Bulgarian Pork Skewers

70 min · Easy · Serves 1

700 kcal per serving · 42g protein

Shishcheta are the skewers you smell at every Bulgarian street grill and village fair: juicy cubes of pork neck in a red paprika marinade, threaded with pepper and onion. This version cooks in a grill pan on the stove, so you don't need a barbecue. Serve with bread and a simple tomato salad.

Ingredients

• 250 g Pork neck steaks, cubed
• Red bell pepper × 1
• Onion × 1
• 1 tbsp Sunflower oil
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 0.5 tsp Chubritsa (summer savory)
• 1 clove Garlic
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 pinch Black pepper

Method

1. Cube the Pork

   

   Cut the pork neck steaks into even cubes about 3 cm — roughly the size of a walnut.

2. Stir the sunflower oil

   

   In a medium bowl, stir the sunflower oil, paprika, chubritsa, crushed garlic, a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper into a red paste.

3. Toss the pork cubes

   

   Toss the pork cubes in it until every piece is coated, then leave for 30 minutes at room temperature (or covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours).

4. Thread the Skewers

   

   Cut the pepper and onion into pieces about the same size as the meat. Thread everything onto 2–3 skewers, alternating meat, pepper, meat, onion — and leave a small gap between pieces.

5. Heat a dry grill pan

   

   Heat a dry grill pan (or heavy frying pan) over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes — a drop of water should sizzle and vanish instantly.

6. Lay the skewers

   

   Lay the skewers in and cook about 12 minutes total, turning them a quarter-turn every 3 minutes, until browned with dark grill marks on all sides.

7. Rest the Meat

   

   Move the skewers to a plate and let them rest for 3 minutes so the juices settle back into the meat before you eat.