This is a recipe update from July 2008. Souvlaki is probably the best known as most popular Greek offering. It is made and enjiyed by Greeks in their home and it appears on practically every Greek restaurant and taverna’s menu.
Here, I present to you the pork souvlaki. For best results, marinade the pork the night before and soak your wooden skewers in water overnight as well. Each summer, the queries on my blog spike up with hungry folks looking for THE souvlaki recipe, this may be your answer.
I don’t think this blog can go on much longer without including a recipe for souvlaki. You’ve all had it at Greek restaurants and tavernas, at the diners owned by Greek families and at practically every eating establishment in Greece.
To truly enjoy a souvlaki, one should try it in the home of a Greek. Here, I marinade pork butt into tender grilled morsels.
I find pork butt or a trimmed pork belly to be the most flavourful and there’s just enough fat in the cut to heighten taste and keep the meat moist. You may certainly use a leaner cut of pork but the butt (shoulder) or belly is my preference.
Souvlaki is what I served at my Birthday party as the meat portion of the evening. As I was serving an array of dishes, I cut the pork into small, bite-sized pieces. When in Greece, you’ll notice the souvlakis are smaller than what we see here at Greek restaurants, where the souvlaki and accompaniments are made into a dinner.
In Greeece, souvlaki is more of a street food. Within each block of a city, a small souvlaki and gyro shop will be present with few seats and lots of spots for patrons to stand up, eat a few “kalamakia” (sticks), with some Tzatziki, a beer and some bread.
This marinade is simple, it’s got good taste and you can certainly apply it to chicken or lamb souvlaki.
Pork Souvlaki
(serves 4)
1 boneless pork butt (shoulder, approx 1 kg.)
1 medium onion, grated
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 heaping tsp. salt
1 heaping tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup vegetable (or canola) oil
1 heaping tsp. dried Greek oregano
wooden skewers (soaked overnight)
- Trim excess fat from your pork butt and cut into uniform pieces.
- In a large bowl, add your remaining marinade ingredients along with the pork pieces and toss to mix and coat all the meat. Place in the fridge for at least 5 hours and for best results, overnight.
- Place your wooden skewers in a shallow baking dish that’s filled with water. Allow the wooden skewers to soak overnight (so they don’t disintegrate when grilling).
- The next day, a couple of hours before you are going to grill your souvlaki, allow the pork to come to room temperature and then start skewering your meat (it’s easier when your meat’s at room temperature).
- Pre-heat your gas grill (or prepare your charcoal grill) and when you have a medium-high heat, grill your souvlakia for 3-4 minutes a side and then keep warm until all the souvlaki are cooked.
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice on your souvlakia with a sprinkle of fine sea salt and dried Greek oregano.
- Serve with some crusty bread or try some homemade pita bread and Tzatziki.
135 Responses
this is so “masarap” peter.;can you send some over here :-)
btw, i heard over the news last night that there were fires again in some cities of greece due to extremely hot weather..this saddened me reminded me of last years fire :-(
Goodmorning Peter !!!
Great recipe for souvlaki !!! As you can see we dont cook them home at all because we can find them anywhere … I have never taste this sauace but i think it will be great !!!
Yeah, yesterday we have 645(!!!) fires in Greece !
Mmmm..a recipe true to my heart! Its so true, you can get them anywhere in Greece but I love prepping them at home. In Australia they’re preferably made with lamb and I actually prefer them like that. We always serve souvlakia at Greek bbq’s along with biftekia, paidakia, etc…a never ending feast!
Delicious looking souvlaki – much better than you can buy here. I would not have guessed that prok butt was the shoulder!
Oh Peter what are you doing to me??? The regret of missing this birthday party will haunt me for a while!
Souvlaki is one of my favorite Greek foods. At least now I can make it at home! I can’t wait to try it…now to find some happy pork butt. LOL!
Peter, nice looking platter of souvlakia! Pork shoulder is our preference as well, both for souvlaki and kontosouvli. For the third time… I wish I had been at the party! :)
mmmm – pork souvlaki? I have only ever tried them with lamb, but this sounds like a lighter alternative, mmm…
Oh boy! This is one of my favorite Greek dishes! I love it! Thanks for the recipe.
The best souvlaki I have had personally is still in Kastraki in the heart of Meteora…never tried it with pork though…I could be easily swayed.
hehe souvlaki… ya I guess it is a must have on your blog…yet at the same time it’s nice you’ve delayed on this to allow ppl to discover the less famous/popular Greek dishes! Peter, seriously, it’s always such a pleasure to check your blog especially ever since I came back from Greece…it sends some sunny memories through my computer screen!!!
