Bourbon Glazed Pork Skewers
Add some flare to your backyard bash with these mouthwatering pork skewers kabobs coated in a sweet glaze of bourbon and orange juice.
We love to grill when the weather warms up. Correction … The Husband loves to grill. I love that he loves to grill because that means I am not responsible for dinner. But I feel like we get in a grilling rut. It’s always burgers, hot dogs, sausage or steaks. I have a hard time coming up with something different.
Kabobs are the perfect solution. Not only does it open up all sorts of possibilities (basically if you can stab a skewer through it, you can call it a kabob), but they are fun to eat. The glaze I use when preparing my Bourbon Glazed Baked Ham is so delicious, I decided to try it on some tasty grilled veggie and pork skewers.
What You’ll Need
- 1 cup of orange juice
- 1 ½ cups of packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons of mustard
- ½ cup of bourbon
- 2 teaspoons of salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 1 pound pork loin, cut into chunks and trimmed of fat
- 2 green bell peppers
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 purple onion
- 8 ounces of sliced white mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Make the Bourbon Glaze
Combine the orange juice, brown sugar, mustard, bourbon and one teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the cornstarch until there are no lumps and the mixture is smooth. Bring the glaze to a boil and cook until it has thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Set the glaze aside to cool slightly.
What Type of Bourbon Should You Use?
There are tons of varieties of bourbon on the market, some more expensive than others. Keep in mind, this recipe only calls for 1/4 cup of bourbon, which means you are going to have a leftover bottle in your cabinet. If you enjoy sipping bourbon, then pick something you could see drinking later such as Knob Creek, Maker’s Mark or Four Roses.
If you’re not a bourbon drinker, a less expensive brand such as Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, Old Crow, and Heaven Hill are fine for this recipe. Then check out some of my other recipes for ideas on how to use up the rest of that bottle.
Assemble the Pork Skewers
Cut the pork loin into 1-inch pieces. Place the pork loin in a medium mixing bowl. Pour half the glaze over and stir the pork pieces until they are all coated. Set the other half of the glaze aside for basting while the skewers are cooking.
Slice the green and red bell peppers into sections large enough to skewer. Cut the purple onion into eighths. Place all the peppers, the onion and the mushrooms in a large freezer bag. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil over the top and sprinkle in the remaining teaspoon of salt and ground pepper to taste. Seal the bag and shake it up to coat the vegetables.
You can use metal or wooden skewers for this. If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water 30 minutes prior to cooking to prevent the skewers from burning. Thread the meat and vegetables onto the skewers – alternating the meat with the vegetables.
Preheat a grill to medium high heat or preheat the broiler and move the oven rack to the top third of the oven. Grill or broil for seven minutes. Turn the kebabs over and baste with the reserved marinade. Grill or broil for an additional seven minutes. Serve with additional glaze for dipping.
More Kabob Recipes:
Bourbon Glazed Pork Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon mustard
- ½ cup bourbon
- 2 teaspoons salt divided
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 pound pork loin trimmed of fat
- 2 green bell peppers
- 2 red bell peppers
- 1 purple onion
- 8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Combine orange juice, brown sugar, mustard, bourbon and one teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk in cornstarch until smooth. Bring to a boil and cook until glaze has thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Set glaze aside to cool slightly.
- Cut the pork loin into 1-inch pieces. Toss the pork loin in half the glaze until coated. Set the other half of the glaze aside for basting.
- Slice the peppers into sections large enough to skewer. Cut the purple onion in the eighths.
- Toss the peppers, onion and the mushrooms with the olive oil and the remaining teaspoon of salt.
- Thread the meat and vegetables onto the skewers – alternating the meat with the vegetables.
- Preheat a grill to medium high heat or preheat the broiler and move the oven rack to the top third of the oven. Grill or broil for seven minutes. Turn the kebabs over and baste with the reserved marinade. Grill or broil for an additional seven minutes.
- Serve with any remaining glaze for dipping.
