Moo Ping are Thai grilled pork skewers with a sweet and tangy flavor that are often sold as street food. If you’re looking for something new and flavorful to throw on your grill, these kabobs are just the thing!

DISCLOSURE: This post was sponsored by the Wisconsin Pork Producers Association. As always, we only share quality products that we love with our readers. All opinions are our own.

What Is Moo Ping?

Moo ping (also written mu ping) are a flavorful snack that is found at street vendor stalls and in markets in Thailand. 

The pork is marinated in a mixture of cilantro, garlic, pepper, oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. This combo gives it that sweet, spicy, salty, savory balance that is classic in Thai food. 

Thai Grilled Pork Skewers

Traditionally, these skewers are cooked over hardwood charcoal grills out on the streets. So, firing up your charcoal grill will give these a more authentic, smoky flavor. (But if you’re cooking over gas, don’t worry, they will still be incredibly tasty.) 

The skewers are brushed with coconut milk as they cook, which adds a layer of sweetness that caramelizes over the heat of the grill. 

Why We Chose A Pork Shoulder For These Thai Grilled Pork Skewers

Pork is so versatile. Most of the time when you think about pork shoulder roast, you think about slow cooker pulled pork.

Would you have thought to use pork shoulder for kebabs? 

Probably not! 

But, these kebabs are so juicy because of the fat in the shoulder. The marinade and cutting the meat into small pieces against the grain makes the finished product so tender!

These pork skewers made a great meal with some rice and green vegetables, but they would also be fantastic served over a salad. 

How To Know When Pork Is Done

I’m sure you’ve had pork that was tough and dry. The key to cooking pork is to cook it so that it still has a blush of pink. 145F is the safe internal temperature to cook your pork to (best tested with a digital thermometer in the thickest part of the cut, not touching the bone).

With skewers, it’s a little harder to get that perfectly pink-kissed center, because the pieces are so small, but we have found two tips for cooking the perfect pork kabob:

• Keep the grill at a good medium heat so the skewers don’t cook too fast. 
• Press your pieces of meat together on the skewers, as shown in our pictures. It gives a more uniform shape to the skewers that helps the pork to cook more evenly. 

When your kebabs are nicely golden on the outside, with light grill marks, and firm to the touch, then it is a good time to check their temperature with that digital thermometer.

You’ll want to find your thickest section of kebab and stick your thermometer into the meat so that it is parallel to the wooden skewer. When the meat reaches 145F, then you can pull it from the grill. 

To learn more about cooking other pork cuts check out the Pork Bord’s article on pork cooking temperature for popular cuts.

Choosing Local Pork For Quality

Look at all that marbling in this pork shoulder! Have you ever seen a pork shoulder with that amount of marbling?

That’s what happens when you buy pork from local farmers who truly care about the animals and the meat that they are raising. All that marbling means so much flavor in your meat. 

We purchased our pork shoulder from Loppnow Farms, a local family farm that raises pork and other products. They have been a multi-generational family farm for over 100 years!

We discovered them at our local farmer’s market, which is a great way to find locally produced meat from family farms. 

More recipes for pork skewers

We love doing skewers on the grill and pork is one of our favorite meats. It is just so versatile!

From these tangy Thai skewers to bright and lemony Greek pork souvlaki, to spicy Spanish pork skewers. There are so many ways to enjoy them!