I’ve never had souvlaki but this looks so amazing, Peter! I adore Tzatziki….wow, now I’m going to be craving Greek food all day.
Finally, a recipe for SOUVLAKI! I’m jumping for joy!
*I’m going to make souvlaki, I’m going to make souvlaki, I’m going to make souvlaki!*
Pork butt – that sounds so funny, but I get the point, I prefer pork shoulder chops above pork loin too, much, much more flavor!!!!
Pork butt – that sounds so funny, but I get the point, I prefer pork shoulder chops above pork loin too, much, much more flavor!!!!
Pork butt – that sounds so funny, but I get the point, I prefer pork shoulder chops above pork loin too, much, much more flavor!!!!
Pork butt – that sounds so funny, but I get the point, I prefer pork shoulder chops above pork loin too, much, much more flavor!!!!
Pork butt – that sounds so funny, but I get the point, I prefer pork shoulder chops above pork loin too, much, much more flavor!!!!
Pork butt – that sounds so funny, but I get the point, I prefer pork shoulder chops above pork loin too, much, much more flavor!!!!
Pork butt – that sounds so funny, but I get the point, I prefer pork shoulder chops above pork loin too, much, much more flavor!!!!
Pork butt – that sounds so funny, but I get the point, I prefer pork shoulder chops above pork loin too, much, much more flavor!!!!
Pork butt – that sounds so funny, but I get the point, I prefer pork shoulder chops above pork loin too, much, much more flavor!!!!
Dhanngit, salamat…come over…I'll make you some souvlaki from "babui"!lol
Lampro thanks but you've never had Tzatziki????
Pete, anything from home is best. As for souvlakia in OZ, it interesting that lamb is preferred there for souvlaki and gyro.
Cake, indeed..pork butt = shoulder.
Judy, what was I to do…put a gun to your heads? You should have taken my recommendation after I showed you the great lunch spot. Next year?
Sam, me to kalo, next year and isn't pork butt the best?
Kittie, the most popular souvlaki in Greece is made from pork.
Sticky, you're most welcome.
Val, practically all souvlaki in Greece is from pork and now more chicken souvlaki is popping up.
Marianna, Greeks love souvlaki but the stigma that we eat this all the time is plain FALSE. On to other dishes as you state.
Oh Leah…I can't believe you've never eaten souvlaki…jot down the recipe & try it this weekend.
JS…how about a cartwheel or two? lol
Nina, the loin is too lean…dry end result, IMO.
this looks awesome Peter!
Hola Chico! Your birthday was a non-ending party!!!! :D
Your Souvlaki reminds me of pinchos morunos but with a different marinade… equally delicious :D. Pork is a good choice for me.
Missed a few posts.Busy times. Your parties offerings look wonderful. Cant believe you havent postedabout Soulvaki. BTW : My trip to Toronto was cancelled:-(. See youin the fall maybe.
Oh, this is certainly going on my next weekly menu! I’m always looking for good new ways to cook pork. Can’t wait to try it.
Mmmmm – I could eat that right now! Looks really lovely Peter.
I couldn’t get ‘Greek’ oregano where I am in the UK but I got a bag from Greece, so I’m all set to make that now!
Souvlaki-licious!
Wow that looks amazing! I haven’t had proper Souvlaki in years…
Grilled pork just rocks. But I am like some of the others here,I have only ever had lamb souvlaki (come to think of it gyros are also lamb with beef)…I am wondering if I am living in a parallel universe. That would explain A LOT! LOL! :)
Happy Birthday again! Glad you had a good one!
Mmmmm …. pork in all its wonderful glory — your souvlaki is enticing. We have a new Greek restaurant opening in our neighborhood and I’m so excited for it to open its doors. I blame this on you and Peter G – you both have me salivating for Greek food!
I love souvlaki but have never made it myself. This looks delicious to me. My growling stomach says I really need to start learning more about Greek food…and go on a vacation to Greece.
We spent 3 weeks there in May-June last year and my husband said it was the most relaxing vacation ever. We stayed away from the party islands and summer season crowds. Greeks are so welcoming and hospitable. And of course the food is amazing! You really need to go!
I love souvlaki but have never made it myself. This looks delicious to me. My growling stomach says I really need to start learning more about Greek food…and go on a vacation to Greece.
