Pincho Moruno Vasco

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8 metal skewers or soaked wooden skewers, about 20cm
• •Barbecue, plancha, or heavy cast-iron grill pan
• •Fine grater or mortar
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the pork

   Trim away hard silverskin, but leave the small seams of fat. Cut the pork into 2.5cm cubes, put it in a bowl, sprinkle over the 12g salt, and toss well. Pésalo, no lo adivines: that salt seasons the meat all the way through while it rests.

   Pork neck, collar, or shoulder is the right cut because it forgives the hard heat. Lean loin works only if you cut it a little larger and stop cooking the moment it is just done.
2. 2

   Make the adobo

   In a second bowl, mix the olive oil, grated garlic, sweet pimentón, pimentón picante if using, cumin, coriander, oregano, turmeric or saffron, black pepper, sherry vinegar, and crumbled bay. This adobo, the marinade, should be loose, glossy, and brick red. If it looks dry, add another teaspoon of oil. Pimentón wants oil around it; dry heat makes it bitter.

   If you buy preparado para pinchos morunos, the butcher's spice mix, check the label for salt. If it is already salted, use only 6g salt on the pork.
3. 3

   Marinate overnight

   Pour the adobo over the pork and work it through with your hands until every piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours, and 12 to 24 hours is better. Two hours gives you spice on the outside. Overnight gives you pincho moruno.

4. 4

   Thread the skewers

   Take the pork from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Thread 4 to 5 pieces onto each skewer, leaving a little space between the cubes so the edges can brown instead of sitting pressed together. Heat a barbecue, plancha, or heavy cast-iron pan until very hot.

   If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes first. Metal skewers are easier and hold the heat well.
5. 5

   Char fast

   Oil the grate or pan lightly and cook the skewers hard and fast, turning every 2 minutes, until the corners are dark, the red oil shines on the surface, and the pork reaches 63°C in the thickest piece, about 7 to 8 minutes total. Rest 3 minutes, then finish with chopped parsley and a pinch of flaky salt. Serve at once with bread for the pimentón oil. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for aguja, cabeza de lomo, pork neck, collar, or shoulder. Tenderloin is too lean for this unless you are very careful, and a dry skewer is a poor bargain.
• •Use pimentón de la Vera if you can. If all you have is good smoked paprika, use it, but the flavour will be simpler and a little less rounded. Do not add bottled smoke; the char gives enough.
• •The vinegar is small on purpose. Leave the pork in a sharp marinade for days and the texture turns woolly. Eight to twenty-four hours is the window.
• •Crowding is the enemy. If you cook indoors, use a heavy pan and give the skewers space, or the meat leaks juice and boils in its own pan instead of browning.
• •Serve them with bread and a small glass of txakoli or young Rioja Alavesa. If you need to stretch the plate for a table, fried potatoes in olive oil are the right company.

Advance Preparation

• •Measure the dry spices up to 1 month ahead and keep them sealed away from light. Add the garlic, oil, vinegar, and meat the night before cooking.
• •Marinate the pork 8 to 24 hours ahead. Do not push it much longer; the garlic and vinegar start to take over.
• •Thread the skewers up to 4 hours ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator. Bring them out 30 minutes before cooking.
• •Cooked skewers keep 2 days in the refrigerator. Reheat quickly in a hot pan just until glossy and hot through, not until grey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 230g)