Brine-Cured Pork Kabobs with Molasses Glaze, Jalapenos and Papaya

The brine-cure makes the meat tender and juicy. The glaze adds a sweet, smoky spice that works well with all three elements on this skewer.

Ingredients:

2 T molasses

3 clv garlic, minced

2 serrano chiles, seeded and minced

1 one-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated

0.5 t crushed red pepper flakes

0.75 c extra-virgin olive oil

0.5 T sea salt

1 pn freshly ground black pepper

6 c water

0.25 c sugar

3 T kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

2 bay leaves

1 T whole black peppercorns

1 T whole cloves

3 clv garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1.75 lb pork loin, cut into 1 1/2" cubes

0.5 large mexican papaya, quite firm and not too ripe peeled seeded and cut into 2 inch chunks

16 jalapeno peppers, sliced lengthwise and seeded

0 pepper to taste

0 olive oil, as needed for grill

Yield	Servings
Source	Adapted from Martha Stewart Living
Prep time	5 hours
Recipe
Ingredients	sugar serrano chiles salt pork loin peppercorns papaya olive oil molasses jalapenos ginger garlic crushed red pepper cloves bay leaf

Yield

Source

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Prep time

5 hours

Recipe

Ingredients

sugar serrano chiles salt pork loin peppercorns papaya olive oil molasses jalapenos ginger garlic crushed red pepper cloves bay leaf

Directions

To make the molasses glaze: Whisk molasses, minced garlic, chiles, ginger, pepper flakes, and oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Keep sealed at room temperature for up to one week.

To brine the pork: Combine water, sugar, salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, and sliced garlic in a non-reactive bowl. Add pork , cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to over night. Drain and set aside.

To make the kabobs: Thread alternating pieces of pork, jalapeno halves, and papaya chunks onto 8 skewers. Brush with molasses glaze and season with salt an pepper.

To grill the kabobs: Arrange skewers, off direct heat, on a hot grill. Cook, rotating often and brushing with more glaze or olive oil as needed to prevent sticking. The pork should be nearly cooked through, barely pink and still juicy in the center, about 10-12 minutes total cooking.

Remove the skewers from the grill, taking care to keep the softened papaya form slipping off. Brush them one more time with the glaze if you like and allow them to rest about five minutes before serving.

Notes:

makes 8 skewers

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living