So there I was planning this grilled-pork-teriyaki-satay-situation-with-peanut-sauce-and-everything to share with all of you. But I was totally dragging my feet and it wasn’t getting done. Y’all know I’m a charcoal grill girl, and that’s a whole thing on its own. Procrastination is one of my core competencies, and let me tell you, I was BRINGING it. Finally I told Princess Persnickety that she might not be getting the teriyaki grilled thing on a stick that I’d promised her for dinner. Sweet and practical child that she is, she told me two things: One, “I can have leftover pizza for dinner”, and two, “Mom, it’s too hot to grill anyway. That would be ridiculous.” Later she went on to remind me that the goal is stress reduction, not the other way around. Smart girl.
It was so sweet of her to let me off the hook that I relaxed a little bit. And then it dawned on me: I can use this to let you off the hook, too! My readers love that! And we can all be less stressed together!
I will most definitely revisit the satay-grill-peanut sauce thing with you later, but tonight we are having a lovely dinner that doesn’t make anybody wig out or glisten any more than necessary: Sheet Pan Pork Teriyaki Skewers. This recipe is quite forgiving and it’s delightfully good. That’s lucky for all of us!
All I did was cut a pork tenderloin in 1 ½-inch chunks and marinate it in bottled Kikkoman teriyaki sauce with a few red pepper flakes for heat. The next day I cut up a fresh pineapple that had been taking up a ton of space in the fridge for at least a week, plus a red bell pepper that was threatening to get wrinkly right there in the produce drawer. I cut up some fat carrots and thawed a bag of frozen broccoli florets to add to the pan. We think frozen broccoli roasts better than fresh. I can’t explain it, but there it is.
Next time I think I’ll cut the carrots in 1/2″ slices on the bias so they end up as ovals. The ones above were fine, but I like roasted carrots to get a little char, and I’m sure the ovals will deliver it. I’ve called for the ovals in the recipe.
I put the produce on a sheet pan I’d lined with parchment. You can use aluminum foil instead if you like. I drizzled the pineapple and vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper and tossed them around to distribute. Then they went in the oven for 10 minutes while I put the pork on skewers. I added the skewered pork to the pan and cooked for 20 minutes more.
Beyond that I threw together a batch of rice, and dinner was ready! You can make any sort of rice you want, but I made coconut rice. Coconut rice is one of those silly easy recipes that moms of sleepover kids used to actually call me about. I’ll get its own page up eventually, but in the meantime here’s how to do it:
Coconut Rice
1 can full fat coconut milk, poured into a 2-cup measuring cup
Enough water to make 2 cups liquid
1 cup regular white rice (jasmine rice or basmati rice are fine, too)
Put the coconut milk and water in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer, but not a full boil. Hang around in the kitchen, don’t walk away from it, because if it comes to a full boil it can boil over everywhere, and that’s a godawful mess. Once it’s simmering, add the rice, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Let cook 20-22 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. The end.
So, other than marinating, I had Sheet Pan Pork Teriyaki Skewers on the table in just a little more than 45 minutes with minimal fuss–and with only about 10 minutes active time on my part. After I was done cooking, all I had to wash was the sheet pan and the rice pot, and those were quick and easy. Leftovers went into a container for Princess Persnickety to take for lunch, and I wasn’t stressed in the least!
Sheet Pan Teriyaki Skewers for the win!
Sheet Pan Pork Teriyaki
Ingredients
- 1 ¾-1 lb. pork tenderloin
- bottled teriyaki sauce
- red pepper flakes
- 1 small fresh pineapple, peeled and cored, in chunks
- 1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
- 3 carrots, cut in ½" slices on the bias so you get ovals
- 1 10 oz. bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed and drained
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- sliced scallions, sesame seeds, and more bottled teriyaki for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the pork in 1½" chunks and put in a zipper bag. Add about ¼ cup of teriyaki sauce and a pinch of red pepper flakes to the bag. Massage the marinade and the pork together and refrigerate for a couple of hours at least, or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425°. Cover a sheet pan with parchment or foil. distribute the pineapple, bell pepper, carrots, and broccoli on the pan. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss together and spread the produce out with as much room between the pieces as possible. Roast for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, divide the pork among 4 skewers. After the produce has been in the oven 10 minutes, add the skewers to the pan, nestling them lightly among the produce pieces. Continue to roast for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Serve Pork Teriyaki over rice garnished with scallions, sesame seeds, and more teriyaki sauce if you like.
The thing is Melia, not only are you a really cool person and fabulous chef, but you’re a wonderfully entertaining writer as well.
Wish I had some books for you to audit.
Margie
How the heck did I not see this comment until now??? (It’s because our administrator has pre-approved any comment you may ever make, Margie!)
Thank you!