Asian Pork Kabobs

Many years ago my friend Art brought these tasty asian inspired kabobs to a party. He threw them on the grill and minutes later we were wolfing them down as fast as he could cook them up. These kabobs pack a fantastic punch of flavor from the ridiculously easy to make marinade. You will either love them or hate them, there is no in between, no sitting on the fence of indecision with these tasty kabobs. I have yet to serve these up to anyone that didn’t devour them. I have been making these kabobs for decades and we never grow tired of them. They’re a fantastic, finger licking good, family favorite!!!

Jump to Recipe

How To Make Asian Pork Kabobs:

• The hardest part of this recipe? Grating the fresh ginger for the marinade. I found that using the smaller holes on my box grater makes quick work of grating the fresh ginger needed for this recipe.

Start by making the marinade for the slices of pork tenderloin. To make the marinade combine equal parts soy sauce, sesame oil, and vermouth. A third cup of each makes plenty of marinade for an entire pork tenderloin roast.

What I love about this recipe:

• Using a third of each ingredient means you can easily scale up or down the amount of marinade if you are using more or less pork. If you love the zip of ginger, add more. Not a fan? Use a bit less. Love garlic, add more of that too. Adjust the amounts of garlic and ginger to suit your personal taste. I tend to go pretty heavy handed with both the garlic and the ginger.
• For the best, most intense flavor, use freshly grated ginger and freshly minced garlic instead of powdered ginger or powdered garlic.

Grate about an inch of fresh ginger root and add it to the soy/sesame/vermouth mixture.

Add 4-6 cloves of minced garlic. We love lots of garlic so I usually add even more most of the time.

Stir everything together to combine.

Slice an entire pork tenderloin into slices that are about 1/4 inch thick. Place pork tenderloin slices in a large zip lock baggie and pour in the marinade.

What is the best cut of pork to use for these kabobs?

• A lean pork tenderloin will produce the most tender kabobs, but a lean pork loin will work just as well, it just won’t be quite as tender. I would avoid using a pork shoulder or pork butt for these kabobs. Pork roasts have a lot of marbled fat that are better suited for slow cooking. Go for a leaner cut of pork for these kabobs.
• Cutting the pork into thin slices instead of cubes gives you more surface area that the marinade can soak into which equals more flavor in every delectable bite.

Seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator. Allow the sliced pork tenderloin to marinate for at least 2 hours but overnight in the fridge produces the best flavor.

Smooch (one of my very technical cooking terms…LOL) the bag around a few times as the meat marinates just to make sure that all the slices of pork make contact with the marinade and soaks in all the delectable flavors.

When ready to cook, slide each piece of marinated pork onto a bamboo skewer. I usually use 1-3 slices of meat per skewer. It just depends on how big your slices of pork are. If I’m serving these as a main dish I tend to use more meat per skewer, for an appetizer, just one slice per skewer.

Use an up and down technique, like a fan, to secure the sliced meat to the skewer.

Discard extra marinade and preheat your grill. When the weather is nice I fire up the barbecue grill outside but during the cold winter months I use this stovetop grill instead of battling the cold weather outside. I like using this stovetop grill when I only have a small amount to cook up. The ring holds water which produces steam when it’s heated which keeps the meat nice and moist. It’s quite the ingenious little gadget. This is one kitchen gadget I actually use on a regular basis.

Grill kabobs over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes per side. Because the meat is sliced so thin, these kabobs cook up quickly so keep a close eye on them. You don’t want to overcook them, resulting in dried out meat. The aim is to cook them all the way through, with a nice little char for flavor on the outside but keeping them moist and juicy on the inside.

What to serve with kabobs:

These kabobs are oh so tasty served over a bed of rice pilaf. This flavor packed side is not your typical bland, boring, uninspired rice pilaf. Not only is it easy to make but it pairs beautifully with fish, chicken, or steaks and it’s especially delicious with these flavorful pork kabobs. Get it going on the stove before you start grilling your kabobs.

Or cook up some of the Best Ever, Skillet Baked Beans to serve alongside those kabobs. These irresistible savory, slightly sweet beans are infused with smoky bacon flavor that makes them mouthwateringly delicious! It’s a hearty side to round out the meal. Be sure to get them going in the oven long before you fire up the grill for the kabobs. These beans need to bake for quite a while to allow the sauce to thicken and caramelize for the best flavor.

Do you have a house full of pasta lovers? These easy to make TikTok Cafeteria Noodles have gone viral on social media. They cook up in just a few short minutes on the stove making them the perfect quick and easy side to serve up on a busy weeknight. Everyone loves these noodles!

Perhaps you’re hankering for something a little healthier and lighter to serve with these kabobs. Enjoy the tangy goodness of this Copycat Olive Garden Iconic Salad at home anytime you get a hankering for it. You’ll love how easy it is to make and it tastes just like the salad that’s served up at the Olive Garden. DELICIOUS!

My personal favorite way to serve these kabobs for dinner? Over a bed of flavorful rice pilaf with a side of this Rockin’ Good Rocket Salad. It’s an easy to make, healthy arugula salad tossed in a tart, lemon vinaigrette, topped with crunchy toasted pumpkin seeds and shaved Parmesan cheese. Who says healthy can’t also be easy to make and delicious?

No matter what side you pair these kabobs with, everyone is going to love them! Serve them as an appetizer at your next get together or as the main dish for dinner tonight. Prep them the night before and all that’s left to do is get them cooked on the grill. Be sure to give these kabobs a try, I think you and your whole family will love them! They make an appliance on the table at least 3-4 times a month. They’re that good!

This post was originally published July 2020 and republished with updated photos, recipe notes, and new content January 2025.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Did You Make This?

Be sure to snap a pic and tag it #naturewayblog I love, love, love hearing from my readers!  Please, don’t forget to leave a comment and a review below, and be sure to follow me on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, TELEGRAM or TWITTER for all the latest happening here at Nature Way!

May I ask a small favor?  If you enjoyed this blogpost would you be so kind and like the page? Just click the “like” button down at the very bottom, at the end of the post. It lets me know what you are enjoying the most.  It also helps me focus my attention on creating content that will be most meaningful and beneficial to you, my readers.  And don’t forget to subscribe:

When you sign up you’ll never miss out on all the latest that’s happening here at Nature Way. I promise to never spam you, ever! Cross my heart. Thank you and God bless!

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31