Thai Pork Satay

Thai Pork Satay on a white plate with a side of sauce in a bowl

The Spruce / Crystal Hughes

Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 35 mins
Servings: 2 to 4 servings

Pork satay is popular street food in Thailand, where it is eaten as both a snack and an entrée. You can make your own Thai pork satay at home on the grill or in the oven. The former is preferred to get the authentic smoky char on the meat, but baking the pork in the oven works in a pinch.

Serve the Thai pork satay with an easy peanut sauce, which can be whipped up in just minutes, on the side for dipping. It's a great party dish because it can be picked up and eaten with your hands, and satay can be frozen and reheated for your next satay craving.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pork

  • 1 shallot, minced

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

  • 4 tablespoons fish sauce

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice

  • 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

  • 1/3 cup honey

  • 1/2 cup coconut milk

  • 1 package wooden satay sticks

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Thai Pork Satay ingredients on plates

    The Spruce / Crystal Hughes

  2. If using wooden satay sticks, set them in water to soak while you prepare the satay (this will keep them from burning).

    Wooden satay sticks in a glass baking dish with water

    The Spruce / Crystal Hughes

  3. Cut the pork into thin strips that are approximately 1 to 3 inches wide.

    Cut the pork into thin strips on a cutting board

    The Spruce / Crystal Hughes

  4. Combine all other ingredients to make a marinade, stirring well to dissolve the honey. Taste the marinade. This marinade should taste both sweet and salty; if you'd prefer it to be spicier, add more cayenne pepper.

    Marinade in a white bowl

    The Spruce / Crystal Hughes

  5. Pour marinade over the pork. Stir the meat well and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.

    Marinade and pork in a bowl

    The Spruce / Crystal Hughes

  6. When ready to cook, skewer the meat, weaving it lengthwise along the stick. Position the meat near one end of the stick, leaving the other half as a handle for turning.

    Marinated pork strips on skewers on a cutting board

    The Spruce / Crystal Hughes

  7. Brush grill grates with oil and then lay satay on the grill for 5 to 7 minutes, or until meat sizzles and browns. Turn sticks and grill the other side another 5 minutes, or until cooked but still tender.

    Thai Pork Satay on the grill

    The Spruce / Crystal Hughes

Glass Bakeware Warning

Do not use glass bakeware when broiling or when a recipe calls to add liquid to a hot pan, as glass may explode. Even if it states oven safe or heat resistant, tempered glass products can, and do, break occasionally.

Tips

  • Serve with an Easy Thai Peanut Sauce and rice on the side.
  • If desired, garnish with fresh coriander and fresh-cut red chiles.
  • These satays make a great finger food to hand out at parties together with the peanut sauce as a dip.
  • If you can find fresh lemongrass and galangal in an Asian market, chop them up and add to the marinade for a more authentic flavor.
  • To cut the pork more easily, put it in the freezer for 20 minutes before you slice it. This firms up the meat, making it easier to thinly slice it without risking injury to your fingers or butchering the flesh.

Recipe Variations

  • Mince three green onions and use them instead of the shallot.
  • Lemon juice is a good substitute for lime juice in this recipe.
  • To make oven-baked satay, preheat the oven to 400 F. Prepare a baking sheet, and then arrange the pork skewers on it. Cook until the pork is cooked through, about 15 minutes. You can also broil the satay, placing the pan 3 inches from the broiling element, until the meat is cooked through.
  • Replace the pork with thin slices of boneless, skinless chicken breast.


Nutrition Facts (per serving)
442 Calories
22g Fat
30g Carbs
32g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 442
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 22g 28%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 100mg 33%
Sodium 1596mg 69%
Total Carbohydrate 30g 11%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 25g
Protein 32g
Vitamin C 4mg 22%
Calcium 57mg 4%
Iron 3mg 18%
Potassium 631mg 13%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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