BBQ Pork Souvlaki with Grilled Lemons & Tzatziki

This recipe for pork souvlaki with barbecue sauce, grilled lemons and tzatziki is truly delicious. I used boneless pork chops, peppers, onions, and barbecue sauce for both the marinade and glaze. I sprinkled the souvlaki with grilled and charred lemons and served with Tzatziki sauce and pita bread!

Pork Souvlaki with BBQ Sauce – Great recipe for entertaining

I love summer and being able to migrate my cooking outdoors to the grill. The icing on the cake is that you can avoid the need for dirty pans and a hot oven by incubating your own at home. It’s always much easier to cook outdoors on the grill. Plus, everything cooks faster on the grill, too; so you don’t need to spend a lot of time on it.

Logistics aside, it’s also fun. You can entertain and cook at the same time. I feel like the best conversations always seem to happen around the grill.

Plus, when you smother this pork souvlaki with BBQ sauce, the aroma will be incredible. I suspect most people will prefer to be the chef and will prematurely advocate taking them off the grill, so they can be immediately devoured.

What does Souvlaki mean

In Greece, souvlaki is one of the most popular dishes. It is usually made with pork, peppers and onions. The word souvlaki comes from a medieval Greek word which it simply means skewers.

Here I decided to prepare pork souvlaki or pork skewers, then blend them with a BBQ sauce. The result was surprising.

Sprinkle the souvlaki with lemon juice

Another Greek trick used here is that I sprinkled everything with lemon juice. They believe this aids digestion. That may be true, but for me the addition of lemon juice adds much-needed acidity and balances the dish beautifully.

And when you grill lemons, they will have a nice charred flavor and lots of juice. Don’t skip this part, it really makes the recipe stand out!

How to make grilled pork souvlaki

This BBQ Pork Souvlaki the recipe will require a lead. You will need to salt your pork in advance; It really makes a difference. The meat will never be dry if you brine it (unless you overcook it, of course) and the flavor will be a hundred times better. I like to brine the pork for a few hours, but at least half an hour is a must!

Besides that, This recipe is very simple and comes together in an instant. The barbecue sauce gives this pork a nice sweetness, and the grilled lemon balances out that sweetness.

THE Greek Tzatziki Sauce (made with Greek yogurt, cucumber, garlic and dill) then adds the necessary freshness to the entire dish. And how a perfect Greek-American wedding. This is another one of those food fusions that I love so much…

List of ingredients needed for this Souvlaki recipe:

Pork chops;
Salt water, for brine;
Barbecue sauce;
Red peppers;
Red onions;
Lemons;
Greek yogurt;
Cucumber;
Dill;
Garlic;
Salt and pepper.

Step by step guide for this BBQ Pork Souvlaki with Tzatziki and Grilled Lemons recipe

(The printable recipe with the exact measurements and cooking times can be found below)

Step 1: Prepare the pork.

Brine pork chops;
Once brined, cut pork into 1-inch cubes;
Smother pork with barbecue sauce and set aside;

Step 2: Prepare the Tzatziki

TO prepare the Tzatziki sauce, first chop the cucumber;
Chop the dill and garlic and add them to the chopped cucumber;
Add the Greek yogurt, mix well and season with salt and pepper;
Optionally, you can add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar (I usually do this because it elevates the Tzatziki);

Step 3: Assemble your skewers

Cut your Peppers into approximately 1 inch squares and onions in the half moons;
Start assemble your skewers with a few slices of onion, followed by a piece of pepper and then a piece of pork – continue in this way until all the skewers have been assembled.

Tip: I used metal skewers, but if you have wooden skewers, you need to soak them in water for about 30 minutes to prevent them from burning.

Step 4: Grill your Souvlaki

Heat the grill until hot. Spray it with cooking spray, or brush with the oil, and place your skewers on the grill;

Turn the skewers to the other side and brush with barbecue sauce. Repeat a few times, until the souvlaki are cooked;
Place half of the lemon on the grill and cook, until lightly charred with grill marks;

Remove the skewers and lemons from the grill and place them on the serving plate. Sprinkle lemon juice over all skewers;
Cut pita bread and serve the souvlaki Greek Tzatziki Sauce.

Serving tip: you can serve the tzatziki sauce as a side dish or you can spread it on the souvlaki;

What to serve these BBQ pork souvlaki with

Here are a couple of my favorite recipes to pair with this amazing souvlaki:

Other BBQ recipes to try:

Brine

2 table spoon Kosher salt
2 cups Waterfall up to 3 cups

Pork souvlaki

1 lb Pork chops up to 1.5 pounds – about 3 pork chops
2 Red peppers cut into 1-inch squares
1 Red onions cut into moons
1 cup Barbecue sauce + more if necessary
1 Lemon cut in half

Greek Tzatziki Sauce

1/2 English cucumber peeled and chopped
1 cup Greek yogurt full or 2%
2 Cloves Garlic chopped
1 table spoon Dill fresh, chopped
Splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar optional
Salt and pepper to taste

Salt the pork chops: Dissolve the salt in a bowl of warm water. Cool the combination and dip the pork chops. Place them in brine for at least half an hour.
Preparation of souvlaki: Remove the pork chops from the brine and cut into 1-inch squares. Add them to a new bowl and pour in 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce. Mix and set aside. Cut peppers into 1-inch squares and onions into moons (separate onion pieces).
Assembling the Souvlaki: If you use wooden skewers, you must first soak them in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from burning. If you use metal skewers, you can start assembling immediately. Start with a few pieces of onion, followed by peppers and pork. Continue until you have assembled all the skewers (from the number of ingredients you should be able to create 4 large skewers)
Make the Tzatziki sauce: Add the chopped cucumber, minced garlic, chopped dill and Greek yogurt to a bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, then add a drizzle of olive oil and red wine vinegar. Set aside.
Grilled Souvlaki: Heat the grill to high, brush it with oil and add the skewers. Grill them for a few minutes, then turn them over and brush them with the BBQ sauce. Grill for a few more minutes, turn and brush with more BBQ sauce. Repeat these steps a few times until the skewers are lightly charred and cooked through (about 10-12 minutes). Add lemon to grill and cook until grill marks appear (4-5 minutes). Once ready, remove it from the grill.
Serving Souvlaki: Once the pork souvlaki are cooked, remove from the grill, sprinkle with grilled lemon and serve with pita bread and Tzatziki sauce. You can place the Tzatziki on top of the skewers or serve it on the side. Enjoy!

This post was originally published on June 27, 2018 and has since been updated to provide additional information.

Read about author Edyta here or follow Eating European on social media: FacebookInstagram, PinterestAND Twitter.