Sensational Skewer Recipes -- The Day I Took Over the Grill and Didn't Look Back

Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer and one week until Sofia graduates and I am holding it together with cafe con leche and sheer willpower. Eduardo asked me this morning if I am okay and I said, I am FINE, Eduardo, in a voice that was not fine and we both knew it was not fine and he made me cafe and sat with me at the kitchen table and held my hand, which is the most physically affectionate thing Eduardo has done since 2014 and which made me cry, which made him hold my hand harder, and we sat there for ten minutes, two people who have been married for twenty-nine years, holding hands at a kitchen table, not talking, just being. This is marriage. This is the part they do not tell you about at the wedding. The hand-holding at the kitchen table when the world is changing and you cannot stop it and all you can do is hold on.

I grilled. I GRILLED. Me, Carmen Delgado-Ortiz, at the grill. Eduardo was so shocked he took a photo. I grilled pinchos — meat skewers with adobo — because Memorial Day requires grilling and I decided that this year I was going to do it myself instead of watching Eduardo char things. I marinated the pork in adobo all night. I threaded it onto skewers with bread cubes between the pieces, the way they do at the kiosks in Luquillo Beach. I lit the charcoal. I controlled the heat. I turned the skewers at the right moment. And they were perfect. PERFECT. Juicy, smoky, caramelized on the edges. Eduardo ate four and said, These are better than mine. I said, Eduardo, everything I make is better than yours. He said, I know. He smiled. Thirty years and this man still surprises me with his grace.

The whole crew was here — Miguel Jr. and Jenny (who is now officially my daughter-in-law-to-be and who brought a pasta salad that was actually good, progress upon progress). Rosa came from New Haven. David came from Brooklyn early for graduation week. Sofia was in the backyard with friends, laughing, being seventeen, being young, being on the edge of everything.

I stood at the grill with smoke in my eyes and pinchos sizzling and my children all around me — four of them, all here, all fed, all alive — and I thought: this is the last Memorial Day with Sofia in high school. Next year she will be a college student. Next year everything will be different. But right now, right now, the pinchos are perfect and everyone is here and the smoke smells like the island and the sun is warm and I am not going to cry at the grill because tears and charcoal do not mix. Save the tears for the sofrito. The sofrito can handle them.

If I am going to tell you to make these skewers, I have to be honest with you: I almost did not make them myself. I almost handed Eduardo the tongs like I do every year and retreated to the kitchen to make rice. But something about this particular Memorial Day — Sofia’s last as a high schooler, the hand-holding at the kitchen table, the feeling that time is moving faster than I can catch it — made me want to be the one standing at that fire. These pinchos-style skewers, marinated overnight in adobo and threaded with bread cubes the way they do at the kiosks in Luquillo, are exactly what I made, and I am giving you the recipe so you can make them too, whether it is your first time at the grill or your thirtieth.

Sensational Skewer Recipes: Pinchos de Puerco (Puerto Rican Pork Skewers)

Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus overnight marinade) | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes active | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sazon seasoning (optional but recommended)
• 1 loaf Cuban or Italian bread, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (about 24 cubes)
• Metal or soaked wooden skewers

Instructions

1. Make the adobo marinade. In a large bowl, whisk together the garlic, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper, salt, olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and sazon if using. Taste and adjust seasoning — the marinade should be bold and savory.
2. Marinate the pork. Add the pork cubes to the marinade and toss to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight for best results. The longer it marinates, the deeper the flavor.
3. Prepare your grill. Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling. Prepare a charcoal grill for medium-high direct heat, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high (about 400°F). Oil the grates lightly.
4. Thread the skewers. Thread the pork and bread cubes onto skewers, alternating: bread cube, pork cube, bread cube, pork cube, ending with a bread cube. The bread cubes soak up the drippings and char slightly at the edges — this is the best part.
5. Grill the pinchos. Place skewers on the grill over direct heat. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, turning two to three times, until the pork is cooked through and caramelized at the edges and the bread is golden and toasted. Total grill time is 15 to 20 minutes. The internal temperature of the pork should reach 145°F.
6. Rest and serve. Transfer skewers to a platter and let rest 3 to 4 minutes before serving. Serve with hot sauce, lime wedges, or your favorite dipping sauce on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 780mg