Moo Ping (Thai-Style Grilled Pork Skewers) Recipe (2024)

  • Recipes by World Cuisine
  • Asian
  • Southeast Asian
  • Thai

These skewers will have you forget all about sad takeout satay.

By

Sasha Marx

Moo Ping (Thai-Style Grilled Pork Skewers) Recipe (1)

Sasha Marx

Senior Culinary Editor

Sasha is a senior culinary editor at Serious Eats. He has over a decade of professional cooking experience, having worked his way up through a number of highly regarded and award-winning restaurant kitchens, followed by years spent in test kitchens for food publications.

Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process

Updated February 27, 2023

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Moo Ping (Thai-Style Grilled Pork Skewers) Recipe (2)

Why It Works

  • Thinly slicing pork shoulder allows the meat to pick up flavor from the punchy marinade, and speeds up cooking time.
  • Setting up a charcoal grill just for cooking skewers makes it easier to produce lightly charred pork that is juicy and tender.
  • Brushing skewers with unsweetened coconut cream while cooking keeps meat moist, and creates a sticky glaze on the surface.

If you were to conduct a poll in the United States asking people what comes to mind when they hear the words "Thai grilled skewers," I would wager over 97 percent of folks would answer, "chicken satay." People love chicken satay, and I don't have any bones to pick with their skewer choices. I would also venture a guess that the absence of bone-picking is part of what appeals to a dining public that willed the "boneless chicken wing" into marketing existence. Satay is great, but there are plenty of other Thai options in the grilled meat-on-a-stick extended universe. One of my favorites ismoo ping—grilled pork skewers, a popular street food in Thailand.

Moo Ping (Thai-Style Grilled Pork Skewers) Recipe (3)

These skewers are made with sliced pork tossed in a savory-sweet marinade, which balances the saltiness of Thai fish sauce, soy sauce, and oyster sauce with the roasty sweetness of palm sugar. Garlic and white pepper provide plenty of bite. Traditionally, garlic is pounded to a paste in a mortar and pestle with cilantro root, but to make this dish more accessible, mince garlic cloves and substitute minced tender cilantro stems in place of the harder-to-find cilantro root. An optional, but highly recommended, pinch ofMSG powder(a common ingredient used by Thai street food vendors) gives the marinade a savory boost.

Moo Ping (Thai-Style Grilled Pork Skewers) Recipe (4)

As with myal pastorskewers, I thinly slicepork buttinto strips sized for skewering. After marinating a few hours, the pork pieces get threaded onto skewers, bunched tightly together to prevent the skewer from burning and breaking during cooking; the only parts of the skewers that should be exposed are a two-inch handle at the bottom, and just the very tip at the top.

Once the skewers are assembled, it's time torig up your grill for skewer-cookery.This set up mimics the grilling rigs you would find at street-food kiosks in Thailand. The pork can be grilled directly over the coals, or on top of a wire rack balanced on the bricks.

As the pork cooks, brush skewers with unsweetened coconut cream, which forms a sticky, shiny glaze on the meat while keeping the pork moist as it grills. The skewers need to be turned and brushed continuously in order for the meat to cook evenly, and to manage flare-ups caused by dripping pork fat.

Moo Ping (Thai-Style Grilled Pork Skewers) Recipe (5)

Once the meat is lightly charred and cooked through, take skewers off the grill and let them rest for a couple of minutes before you dig in. The skewers are great as-is, but you can jazz them up with a squeeze of fresh lime, or, if you're feeling industrious, a batch ofdried chili-vinegar dipping saucefor dunking. Nobody will be missing sad takeout satay.

