Pinchos Morunos (Moorish Skewers)

Brining helps the meat stay moist over the high heat of the grill—even if it stays over the flames a tad too long.

Updated March 31, 2023

I have a love/hate relationship with skewers. They're great when you have a lot of people over, cooking quick and to order, but they're also easy to overcook and not all that impressive. Rarely have I earned boasting rights from a skewered piece of meat.

Luckily, there are some solutions to make skewers better. First, brining helps the meat stay moist over the high heat of the grill, even if it stays over the flames a tad too long. Second is picking a great marinade.

The Andalusian region of Spain really has something going with the marinade for pinchos morunos, or "Moorish skewers." As the name implies, the spice mixture that adorns the pork is of Moorish influence and gives the meat an earthy flavor. Served in small tapas portions or the heftier skewers I went for, this is some meat-on-a-stick I can get behind.

July 2011

This recipe was cross-tested in 2022 and lightly updated with more accurate timing to guarantee best results.

Recipe Details

Pinchos Morunos (Moorish Skewers) Recipe

Prep 15 mins

Cook 45 mins

Marinating Time 90 mins

Total 2 hrs 30 mins

Serves 4 servings

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

For the Brine:

1/4 cup kosher salt (1.2 ounces; 35g)
1/8 cup sugar (1 ounce; 30g)
2 quarts (1890ml) cold water
2 pounds pork tenderloin (32 ounces; 900g), trimmed of silverskin and excess fat

For the Skewers:

1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
4 medium cloves garlic, minced (4 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, sliced, for serving

Directions

To make the brine, whisk salt and sugar in cold water until completely dissolved. Place tenderloin in brine and place in refrigerator for 1 1/2 hours.
While pork is brining, mix together olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, paprika, cumin, coriander, oregano, turmeric, salt, thyme, and black pepper in a small bowl.
Remove tenderloin from brine. Pat dry with paper towel and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Place pork in a large resealable bag and pour in spice mixture. Seal bag and toss to thoroughly coat pork in marinade. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 1 to 2 hours. Meanwhile, soak wooden skewers in cold water.
Remove pork from refrigerator and thread onto pre-soaked wooden skewers. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Alternatively, set all the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Grill skewers over high heat, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides and an instant read thermometer inserted into thickest portion of pork registers 140°F (60ºC), 10 to 15 minutes total.
Remove to a platter, let rest for 5 minutes, then serve with lemon wedges.

Special equipment

Wooden skewers, chimney starter, grill

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
566	Calories
24g	Fat
31g	Carbs
62g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	566
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g	30%
Saturated Fat 5g	25%
Cholesterol 166mg	55%
Sodium 3863mg	168%
Total Carbohydrate 31g	11%
Dietary Fiber 7g	24%
Total Sugars 15g
Protein 62g
Vitamin C 109mg	547%
Calcium 109mg	8%
Iron 5mg	30%
Potassium 1361mg	29%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.