These Glazed Pork Tenderloin & Fig Kebabs might be my best grilling recipe EVER (well, so far anyways). They’re sweet and savory, hot and sticky, and surprisingly simple to make! Read on to see how!
This recipe and post for Glazed Pork Tenderloin & Fig Kebabs was sponsored by Kansas Pork. I received compensation for groceries and my time. As always, all opinions are my own.
You guys…I’m super pumped about this recipe. I will never claim the title of “Grillmaster” in our house (that’s reserved for Mr. Street Smart), but I did manage to outdo him when it comes to pork tenderloin.
I was inspired to make this recipe for a few different reasons. First, because I recently had the opportunity to tour a hog farm in Minnesota (sponsored travel) but also because I’m really excited by the idea of cooking with figs. I saw some in my local grocery store, looking amazing like figs always seem to do, and had to find a way to use them!
My trip to a Minnesota hog farm was my first glimpse into how pigs are raised in today’s modern world. Way back when, my grandfather raised hogs and one of my dad’s first jobs was hauling them by truck to the stockyards in Kansas City. Though I grew up in the country, this aspect of life was long gone by the time I came around. It was an eye-opening experience to see how today’s pigs are raised with high tech practices that my grandfather probably never dreamed of using on his farm.
I enjoyed the chance to get behind-the-scenes at a hog farm…it was quite the ordeal just to even get there. Because pigs can easily become sick from contact with humans, biosecurity is a big concern for pork production these days. The first thing we did at this farm was a complete “shower-in” process. Yup, I stripped down, showered in a strange locker room, and threw on unisex scrubs and Crocs. After we wrapped up our tour I repeated that entire process in reverse, making sure no contamination from either side crossed over to the other. Definitely a new experience for me, but speaks volumes to the lengths these farmers will go to in order to protect the health of their pigs!
In addition to the farm tour, there was a fun culinary component of this trip. Our group spent the next day in the kitchen, experimenting with a wide variety of pork recipes. This is where I watched my first ever hog fabrication, which is the process of breaking down a pig carcass into the cuts you would recognize in your butcher shop or at the meat counter.
Although I thought I might be uncomfortable in the presence of what used to be a living, breathing animal, it was actually one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever watched. The butcher who walked us through this process was incredibly informative and made sure we felt comfortable asking all of our questions. Don’t worry, I took full advantage of that opportunity! My curious mind was thinking through all the ways these parts of the animal could be used – it never ceases to amaze me how selective (read: picky) we are as Americans. He explained that if it wasn’t for the export market, much of that animal would go to waste because we simply aren’t interested in some of the cuts.
I suspect part of that is because we aren’t always sure how to prepare pork (or any other food) in a way that will taste good. That’s certainly the case for me. That’s why I stuck to familiar territory with this recipe – I know pork tenderloin is a lean, flavorful, easy-to-cook cut of meat. It made a great canvas to work with for these bold flavors.
And, of course, some beautiful seasonal figs!
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The spice rub on this recipe is a little smoky, a little spicy, and 100% delicious. Cutting the pork tenderloin into small cubes increases the surface area, meaning there’s just more real estate for this spice mixture to stick to. I added the cubed pork tenderloin to a large gallon bag, mixed the spices together and sprinkled it on top.
“Shake, shake, shake…shake yo’ booty!”….I mean…shake your cubed pork tenderloin.
Threading the kebabs took just minutes, and this is where you can get really creative. I love grilled onions, and looking back I could have easily added double the amount I used. But other seasonal vegetables would work well on these kebabs, too. And don’t forget to remove the stem from your dried figs. They’re fine to eat (if you like that kind of thing) but crunching into the stem of a dried fig isn’t my idea of fun! I also cut mine in half so the size matched with everything else on the skewer.
Grilling over high heat helps the natural sugars in the figs and glaze caramelize over the entire kebab, and trust me when I say your neighbors might be peeking over the fence to see what you’ve got going on. I’m planning to repeat this recipe over the winter with my stovetop grill pan. If that’s the situation you find yourself in, I’d recommend reducing the amount of glaze by half, simply because there won’t be any grill grates from excess drippings to fall through. Built-up glaze has the potential to burn onto the pan, leaving an off-flavor on your kebabs that you may not enjoy.
Be sure to cook your pork to the safe internal temperature of 145 degrees F. For cubes this size, that was about 8 to 10 minutes. A meat thermometer is a good investment (very cheap!) that will let you know exactly when your meat is finished cooking – not only do you avoid food borne illness from undercooked meat, but you’ll also eliminate the issue of overcooking meat and ending up with a meal that’s dry or chewy.
For more tips on cooking pork, check out this resource from the Pork Be Inspired campaign. They have a lot of recipe inspiration, but be sure to also check out mine for Red, White, and Blue(berry) Glazed Pork Tenderloin!
(And if you’re here for the figs, I’ve also got my Lemon & Fig Baked Oatmeal Cups)
[Tweet “#ad There’s never a wrong time to grill! Check out these Glazed Pork Tenderloin and Fig Kebabs”]
Do you have a favorite cut of pork? Or a favorite recipe for pork tenderloin?