July 2019

Recipe Details

Moo Ping (Thai-Style Grilled Pork Skewers) Recipe

Prep40 mins

Cook50 mins

Active30 mins

Marinating Time4 hrs

Total5 hrs 30 mins

Serves4to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 medium cloves garlic (20g), minced

  • 2 tablespoons (15g) minced cilantro stems, plus fresh cilantro leaves for serving

  • 2 tablespoons (30g) finely chopped palm sugar (see note)

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) fish sauce

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) oyster sauce

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons (6g) ground white pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon (2g) MSG powder (optional)

  • 2 pounds (900g) pork butt, in one piece

  • 1 (5 1/2-ounce; 160ml) can unsweetened coconut cream (see note)

  • 1 recipe Thai dried chili-vinegar dipping sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, combine garlic, cilantro stems, palm sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, and MSG (if using), and stir until palm sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

  2. Freeze pork for 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes (partially freezing the pork makes it easier to slice). Using a sharp chef's knife or slicing knife, slice pork against the grain into 2-inch-long, 1-inch-wide, and 1/8-inch-thick strips. The easiest and most efficient way to do this is to start by portioning the pork butt into 2-inch-wide by 1-inch-thick pieces, and then slicing those pieces crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick strips.

  3. Combine pork and marinade in a large bowl, and toss until every piece of meat is evenly coated in marinade. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 36 hours.

  4. Thread one piece of pork onto a skewer, piercing it through twice to secure it, then pushing meat tightly together like an accordion. Continue threading pork onto skewer, making sure meat is tightly bunched together, leaving no parts of the skewer exposed except for a 2-inch handle at the bottom, and the pointy tip at the top. Repeat skewering process with remaining pork.

  5. Set up grill for skewers, making sure to adjust distance between bricks to the length of your skewers. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly in the channel between the bricks.

  6. Place skewers directly over hot coals, balancing on top of bricks, with handles overhanging the bricks closest to you and the tips balancing on the farther wall of bricks. Using a brush, brush pork with coconut cream. Cook, turning skewers and brushing pork with coconut cream frequently, until meat is lightly charred, and a piece of pork looks cooked through when removed and cut in half, 8 to 10 minutes; if flare-ups occur, move skewers around as needed to get them away from the flames. Transfer to serving platter and let rest for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately, passing lime wedges, as well as cilantro and dipping sauce (if using), at the table.

    Moo Ping (Thai-Style Grilled Pork Skewers) Recipe (6)

    Moo Ping (Thai-Style Grilled Pork Skewers) Recipe (7)

Special Equipment

Grill, chimney starter, bricks, bamboo skewers

Notes

Palm sugar, sometimes labeled as "coconut sugar," can be found at Thai markets, or online. For this recipe, an equal amount of packed light brown sugar can be substituted for palm sugar if you have trouble sourcing it.

Coconut cream is a richer, thicker, more concentrated version of coconut milk. Find it in cans in the same aisle as canned coconut milk. It is not the same as cream of coconut, which has added sugar.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The grilled skewers are best enjoyed immediately. The marinade can be made in advance, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. The pork can be marinated for up to 36 hours.

Read More

  • Adana Kebabs (Ground Lamb Kebabs)
  • Thai
  • Grilled Pork
  • Pork Shoulder
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
455Calories
27g Fat
25g Carbs
27g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4to 6
Amount per serving
Calories455
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 27g34%
Saturated Fat 13g65%
Cholesterol 97mg32%
Sodium 553mg24%
Total Carbohydrate 25g9%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 23g
Protein 27g
Vitamin C 3mg13%
Calcium 46mg4%
Iron 2mg11%
Potassium 458mg10%
*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.)

Moo Ping (Thai-Style Grilled Pork Skewers) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you know when pork skewers are cooked? ›

Meat products that are minced or skewered along with poultry and pork products must always be cooked through to the centre. These meats include turkey, chicken, burgers, sausages and kebabs. Use a meat thermometer to check that such meat is cooked to 75ºC.

How to grill moo ping? ›

Brush the skewers with oil, then place on the grill over medium high heat. Allow to cook for ~5 minutes on each side until the pork is cooked through. Baste with coconut milk if you like. Serve the moo ping skewers immediately with a side of sticky rice.

