to marinate the meat for 30 minutes to 24 hours before skewering, or you can let the pork marinate after skewering.
- Using soaked skewers, skewer four to five pieces of pork. Alternate between lean pork loin and fatty rib meat.
- At this point, the pork could be left to marinate for 30 minutes to 24 hours. After marinating, grill the kabobs until golden and golden.
Expert Tips
- Mix different cuts of pork to create a more balanced product. I used a pork loin which comes from the back of the pig, and mixed it with country-style ribs that come from the front end of the pig and have a great amount of fat and ”dark meat,” which tends to be very moist. This mixture allows for an end product that is both meaty and juicy.
- Marinate the meat overnight whenever possible to allow the flavor to permeate the meat. About 30 minutes before grilling, cover the meat with another layer of seasoning to create a burnt effect on the finished product.
Recipes FAQs
Pinchos is a quick-serve deish, and it has been in my experience that many individuals would take a relatively cheap cut of meat to make the kabobs, leaving the person who is eating it to struggle with gristle and hard cuts of meat. I love country-style pork ribs, but they, too, have a bit of gristle. I prefer to mix and match my cuts. I use a loin cut, mostly lean, and country-style ribs, which have fat and darker meat. This mixture creates a balance of texture, fat, and flavor.
You will most likely find pork pinchos in Puerto Rico, but you could also use chicken. Like I do with pork, create a mixture of dark and white meat to keep the final product juicy and tasty.
Do what is best for you. A 20-piece pack of metal skewers will cost you about $12. This is a cost-effective purchase because you do not have to purchase them again unless your guests or family accidentally throw them out. With the Bamboo skewers, you will get 100 pieces for $8.20, but they are single-use and tend to burn while cooking on the fire.
More Frituras and Appetizers Recipes
- Ceviche de Pescado y Camarones, Grouper and Shrimp Ceviche
- Grouper Bites, Chicharrones de Mero
- Tropical Red Sangria with Rum
- Bacalaitos, Puerto Rican Cod Fritters
I’d love to hear from you! Did you try this recipe? Leave a review and rating below. Let’s connect on Instagram, and don’t forget to join my weekly email list for fresh new recipes.
📖 Recipe
Puerto Rican Pork Kabobs, Pinchos
Equipment
- 12 skewers Soak for at least 30 minutes before use
- charcoal grill
Ingredients
- 1 lbs country-style ribs
- 3 lbs pork loin, boneless
- 2 tablespoon adobo
- 2 tablespoon sazón
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
Instructions
- Start by breaking down the meat.
- Cut the country-style ribs into bite-size pieces.
- Slice pork loin into 1-inch slices.
- Cut slices into 1-inch dice. Place meats into a mixing bowl.
- Season the meat with adobo.
- Add sazon and lemon juice.
- Continue with adding paprika.
- And salt.
- Add black pepper.
- Olive oil.
- Mix pork and cover each piece with seasonings. Here is an option to marinate the meat for 30 minutes to 24 hours before skewering, or you can let the pork marinate after skewering.
- Using soaked skewers, skewer four to five pieces of pork. Alternate between lean pork loin and fatty rib meat.
- At this point, the pork could be left to marinate for 30 minutes to 24 hours. After marinating, grill the kabobs until golden and golden.