Amazing Puerto Rican Pinchos de Cerdo (Pork)

Puerto Rican Pinchos are a summertime favorite. Traditional pinchos are typically made with pork chunks marinated in Puerto Rican spices and then grilled and topped with a slice of bread. If you have never had Pinchos before, then I guarantee you are in for a real treat!

Puerto Rican pinchos specifically refer to marinated and barbecued meat kabobs which also happen to be a popular street food. If you’ve visited Puerto Rico, you’ve probably seen street vendors selling pork or chicken pinchos from stands and food trucks. My mother-in-law is in town and when it is nice outside she makes pinchos & with her permission I am sharing her recipe. The pork pinchos have a delicious marinade and are perfect for spring and summer grilling since we love to cook and eat outside more when the weather warms up!

Here’s How to Make Puerto Rican Pinchos

The chicken or pork is marinated in a mixture of Puerto Rican spices and vinegar and then grilled. Once cooked, they are topped with barbecue sauce and then the skewer is topped with a sliver of bread.

• The Puerto Rican pinchos recipe calls for sazón con culantro y achiote and adobo all-purpose (red top) seasoning. Both sazón and adobo can be found in the Latin/Hispanic section of the grocery store. The sazón is a great seasoning blend and gives many Puerto Rican dishes their rich, reddish color.
• You can use whatever barbecue sauce you prefer when making these Puerto Rican pinchos, but I think they taste great with Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet & Spicy. If you like a little spice, this bbq sauce is awesome.
• It is traditional for pinchos to be completely meat, but if you like you can put some veggies in-between the pieces of meat for a more shish kabob style.

Ingredients for Puerto Rican Pinchos

2 pounds pork shoulder cut into cube size pieces (you can also use chicken)

1 packet of Sazon con Cilantro y Achiote

1 tablespoon Adobo seasoning (red top)

3 tablespoons Corn Oil

1 packet of

4 tablespoons of white vinegar

Extras

1/3 Cup of your Favorite Barbecue Sauce – I love Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet & Spicy

Baguette bread – sliced into 1 inch pieces to top skewers

Wooden Skewers

Make the marinade

Combine vinegar, 2 tablespoons oil, adobo, and packets of sazon in a bowl or ziplock bag. Add your meat to the bag or bowl and mix together until it is well blended and it is fully coated. Cover or zip up the bag. and put it in the refrigerator for an hour to help the marinade set in.

How To Assemble & Make Puerto Rican Pinchos

1. Place the bamboo skewers in a dish of warm water to soak until you are ready to use them. Make sure the skewers are completely submerged in the water.
2. Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator. Remove the skewers from the water and place on paper towels to dry slightly. Slide pork onto the skewers, leaving space on each end, until you have used all the pork.
3. Heat a grill to medium heat, then add the pork to the grill in a single layer. Grill the meat for 4-5 minutes, then brush with barbecue sauce before flipping the meat over and brushing barbecue sauce on the other side. Cook for 4-5 more minutes, then check meat for doneness. Brush more barbecue sauce onto the pork and cook for a few more minutes, or until pork has reached an internal temperature of 145° F. If you are substituting chicken, the internal temp should read 165° F.
4. Brush baguette pieces with the remaining Oil, then place them on the grill until toasted.
5. Add a piece of toasted bread to the end of each pincho skewer and serve.

That’s it! They are super easy to make & so delicious you will make them over & over. If you like this recipe or are looking for more Puerto Rican style food & flavor – you can check out my recipe for empanadas or carne guisada. You can also check out my Pinterest page for more amazing meal ideas & more. Happy Eating!