What is moo ping made of? ›

One of my favorites is moo ping—grilled pork skewers, a popular street food in Thailand. These skewers are made with sliced pork tossed in a savory-sweet marinade, which balances the saltiness of Thai fish sauce, soy sauce, and oyster sauce with the roasty sweetness of palm sugar.

What is the difference between Moo Yang and Moo Ping? ›

Moo yang refers to Thai grilled pork typically made from pork neck and grilled over charcoal, known for its smoky flavor. Moo ping is a street food dish, using skewered pork marinated in a sweeter sauce, often grilled quickly and served with sticky rice.

How long do you grill skewers for? ›

Grill kabobs over direct heat of approximately 400°F. Kabobs with 3/4-inch cubes require approximately 8 to 10 minutes of total time on the grill, flipping halfway through. Bigger chunks will take a few more minutes.

How long does pork take to cook? ›

How to cook a pork roast
Cut of porkCooking timeOven temperature
Pork rack with rind45 minutes per 1kg20-30 minutes*: 220°C Then: 180°C
Pork scotch fillet without rind40 minutes per 1kg180°C
Pork topside (mini roast pork) without rind40 minutes per 1kg180°C
3 more rows

What cut of pork is best for skewers? ›

Use pork shoulder, pork belly, and/or pork butt sliced into 1-inch long by 1/2-inch wide pieces to make grilled pork skewers.

What cut of pork is used for kabobs? ›

The best cut of pork to use for kebabs is tender and lean like pork neck meat or tenderloin. Because the meat won't cook long on the grill, you want a tender cut that won't dry out.

What does moo ping mean in Thai? ›

Mu ping (Thai: หมูปิ้ง, pronounced [mǔː pîŋ], lit. 'grilled pork') is a portion of street food in Thailand. It gained popularity in 1952, when food transport carts were redesigned and turned into street vendor carts.

Is moo pork in Thai? ›

Moo or Mu is the Thai word for Pork. These delicious pork skewers are always served with a packet of sticky rice and they can be found for breakfast, lunch or dinner at Thai street food markets for a tasty, portable breakfast.

How long should I barbecue pork? ›

Thin pork chops typically take 8 minutes to cook (4 minutes of searing on each side). Thick pork chops typically take about 20 minutes to grill to perfection - 8 minutes of searing over direct heat, plus 12 minutes of finishing over indirect heat.

What does Moo Nam Tok mean? ›

In Thai, Moo is pork and Nam Tok means waterfall (หมูน้ำตก). The dish is originally from the northeastern Isan area of Thailand. The name comes from traditionally the meat was cooked to medium-rare, so it still contained blood when it was done, and when sliced the blood would run out from it like a waterfall.

How do you know when skewers are done? ›

Beef and lamb kabobs

Beef and lamb should reach an internal temperature of 63°C (145°F) for medium-rare meat, 71°C (160°F) for medium and 77°C (170°F) for well-done meat. The edges of the kabob pieces should be browned, but it's not necessary to be browned all over.

Can pork skewers be pink? ›

In short, yes! We used to be afraid of pink pork because of a parasite known as trichinosis, but the risk of contracting it is virtually nonexistent these days. Like beef, pork temperatures are designed to cook the meat long enough to nix E. coli, which means it may have a little color in the middle.

Can pork kebab be pink? ›

Can Safely Cooked Pork Be Pink? Cooked muscle meats can be pink even when the meat has reached a safe internal temperature. If fresh pork has reached 145°F throughout, even though it may still be pink in the center, it should be safe. The pink color can be due to the cooking method or added ingredients.

What does pork look like when its done cooking? ›

The typical doneness levels of beef (rare, medium rare, medium, and well) are evaluated by cooked color (AMSA, 1995). Such guidelines have not been established in pork products. While beef follows a red to pink to brown pattern as it is heated, pork turns from pinkish-red to less pink to tan or white.

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