I love souvlaki but have never made it myself. This looks delicious to me. My growling stomach says I really need to start learning more about Greek food…and go on a vacation to Greece.
I love souvlaki but have never made it myself. This looks delicious to me. My growling stomach says I really need to start learning more about Greek food…and go on a vacation to Greece.
I love souvlaki but have never made it myself. This looks delicious to me. My growling stomach says I really need to start learning more about Greek food…and go on a vacation to Greece.
I love souvlaki but have never made it myself. This looks delicious to me. My growling stomach says I really need to start learning more about Greek food…and go on a vacation to Greece.
I love souvlaki but have never made it myself. This looks delicious to me. My growling stomach says I really need to start learning more about Greek food…and go on a vacation to Greece.
I love souvlaki but have never made it myself. This looks delicious to me. My growling stomach says I really need to start learning more about Greek food…and go on a vacation to Greece.
I love souvlaki but have never made it myself. This looks delicious to me. My growling stomach says I really need to start learning more about Greek food…and go on a vacation to Greece.
Pork souvlaki is my fave souvlaki, the more garlic the better.
I will take a couple of skewers, lots of tzatziki, some salad and a beer or three.
Your grill marks are excellent, mark of a true grilling craftsman.
Yummy Peter! It is officially pork butt day!
Oh my! What a delicious looking feast. Need any help with the leftovers?
Thanks Meghan!
Nuria, souvlaki and pinchos are similar, indeed.
Glam, sorry to hear biz in TO got cancelled. I guess you heard the company you deal with just got sold?
Hi Jaden…this should do the trick for ya!
Jenn, nothing wrong with lamb or chicken, it’s just that pork souvlaki is the usual in Greece.
Allen, try it out and if it sucks…you come back here and make your own.
Mike, Greek food is amazing and not difficult.
Natashya, I love a gal that enjoys beer!
Pam, long live pork butt!
Dragon, no leftovers. ;(
Love this. I was thinking of making the recipe using pork tenderloin. what do you think?
I’m glad the party is still going on…
I very much like how you finish the souvlaki, with the lemon, salt and oregano. And since my palate was just cleansed, I can REALLY taste it!
Absolutely yummy!! like so! xxGloria
this sounds soooo good.
Thanks for the recipe!
I have a pork tenderloin in the freezer and guess what I am doing this weekend? It will be a fine time for swine!!!! hehehe
How does it feel to be dictating what people eat? Oh, the power you have…use it wisely! :D
i can smell this from my screen – cooked to perfection! what a mouthwatering post!
LOL, I was thinking the same thing about having souvlaki in my blog. I <3 souvlaki (of course) and just ate about 6 skewers of it at my theo's this weekend for a birthday party (nevermind the steak I had for dinner… ;) Looks great, of course, Peter.
Any recipe containing the phrase “1 heaping tsp. dried Greek oregano” immediately captures my immediate attention… :-) Thank you for educating me so that I can now try fixing this at home! I’m so excited!
I love souvlaki! All your food always looks so good.
The long awaited Souvlaki post! It was well worth the wait as it looks great!
Bah! It must be nice to use a shoulder cut for souvlaki. I’m always cooking for fat-phobic people who insist on pork tenderloin. Which grills up like wood chips unless you have a magic wand. I don’t have a magic wand.
Any suggestions? (I already marinate the blasted stuff.)
souvlaki is my go-to dish at all greek restaurants. it’s almost always delicious–there’s just something about it that sends me to a happy place. :)
Helene, you certainly may but I found the meat a little dry with the tenderloin.
Lori Lynn, that last touch really makes the difference…bread and souvlaki…yum!
Thank you Gloria!
Anon, you’re welcome.
Anna, lol…I don’t dictate anything but I offer up what I feel to be delicious food. You may use pork tenderloin but I find it dries out.
Maria, thanks…this batch tasted great.
Elly, I had to eventually get around to souvlaki…it was bound to happen.
Astra, enjoy…it’s a great recipe.
Lisa, thank you…now you can have it at home.
Thanks Kevin…move over Danforth!
Lulu, treat yourself to your own batch of souvlaki…made with potk shoulder…a little more work but hey…it’s better than eating wood chips!
Grace, everyone was “happy-happy”…moist, succulent meat.
I’m Australian, so I am another “Hey, wow! Pork!” person. I love lamb souvlaki, so I have to try pork as well!
