Greek
Gluten freeKontosouvli
Roast marinated pork chunks
Kontosoúvli: big chunks of marinated pork shoulder roasted slowly with onion and oregano
On Easter Sunday and at village saints'-day fairs across Epirus, a long spit of fat pork chunks threaded with onion and peppers turns for hours over embers, and slices are handed out with bread and salad. This oven version gives the same smoky-edged, juicy pork shoulder: chunks marinated overnight in the fridge with lemon, garlic, oregano and paprika, then threaded on skewers and roasted low before a fierce finish. Serve with pitta, tzatziki and roast potatoes. Common mistake: using lean pork loin, which dries out — shoulder or neck with its fat is essential. Chef's tip: sit the skewers across a deep tin so the fat drips away and the meat browns all round.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 6
- Per serving
- 520 kcal
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 3 ⅓ lb boneless pork shouldercut into 5 cm chunks, fat left on
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lemonsjuiced
- 5 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
For the skewers
- 2 red onionscut into wedges
- 2 green pepperscut into large pieces
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Search Amazon for the rest
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 3 ⅓ lb boneless pork shoulder in a bowl with 5 tbsp olive oil, 2 lemons, 5 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 2 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Rub well, cover and marinate in the fridge overnight, or at least 6 hours.
480 minStep 2: Take the pork out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan).
30 minStep 3: Thread the pork onto 3–4 long metal skewers, alternating with 2 red onions and 2 green peppers and packing the pieces tightly.
Step 4: Lay the skewers across a deep roasting tin so the meat hangs above the base. Pour 200 ml water into the tin, cover loosely with foil and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, turning twice.
90 minStep 5: Remove the foil, raise the oven to 425°F (400°F fan) and roast for 20–25 minutes more, turning once, until the edges are dark and crisp and the pork is tender, reaching at least 145°F in the thickest piece (shoulder is best taken to 85–194°F so it softens).
25 minStep 6: Rest for 5 minutes, then slide the meat off the skewers and slice thickly. Spoon over the tin juices.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 7 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kontosouvli take?
- About 145 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of lemons?
- Lime, or 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice per lemon (no zest from bottled juice).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Greek village salad
A true Greek salad has no lettuce: just ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, sharp onion and olives, dressed with good olive oil and dried oregano, with a whole slab of feta on top. Salt the tomatoes first and they'll make their own dressing.
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Pfälzer SaumagenStuffed pig's stomach
Saumagen is the pride of the Palatinate, served at wine-village festivals and family dinners from the Haardt hills to Ludwigshafen. A cleaned pig's stomach is stuffed with diced pork shoulder, pork sausage meat, potato and carrot seasoned with marjoram and nutmeg, poached slowly, then sliced thick and fried until crusty. The stomach works only as a casing and is ordered from a butcher; if you can't get one, bake the same filling in a covered terrine in a water bath. Serve with sauerkraut and mashed potato. Chef's tip: fill the stomach only three-quarters full, or it bursts as the potatoes swell.
German