This Asian Pork Kabobs Recipe uses a simple marinade to tenderize and add tons of flavor to a budget-friendly cut of pork. Cooked on the grill and paired with sliced vegetables and wild rice, the kabobs make a beautiful, flavorful meal.

Are they really ribs?

Shoulder Butt Country Style Ribs, also known as Pork Shoulder Ribs, or Country Style Pork Ribs, are not ribs at all. They are a boneless, thick and tender cut of pork, sliced into meaty strips or “ribs.” This cut of pork can also be used to make pulled pork or carnitas.

Can’t find Country Style Ribs?

If you can’t find this cut of meat at your local grocery store, no worries! Use the same marinade on a pork tenderloin. No need to cut or skewer it. Grill it direct for 4 minutes per side and then indirect until it reaches 145°F (about 15 minutes).

Let’s Marinate!

To add a load of flavor and help tenderize the pork, we use a marinade with Asian-inspired flavors: garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar, and Tamari, which is a gluten-free soy sauce.

After mixing the marinade ingredients together, heat it for 30 seconds in the microwave or on the stovetop to help incorporate the honey. Then reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade to add to your vegetables later.

While you are heating up the marinade cut the ribs into 1 inch chunks and poke them with a fork. This will help the marinade penetrate throughout the entire piece of meat. Place the pork and marinade in a resealable bag and refrigerate overnight, preferably for 24 hours. At minimum, allow for one hour in the marinade.

A Note on Tamari & Soy Sauce

Tamari and Soy Sauce can be used interchangeably in all of my recipes. Tamari has a little richer flavor and its saltiness is less pronounced, but they are both made from fermented soybeans. However, most soy sauces also use fermented wheat in their production process, so those sensitive to gluten should avoid it.

Our family has been eating gluten-free for over a decade due to my daughter’s food allergy, so we use all gluten-free ingredients in this recipe. Feel free to substitute soy sauce if you like.

Time to Cook!

If you plan to use wood or bamboo skewers, first soak them in water for 30 minutes. This prevents them from burning on the grill. While they soak, slice the vegetables and heat your grill to medium-low.

Next, put the pieces of pork onto skewers. Leave a little room between the pieces to allow for even cooking. Cook the Asian Pork Kabobs over the medium-low fire for 8-10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Rotate the kabobs once during cooking to get even browning.

What to Serve with this Asian Pork Kabobs Recipe

We serve the Asian Pork Kabobs with wild rice or coconut rice and sautéed vegetables. You could also grill the vegetables, if desired.  While cooking the vegetables, simply add a little of the marinade that you reserved from the prior day to marry the flavors of the pork kabobs and vegetables together.

Coconut Rice

I love to spice up our rice by adding different liquids, spices, and herbs. A little change can make a huge difference in taste and prevent the dinner doldrums.

bowl of basmati rice cooked with coconut milk
Everyday rice gets an upgrade with the simple addition of coconut milk.

For coconut rice, simply replace one cup of the rice’s cooking liquid with coconut milk. The result will be a more creamy, slightly nutty flavored rice that tastes amazing with this dish. Basmati rice (brown or white) is my personal favorite rice to use for this. Be sure to double the amount for rice cereal in the morning!

bowl of coconut rice with sliced peaches, cinnamon
Cooking rice with coconut milk makes a magically delicious breakfast! Add cinnamon, brown sugar and spiced peaches (a Trader Joe’s fav) for an amazing combination.

Time Saving Tip:

If I’m short on time, I skip the sautéed vegetables and simply steam green beens or broccoli in the microwave to serve with the pork. Then drizzle a little of the marinade on top for added flavor.

Other Great Recipes for the Grill

When grilling season arrives, we like to make the most of it with these grill-friendly recipes!

Pro-Tips

If you use fresh ginger often, I’d highly recommend that you pick up one of these fresh ginger graters. They make it so easy to simply grate an inch of ginger rather than cutting the fibrous root. Also, I usually have a nub of ginger root left over after using it in a recipe, so I grate it and freeze it in an ice cube tray for another recipe, or add it to a smoothie.

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Asian Pork Kabobs Recipe


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  • Total Time: 1 hour

Description

Asian Pork Kabobs that go great with grilled vegetables and wild rice. Recipe from PocketChangeGourmet.com


Ingredients

Scale

Marinade

  • 1/2 Cup Tamari (Gluten Free Soy Sauce)
  • 3 Tablespoons Mizkan Rice Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Cup Beef Broth (or 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon + 1 cup water)
  • 1/3 Cup Honey
  • 2 cloves Garlic, miced
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Ginger Root, minced

Kabobs

  • 2 pounds Pork Shoulder Butt Country Style Ribs

Vegetable Side Dish

  • 2 Green Bell Peppers
  • 1 Red, Yellow and Orange Sweet Pepper
  • 1 Large Yellow Onion
  • 12 ounces of Bean Sprouts
  • 1/2 Cup reserved Marinade

Instructions

Marinade

  1. Mix all marinade ingredients together in a microwave safe container
  2. Heat for 30-45 seconds and stir to incorporate honey, reserve 1/2 cup
  3. Place marinade and meat in a resealable ziplock bag (or covered ceramic dish), and place in fridge for several hours or overnight.

Kabobs

  1. Soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes and prepare grill.
  2. Slice vegetables.
  3. Cut ribs into 1 inch pieces
  4. Thread onto skewers
  5. Cook over medium low fire on a grill (or cast iron griddle pan)8-10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145°F
  6. Remove kabobs from heat once cooked to desired doneness and let rest for 5 minutes
  7. Serve with Wild Rice and Vegetables, drizzled with the marinade.

Vegetable Side Dish

  1. Cut all the peppers into julienne strips
  2. Rough chop the onion
  3. Add 2 Tablespoons of cooking oil to a large nonstick pan
  4. Add peppers and onion
  5. Cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes
  6. Add reserved marinade and sauté for 2 minutes
  7. Add bean sprouts and heat through

Notes

*If you do not need to keep your meal gluten-free, you can substitute traditional soy sauce for the Tamari.

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
Author

1 Comment

  1. Thanks! This recipe looks yummy! I often can get pork for under $1.50 a pound for steaks and chops, so it makes it a frugal option for us!

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