Pork Shawarma Recipe: The non-traditional shawarma filling

Serves 6 to 8

We’re not going to beat about the bush. A Pork Shawarma recipe is unlikely to find many friends in the traditional Shawarma regions of the world – indeed where the regular beef, chicken or lamb shawarma could be described as universal – or even uniting – pork is probably going to create a little controversy

To be honest when we received this recipe for pork shawarma we weren’t even going to put it up on-line… that is until we tried it.

If you’re not averse to a little pork – you should seriously consider making this recipe. It takes a little time but it’s worth it – dare I say it’s the tastiest, most succulent shawarma I’ve ever had?

Pork Shawarma Ingredients

2kg bone-in shoulder of pork, skin on
2 red onions, cut in half
1 whole garlic, broken into cloves (leave the skin on)

For the marinade:
½ cup lemon juice
1 tbsp turmeric
2 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp hot paprika or cayenne pepper
8 tbsp (approx) olive oil

8 whole pitta breads / Taboon / Lafah / Tortilla

Spicy Tomato Sauce (Sahaweq)
Tahini Sauce

For the salad filling:
2 tsp sumac
2 onions, sliced
Lettuce, shredded
Tomato, rough cut

Pork Shawarma Instructions

1. Mix the turmeric, salt, coriander, cumin, black pepper, white pepper and paprika, lemon juice and oil in a large bowl
2. Place the pork on top of a large sheet of cooking cling-wrap, skin side up
3. Make scores about a an inch apart through the skin into the fat, but not so you cut into the meat.
4. Brush the marinade all over the pork, right into all the scores you’ve just made – pull the skin apart a little at the scores.
5. Wrap the cling-film up to cover the pork and marinade overnight (24hrs if possible).
6. The next day, preheat your oven to 220°C/425°F
7. Place your pork skin-side up, in a roasting tray and put it in the preheated oven.
8. Roast for 30 minutes – until you see the skin of the pork start to puff up.
9. Now turn the heat down to 170°C/325 F and cover the pork with a double layer of aluminum foil
10. Put the pork back in the oven and roast for a further 4 and a half hours.
11. Remove from the oven, remove the foil and baste the meat with the fat at the bottom of the tray.
12. Add the red onions and garlic to the tray and stir them into the fat.
13. Return pork to the oven without the foil to roast for another hour.
14. During this last hour, slice the onions into rings, sprinkle with the sumac and cover.
15. Prepare the tomato sauce and the tahini sauce (you can use shop bought, but fresh is best)
16. Chop the tomatoes and shred the lettuce
17. Remove pork from oven, cover with aluminum foil and leave to rest while you heat up bread of choice
18. The slow cooked pork will pull into shreds – add this shredded pork to the breads
19. Add sliced onion, lettuce, tomato, tomato sauce and tahini sauce
20. Roll wrap or pitta in some greaseproof paper – and ENJOY!

Related shawarma recipes: Chicken Shawarma, Taboon Bread