Greek people can’t live without souvlaki, we make souvlaki with every kind of meat and also souvlaki fish (I’ve tried this at my vacations – perfect!!)
We can find souvlaki everywhere, but homemade souvlaki is really better.
Yous looks great Peter, so well cooked!!!
I often leave comments on your site, Peter, but either you delete them, or they never get to you?????? I commented on this this morning. Just wanted to say – I also prefer the pigs butt and shoulder.
I often leave comments on your site, Peter, but either you delete them, or they never get to you?????? I commented on this this morning. Just wanted to say – I also prefer the pigs butt and shoulder.
I often leave comments on your site, Peter, but either you delete them, or they never get to you?????? I commented on this this morning. Just wanted to say – I also prefer the pigs butt and shoulder.
I often leave comments on your site, Peter, but either you delete them, or they never get to you?????? I commented on this this morning. Just wanted to say – I also prefer the pigs butt and shoulder.
I often leave comments on your site, Peter, but either you delete them, or they never get to you?????? I commented on this this morning. Just wanted to say – I also prefer the pigs butt and shoulder.
I often leave comments on your site, Peter, but either you delete them, or they never get to you?????? I commented on this this morning. Just wanted to say – I also prefer the pigs butt and shoulder.
I often leave comments on your site, Peter, but either you delete them, or they never get to you?????? I commented on this this morning. Just wanted to say – I also prefer the pigs butt and shoulder.
I often leave comments on your site, Peter, but either you delete them, or they never get to you?????? I commented on this this morning. Just wanted to say – I also prefer the pigs butt and shoulder.
I often leave comments on your site, Peter, but either you delete them, or they never get to you?????? I commented on this this morning. Just wanted to say – I also prefer the pigs butt and shoulder.
Hi Pete! Of course – there is no family meeting, event – anything, without a souvlaki! But seriously – I do not think a lot of Greek make souvlaki at official family events – only if there is a football match or any “simple” occasion. At least we do so.
There is no Olympiacos match without souvlaki first. And this is actualy the one and only thing, my husband loves to prepare. We buy our souvlaki at a certain butcher, and only the “small cut and squared”… I hope to have soon the opportunity to make photos of – to show you what I mean. We love souvlaki and we usually order 40 to 60 pieces (we want it worth to turn on the grill – ha-ha-ha)… Enjoy!
Although I don’t eat pork (except for pepperoni:)) I think this dish looks very appetizing and tantalizing:)
I think the recipe would be great with lamb too, right? Yum!
KaliMera Peter:
glad to see a marinade that does SOAK the meet in red wine and lemon juice. Your preration is authentic and on point. When I take them off the grill I lather them with some lardolemono sauce.
GREAT BLOG
DEMETRI FROM MAINE
Opps meant to say DOES NOT soak!!
early here!
Oh. YUM. Making this.
I’m new to this site. Awesome recipes. Peter, I live in northern California. Can you tell me if regular Oregano is a good substitute to Greek Oregano?
Foody, whatever meat you prefer is quite fine.
Elena, it’s true, souvlaki is everywhere in Greece but nothing like homemade.
Nina, I don’t delete them, perhaps the anti-spam lettering didn’t take?
Janulka, I have yet to like any of the prepared souvlakia from the butcher’s there.
Farida, this marinade would indeed work well with lamb.
Geia sou Demetre and thanks for dropping by and liking the marinade.
Nikki, you’re gonna luv it!
Anon, regular oregano is fine. The Greek is just more pungent.
Peter – We made these last night & they were to die for! We only changed the cut of meat using boneless country style ribs instead because we didn't want so much meat. Thanks for the fabulous recipe, I'm writing a rave review of it right now. Hope you are having a great time in Greece.
When I lived in Greece as a young kid I used to eat souvlaki all the time. Yum, yum yum! I haven’t had any here in the states as good as I got them in Greece.
Oh, Peter, another delicious winner! Thank you. I wish I had more pork, I’d make it again today. Just perfectly seasoned and tender,
This was the first thing I ate when I arrived to Greece. I love it…
YUMMY!!!
This looks Soooo-uvlaki GOOD Peter! ha ha :)
I Iove souvlaki and always have it when I go to Greece – yum!!
Looks delicious and mouthwatering. I hope to visit Greece one day.
Impressive. No one can make grilled meat look as delicious as you.
Souvlaki looks so good. I wish our weather would improve so that we can start grilling out again.
