Earlier this year Smithfield asked me if I’d be up for creating some recipes using some of the Marinated Fresh Pork products that they offer.
Back in March I used their Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin to make Teriyaki Pork Fries With Sriracha Mayo and then then followed those up with a Pork Sirloin Benedict in April and Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin Sliders With Pineapple Coleslaw in June.
This time I used their Garlic & Herb Pork Loin Filet to make some delicious shish kebabs. Now I know that making a kebab isn’t anything new or innovative, but think about the kebabs you have at most backyard get-togethers… the meat on them is usually boring, unseasoned beef or chicken right? The great part about these Smithfield products is that they arrived pre-seasoned so not only do they taste amazing, but they save you a ton of time.
Obviously you can add whatever you want to your kebabs, but for mine I used white mushrooms, red and green peppers, grape tomatoes, sweet onion and zucchini in addition to the Garlic & Herb Pork Loin Filet.
You can do these kebabs one of two ways. The first is to slice up all the meat and vegetables in advance and cook them all together on skewers. Now, I know that this is perfectly acceptable and the way most people do it, but I’ve never been a fan of doing it this way for one reason — I don’t like charred vegetables. Sure, I want them nice and crispy, but if you have them on the grill for 20 or 25 minutes — which is how long these Smithfield Seasoned Fresh Pork products take to cook — the meat will end up perfect, but the vegetables are going to be a little overdone.
What I prefer to do, and what I did when I made these, was to throw the Pork Loin Filet on the grill for 20 minutes while I cut up my vegetables. Then, when those were ready I removed the pork from the heat, sliced it up, assembled my kebabs and put them back on the grill for five more minutes. Not only is this a time saver, but in my opinion it also leaves you with kebabs that are much tastier.
It’s hard to make a bad shish kebab, but at the same time, I’m rarely ever blown away by them like I was with these. For as much as I’d like to take the credit though, the bulk of it truly lies with Smithfield’s Garlic & Herb Pork Loin Filet.