Thai Pork Skewers (Moo Ping) are a popular street food, featuring tender pork threaded onto sticks and grilled to smoky, charred perfection. Each bite remains incredibly juicy, making them an excellent pairing with our rich Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce and fluffy steamed white rice.
Why You'll Love This Thai Pork Skewers Recipe
Moo Ping (Thai Pork Skewers are marinated in a sweet, savory, and slightly spicy sauce that gives it a unique flavor. Moo Ping's a popular Thai street food. Now you can make these Thai pork skewers right at home on your grill, or under your broiler.
- Simple to make. The marinade for this Moo Ping recipe only takes a few minutes to prepare, and the skewers can be grilled in just a few minutes.
- Versatile. Can be served as an appetizer, a main course, or a snack, or at parties or gatherings.
- Perfect for a summer grilling. The pork skewers are grilled to perfection, and the flavors are perfect for a hot summer day.
Ingredients Overview
This easy barbecued Moo Ping recipe is marinated in a flavorful mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, garlic, and cilantro for 30 minutes or more before grilling. Be sure to use the crushed cilantro stems in the marinade, as it gives a better flavor for the marinade than the leaves.
- Pork - Pork tenderloin, pork butt, pork shoulder, any pork that is lean and can be sliced into thin strips about 2" long.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic cloves, minced fine.
- Cilantro - You will want BOTH the stems and the leaves, separately.
- Oyster sauce - You can substitute fish sauce or Hoisin sauce for the Oyster sauce.
- Soy sauce - Regular or lite, if you have dark soy sauce, even better!
- Brown sugar - Honey or regular sugar is fine also.
- Vegetable oil
- Coconut milk - The kind in the can, not the beverage.
- Water
- Black pepper - Regular ground black pepper.
- Cornstarch
PRO TIP: The pork is easiest to slice if you partially freeze the meat first. Then, cut into 2" long chunks and slice each portion into thin strips.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make Thai Moo Ping
Make these Thai pork skewers easily with ingredients that are either in your pantry, or very easily obtained. You can prepare the marinade the night before, or as little as 30 minutes before grilling.
Additionally, you can purchase store bought peanut dipping sauce, or use our Peanut Dipping Sauce for Spring Rolls recipe. It's great with these pork skewers also!
Prepare the Marinade
- Crush the garlic cloves with the back of a knife to smash, then mince fine.
- Rinse and shake dry a ½" thick bundle of cilantro. Trim the leafy portion aside and save for garnish. Crush the stems with the back of a knife and then chop.
- Add the minced garlic, chopped cilantro, and everything except the pork and cornstarch to a bowl.
- Cut the pork into thin strips, and mix in the bowl with the marinade. Chill for 30 minutes to overnight.
Thread Pork On Skewers
- Soak the wood or bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes so that they absorb water. This will help prevent them from catching fire when grilling.
- Thread the thin pork strips onto skewers so that they are ruffled tightly together.
- Lightly dust each of the pork skewers with cornstarch and let rest for 5 minutes.
Cook On The Grill
- Heat your grill to medium, or 350 F. Lay the meat threaded skewers on the hot grill and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, taking care to lower the heat once you get a little char on the meat.
Serve With Peanut Dipping Sauce
- Serve with Nam Jim Jaew (Thai chili sauce made with lime, fish sauce, chili flakes, roast-ground rice, shallots and cilantro), sweet chili sauce, or spicy peanut sauce.
Serving Suggestions
Moo ping is traditionally served with sticky rice and a dipping sauce. However, there's many other ways to serve these barbecued pork skewers. You could also serve them with noodles, salad, or in a wrap.
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few substitutions and variations when making this Moo Ping recipe:
- You can grill the pork skewers on a grill pan or broil in the oven if barbecuing is not an option.
- Other types of meat, like chicken, beef, and shrimp, are also delicious marinated and grilled in this marinade!
- If you want a spicier skewer, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the marinade.
Tips for Success
- You can grill the pork skewers on a grill pan or broil in the oven if barbecuing is not an option.
- Be sure to soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before threading with pork and grilling.
- To prevent the pork from sticking to the grill, brush the grill grates with oil before grilling.
Storage Options
- Moo Ping pork skewers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- You can also freeze them for up to 2 months.
- To reheat the pork skewers, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and then grill them until heated through.
Related Recipes
- Oven Shrimp Skewers
- Thai Basil Pesto
- Shrimp Pad Thai
- Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
- Swordfish Kabobs
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make moo ping in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the skewers for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through.
There is no difference. Moo ping and mu ping are both the same dish.
There are many different dipping sauces that you can serve with moo ping pork skewers. Some popular options include Nam Jim Jaew, sweet chili sauce, or spicy peanut sauce.
Asian Dinner Recipes
Get The Recipe!
Thai Moo Ping Pork Skewers
Equipment
- skewers, wooden
Ingredients
- 5 cloves garlic smashed, then minced
- ¼ bundle cilantro stems smashed, then sliced - save leaves for garnish
- 1½ lbs pork butt, loin, shoulder, slice into thin 2-3" long slices.
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tbsp oil
- ⅓ cup coconut milk the canned variety, not the beverage
- 2 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon black pepper ground
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- peanut sauce for dipping
- cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Crush the garlic cloves with the back of a knife to smash, then mince fine.5 cloves garlic
- Rinse and shake dry a ½" thick bundle of cilantro. Trim the leafy portion aside and save for garnish. Crush the stems with the back of a knife and then chop.¼ bundle cilantro stems
- Add the minced garlic, chopped cilantro, oyster sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, vegetable oil, coconut milk, water, and black pepper into a bowl and stir to blend.2 tablespoon oyster sauce, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 3 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon oil, ⅓ cup coconut milk, 2 tablespoon water, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Cut the pork into thin strips about ⅛" thick. Mix in the bowl with the marinade. Chill for 30 minutes to overnight.PRO TIP: The pork is easiest to slice if you partially freeze the meat first. Then, cut into 2" long chunks and slice each portion into thin strips.1½ lbs pork
- Soak the wood or bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes so that they absorb water. This will help prevent them from catching fire when grilling.
- Thread the thin pork strips onto skewers so that they are ruffled tightly together.
- Lightly dust each of the pork skewers with cornstarch and let rest for 5 minutes.2 tablespoon cornstarch
- Heat your grill to medium, or 350 F. Lay the meat threaded skewers on the hot grill and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, taking care to lower the heat once you get a little char on the meat.
- Serve with Nam Jim Jaew (Thai chili sauce made with lime, fish sauce, chili flakes, roast-ground rice, shallots and cilantro), sweet chili sauce, or spicy peanut sauce.peanut sauce, cilantro leaves
Notes
- You can grill the pork skewers on a grill pan or broil in the oven if barbecuing is not an option.
- Be sure to soak wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before threading with pork and grilling.
- To prevent the pork from sticking to the grill, brush the grill grates with oil before grilling.
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