Glazed Pork Tenderloin and Fig Kebabs
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 12 dried figs, halved
- 1 small red onion
- 1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles
- 6 cups leafy greens
Instructions
- If using wood skewers, soak in water while other ingredients are prepped. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
- Cut the pork tenderloin into 1-inch cubes. Combine the paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl or cup. Add the cubed pork tenderloin to a gallon ziplock bag, then add the spice mixture. Vigorously shake until pork is evenly coated.
- Chop the red onion into bite sized chunks. Skewer the pork, onion, and halved figs, alternating so each kebab is evenly filled. Continue until all the cubes of pork have been added. Combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, and olive oil to create the glaze. Transfer everything to your grilling station.
- Grill the kebabs for 8 to 10 minutes, or until pork reaches internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Generously brush with glaze during the last half of cooking, turning each kebab to allow for even cooking.
- Allow the kebabs to rest 5 minutes after grilling. Arrange the leafy greens on a serving platter or on individual plates. Sprinkle with goat cheese crumbles and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Questions & Reviews
As you, I am not a grill master but a master of eating the grill food! But this recipe seems very easy so i might be able to impress one or two this coming weekend! Looks so good!
It would be a great recipe to have when hosting! You’ll have some extra hands in the kitchen to help out if you need it 🙂 Enjoy!
Ohm these look absolutely divine I would love to try them! I am a bit scared I wouldn’t do them justice, but they look so good I think i’ll have to try.
Don’t worry, the recipe is almost fool-proof! And the spice mix and glaze can be customized to fit your tastes too, so you really can’t go wrong!
Everything looks and sound so delicious and easy to use. I really enjoy trying new ideas. Thank you for the printable option. It’s really helpful!
You’re welcome, thanks for stopping by to check it out!
Mmm, I just love having kebabs. These look amazing! I’ll have to try these out soon for dinner.
They’re a great dinner recipe! I try to save time sometimes by making the kebabs ahead of time, then they grill up even faster 🙂 Enjoy!
Love all the ingredients in these kebabs. Great idea to use pork for these. Pinned to my “Not Boring Pork” board – perfect!
I love the name of that board! I think this definitely qualifies, at least by my standards! Enjoy!
This looks delicious! I love a good rub. We buy a lot of tenderloin but but never used them to make kebabs! I never knew about the whole pig contamination thing.
I never thought to make them into kebabs either until recently! And yeah, we learned a lot about animal health while we were there. Just goes to show how much these farmers care about their animals!
Thanks for sharing another delicious recipe. Omg am feeling jealous! These are good 🙂
I don’t eat pork that much but I do love figs. You gave me some good ideas on how to use them in my cooking. Thanks
We only recently starting using pork more often – I want to try this same recipe with another protein, or even make it meat free with grilled tofu. Many options to adapt it and make it work for you!
One word: yum! It’s super easy to get the texture of figs wrong when cooking, but these ones look perfect!
I agree, I’ve had some not so great experiences. But I like the crunch factor, and grilling seems to soften them up just enough they’re easier to eat. Thanks for checking out the recipe!
Oh my god, these look delicious. Such a huge fan of both pork and figs, but never had the two together
Thank you! I usually see them together on pizza and flatbreads (prosciutto and fig jam) and enjoy those flavors. I’m looking forward to experimenting with some other variations of this combo!
Oh yum!! I’ve recently rediscovered my love of pork tenderloin and I love food that has a glaze on it! I’ve never tried figs though, I’ve heard people say they’re delicious but I’ve yet to try them. I’ll have to try this recipe for my Husband, I’m sure he’ll love it.
This is a good intro to figs, especially since they can be hard to find fresh! The dried ones last longer and aren’t as fragile. Enjoy!
These look amazing! I will try to recreate the recipe with either tofu or seitan as I do not consume animal products , but the main idea behind the recipe is totally worth saving! Many thanks!
Either of those would be a great substitute to make it meatless! I really want to recreate it next with grilled tofu and use the same glaze. Yum!
These pork tenderloin kebabs look incredible! I never think to cook pork but I love the way it tastes.
Thank you, this might be a great recipe for you to try! It grills really quickly because the pieces are cut so small.
This recipe sounds delicious. I have to try it. Saving the recipe, thank you !!
Omg can we say yum?!?! I’m always looking for new pork recipes, so I will ha e to give this a try!
I love pork dishes and this one looks like it is so tasty. I am going to have to try these out.
Can fresh figs be utilized vs the dried figs in the recipe? Anything I should do differently when skewering or grilling them?
Thanks
Hi Tommy, I have not tried this recipe with fresh figs, only dried. The fresh figs are much more delicate so I would recommend skewering them separately so you can still grill the pork to a safe internal temperature without overcooking the figs. You might also consider trying a high or higher heat for a shorter amount of time (for the fig skewers) so you get the grill flavor or char marks without overcooking. Good luck if you try that, and if not, you can also add fresh figs when you serve and skip the grilling step if it becomes too messy!
Was a little worried that the breading was not crunchy throughout? But pleasantly surprised it didn’t matter. Very tasty pork chops, thank you.
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I made this with your ‘Easy Baked Fish with Garlic and Basil’ and together it was one of the best meals I’ve ever made. Will definitely be on my monthly meal rotation 🙂 Can’t wait to try your other recipes.