Ginger Pork Skewers (Air Fryer or Grill)

Japanese-inspired pork skewers on a serving plate with cucumber and cherry tomato

4.50 from 2 votes

Ginger Pork Skewers (Air Fryer or Grill)

These Asian Ginger Pork Skewers are fragrant and juicy with a savory flavor. They require just handful ingredients and can be either air-fried or grilled.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Marinating Time30

Total Time50

Course: Appetizers and Side dishes, Main Dish

Cuisine: Asian Fusion, Japanese

Keyword: asian pork skewers

Servings: people

Calories: 213kcal

Author: Sophie

Equipment

Air fryer
Meat mallet
Grill pan

Ingredients

1 lb pork shoulder
1 oz ginger, peeled and sliced, then crushed (about 1½ tablespoons of crushed ginger)
1/2 tablespoon crushed garlic
4 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons honey (or more to taste)
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
8 skewers
cucumber sticks (to serve)

US Customary - Grams

Instructions

Slice pork into thin slices, about 1/4-inch thick. Briefly pound pork with a pestle or meat mallet (flat side) to tenderize it. Place in a bowl.
In a small bowl, combine ginger, garlic, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Taste and adjust to your liking. Pour 2/3 of the marinade over the pork and reserve the rest to baste the pork when cooking.
Mix the pork with the marinade and marinate at room temperature for 25-30 minutes. After that, thread onto skewers.
Preheat your air fryer at 350°F (or 180°C) as recommended in the manual. Place the skewers in the basket and then cook for 5-6 minutes. After that, open the air fryer and baste both sides of the pork skewers with reserved marinade, and then cook for another 2-3 minutes or until pork is fully cooked.
Alternatively, you can cook the skewers on the grill (or grill pan) for several minutes until fully cooked. Oil the grates well before grilling and use the reserved marinade to baste the pork while grilling.
Serve immediately with cucumber sticks (and rice, optional) on the side.

Video

Notes

If you are short on time or don't want to bother with pounding the meat, you can slice the pork a little thinner. Then reduce the marinating time to about 15 minutes, or it can be too salty. You may also need to reduce cooking time accordingly.

I like to use pork shoulder since it has a combination of meat and fat. If your pork has little fat, brush the skewers with oil before grilling/air-frying.

Cooking time may vary depending on air fryer brands and how many skewers you cook and how large they are. I use a 220V Philips XXL air fryer with a 2200 watt heating system. Additionally, I cooked the skewers in two batches so that everything was in a single layer.

Nutrition