Grilled Pork Satay Skewers
Simple Grilled Pork Satay Skewers are cooked within minutes and no marinating needed. These moist grilled pork tenderloin smothered in a rich and flavorful homemade satay sauce are sure to be a hit this summer.
It’s fun to try out new recipes and cuisines. I’ve been enjoying cooking Southeast Asian dishes lately such as Chicken Pho Soup. Satay is another Southeast Asian dish that consists of skewered meat with a spiced sauce that usually includes peanuts. Sweet, tangy, salty, slightly spicy…all the good flavors are here.
These Pork Tenderloin Satay Skewers are an authentic-style recipe made with a simple homemade sauce that’s great on the grill.
Isn’t satay normally made with chicken?
Satay refers to the sauce, so any meat such as pork tenderloin can be used. It’s a tender, juicy, lean cut of pork that’s packed with flavorful protein. Pork tenderloin can be sliced, diced, or cubed to speed up grilling time.
Satay Sauce Ingredients
- Sweet and sour sauce
- Coconut milk
- Minced garlic
- Peanut butter
- Fresh basil
- Five-spice powder
This combination of flavors creates a rich and authentic satay sauce the makes meat taste amazing. It also has an ideal consistency that coats the meat with a lovely layer of flavor.
Do you need to marinate the pork?
Unlike other pork skewers like Pork Kabobs, this recipe doesn’t need to marinate which makes it quick and easy. That’s what makes this recipe so great. Simply toss strips of pork tenderloin in the sauce until well coated.
As you can see in the photo below, the sauce coats well and sticks to the pork, making these Pork Satay Skewers ready in a flash.
Pro tip: Cutting the pork tenderloin into thin strips before grilling creates more surface area for the sauce and allows for faster cooking on the grill.
How to Make Pork Satay on the Grill
- Start by slicing the pork tenderloin in half-inch strips.
- Stir pork into the prepared homemade satay sauce until well coated.
- Thread the meat onto wood or metal skewers accordion style. Reserve any remaining sauce.
- Preheat grill to medium heat. Add pork skewers, close lid, and cook 5-7 minutes until bottoms are seared.
- Rotate and coat tops with the remaining sauce. Close lid and cook 5 minutes more, or until internal temp reaches at least 145-150° F.
Tips for grilling pork skewers
Marinating the meat isn’t required: To save time, you can simply coat the strips of pork in the satay sauce and grill. However, if you let it sit in the sauce for 1 to 2 hours in the fridge it will help infuse extra flavor.
Bring the meat to room temp: Let the pork sit at room temp for 20–30 minutes. This helps to evenly cook the meat on the grill. If grilled cold, the outside may burn before the centers are cooked to a safe temp.
Soak wooden skewers: Soak skewers in water for about 30 minutes to help prevent burning the wood. Alternately you can use metal skewers.
Grill over medium heat: This is the ideal heat to create nice sear marks while cooking the meat to the ideal doneness. A higher heat may burn the meat before it’s cooked.
What temp to grill pork satay
Grill pork skewers over medium heat on the grill, or about 400 degrees F. Cook until seared, and the internal temp of the pork reaches 145-160° F for medium to medium-rare.
How long to grill pork skewers
Grill 5–7 minutes over medium heat with the lid closed. Rotate the skewers and grill 5 minutes more.
How to Make Pork Satay in the Oven
Don’t have access to a grill or it’s too cold outside? No problem, you can also make pork satay in the oven.
Place prepared pork skewers on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place in the middle of the oven and broil on high for 5 minutes. Rotate and broil about 5 minutes more until the internal temp reaches 145-160° F
More grilled pork recipes you may like:
- Grilled Pork Chops
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- Cowboy Coffee Rub Grilled Pork Chops
- Grilled Pork Stuffed Peppers
More recipes with pork:
- Pressure Cooker Chile Verde Pork
- Carolina Pulled Pork
- Pulled Pork Sliders
- Honey Apricot Pork Chops
- Honey Mustard Sheet Pan Pork Chops
- Herbed Pork Loin
- Pesto Rubbed Pork Sirloin
- Carnitas Breakfast Tacos
- Spinach Parmesan Stuffed Pork Loin
- Carnitas Enchiladas
- Pork Quesadillas
- Pork Fajita Tacos
- Sweet Potato Carnitas Bowls
View all pork recipes on Plating Pixels.
Grilled Pork Satay Skewers
Ingredients
- 2 pounds pork tenderloin
- ⅔ cup sweet and sour sauce
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil plus extra
- 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- ⅛ cup chopped peanuts
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together sweet and sour sauce, coconut milk, garlic, peanut butter, basil and five-spice powder. Set aside.
- Cut pork tenderloin into ½-inch square strips lengthwise and toss with satay mixture until well coated.
- Let the meat sit at room temp 15-30 minutes before grilling, or cover and chill 1-2 hours to allow flavors to soak in even more, then bring to room temp.
- If using wooden skewers soak in water for 15 minutes to prevent burning. Thread pork tenderloin strips on skewers accordion style, reserving remaining satay sauce.
- Preheat grill to medium heat. Add pork skewers, close lid and cook 5-7 minutes, until bottoms have sear marks.
- Rotate the skewers and coat tops with remaining sauce. Close lid and cook 5 minutes more, or until internal temp reaches at least 145-150° F.
- Sprinkle with chopped basil and peanuts as garnishes and serve immediately.
Notes
This looks so good! I’ve never made pork satay– I’m going to try this next time I have pork tenderloin (it seems to pretty hard to find right now)! Thanks for sharing
These sound fantastic, I love anything satay!
These look absolutely incredible. I don’t have pork satay that often but its so good!
Glad you agree Bintu, thanks!
These satay skewers looks absolutely mouthwatering! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hi Chris, thanks so much and you’re welcome!
These look SO good. We usually do chicken satay, but I am going to have to try these.
Hi Danielle. I’ve never made chicken satay, but these were definitely tasty and juicy with the pork.
Pork tenderloin is something I always wish I had more recipes for. These satay look devine, can’t wait to try them!
A agree Colleen. It a great tasting and lean meat, but seems like chicken is way more common. Hopefully recipes like that help provide tasty alternatives.