Yum Souvlakis!!!! I haven’t had a great one since I moved from Cyprus 20 years ago… I can’t wait to visit again, I’ll drive straight to that place and buy a couple :)).. Yours looks great and juicy, will try it this weekend. Thanks
OMG, that löooks fantastic! At my place that is one of our favorite (summer) dish!
Cheers,
Rosa
I hadn’t seen this one before. I’m loving the deep caramelization on the surface… Perfection!
it’s the most popular for good reason! thanks for revisiting your methods for us. :)
Delicious! And your photo is soooo inviting. The pork butt and pork belly are certainly the best choices as they will remain moist and not dry out.
I’ve had this out, of course, and once when I was in Greece, but have never made it myself. You are giving me great incentive to make this fabulous Greek dish.
You pork souvlaki is to die for, we make it a lot in the summer, perfection!
Your pork souvlaki is famous! Kat commented when I made your ladorigani that the souvlaki was her go-to dish! What’s updated about the recipe?
I do remember having a mythos beer with my souvlaki in Greece. I wonder if it is available here in the wild, wild west:D
Hi Peter. Can I use fresh Greek oregano instead of dry?
Judy, fresh is fine too!
The marinade is full of flavor. Grill ’em up!
Peter! It is just as good this time around! :)
Those souvlakia look amazing! I could easily eat a couple of sticks!
Oh one of my very favorite things in the world….this looks wonderful. I am going to try your recipe on one of the next sunny days…hopefully by the weekend!
That looks absloutely droolie delicous.
Your souvlaki looks so professional! I like the fact that you have used a fatty piece of pork. Fat is so essential to a good souvlaki.
Thank you, Peter. My husband will love me more now, because I have found such a great recipe. Pork is his meat of choice, too. I went to subcribe my e-mail – but nothing happened. Will you please get back to me when this is fixed. I would very much like to get your new posts when they come out. I am really glad you reposted this old standby. These are the basics that everyone cannot get enough of.
:)
Valerie
Long time first time! I have to hand it to you because your marinade is perfect. Too many receipes call for an acid and this changes the compexity of the final product. I make a lartholemono sause and slather the meat as it comes off the grill.
Three cheers to you for a great marinade!!
demetri
Peter, we have just finished dinner – this souvlaki is absolutely wonderful! Thank you so much – this recipe is so going in the “keeper” file!
Oh yum – thanks Peter. It’s wonderful when you post a link to a past blog and readers can enjoy them all over again. Love how you have used grated onion rather than lemon juice. I just hope we can wait 5 hours to enjoy them!
Excellent indeed. I marinated these on Friday night and really enjoyed them simply cooked on the indoor griddle as wet weather eliminated the barbecue preference. Just wonderful! Had the remainder for Sunday lunch on a pita wrap with salad and tzatziki. This has now become a ‘must do’ every 2 or 3 weeks.
Peter, just out of curiosity, how many people would this serve? I am assuming 1 pound is about 4 people, at a 1/4 lb a piece? I wanted to try this excellent recipe for a party this weekend, and want to get it right! thank you Peter!
Hi, I’m not sure if you’re still even monitoring this anymore – but I just wanted to say that we’ve been making this at least every summer since you first published it (10 years ago!) – it’s fantastic. Summer isn’t complete without souvlaki at least once – we got in just under the wire this year – yesterday was the last day of summer, and we enjoyed it mightily, as always!
We tend to pair our souvlaki with Greek white wines, assyrtiko being an absolute favorite.
Kristine, thanks for sharing….10 years and going strong!
I came back to see if I’d ever commented on this, and yup! I sure have! I just put the marinade together this evening for our first souvlaki of the year this week, this time with lamb. I’m very much looking forward to it – thank you again for “the” souvlaki recipe.
Welcome back Kris!
Hi, do you ever add lemon juice to the marinade? This looks great and thank you!
No lemon juice until after it’s cooked. Onion is the tenderizer and flavour component.
Thank you for the amazing recipe. My mother-in-law was born in Athens and lived in Greece until she was 20. She gives this 5 out of 5 stars! Our neighbour is a Cordon Bleu Chef who asks for this every summer.
My only comment is, we’ve found it perfect for pork, but if we use it for chicken we need to cut the salt in half. To suit various people’s tastes, we often do both when having company.
We make this at least 8 times each summer, our friends all request it and we love it!
You’re welcome Karen. You should also know I use kosher or sea salt in all my dishes. I rarely over-season.