Greek Pork Skewers with Lemon and Oregano

Remove the thick membranes from the pork neck, leave the fine streaks of fat, and weigh out 800 g of meat. Cut into even cubes about 2.5 cm on each side; cut any larger pieces smaller so the skewers cook evenly. Prepare eight metal skewers about 22 cm long, a heavy, flat-bottomed pan about 28 cm in diameter, and a small ovenproof dish for the first batch. Metal skewers do not need soaking.

In a bowl, mix 30 ml olive oil, 40 ml lemon juice, 12 g garlic crushed through a garlic press, 4 g oregano, 8 g salt, and 2 g pepper. Add all the meat and coat thoroughly in the marinade, then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Reserve the remaining 20 ml lemon juice in a separate clean container for serving, without letting it touch the raw meat. Toward the end of marinating, start preheating the oven to 100°C on the conventional (no-fan) setting to keep the first cooked batch warm briefly later.

Divide the meat into eight equal portions of about 100 g each before cooking. Lift the pieces out of the marinade, let the excess drip into the bowl, and thread onto metal skewers, leaving small gaps and the ends clear for turning. Do not pack the cubes into a tight cylinder; the section of meat should be about 15–18 cm long and fit over the flat base of the pan. Dispose of the remaining marinade, do not use it to drizzle over the cooked skewers, and keep the second batch of four skewers refrigerated until cooking; wash your hands and tools after contact with raw meat.

Heat the pan over medium-high heat for 2–3 minutes, add 5 ml olive oil, and arrange four skewers with space between them. Cook for 12–15 minutes, giving them a quarter turn about every 3 minutes so the meat browns on several sides; reduce the heat to medium if the surface darkens too quickly. Near the end, cut the thickest cube in half: the center must be cooked all the way through, without any raw, translucent area, while the meat remains tender and springy; do not judge doneness solely by the browned surface. If the center is still raw, cook the whole batch, including the cut pieces, for another 3–5 minutes over medium heat and check again. Only once the skewers are fully cooked, transfer them to the dish and place in the oven at 100°C while the second batch cooks, about 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, carefully pour the remaining fat and juices into a heatproof waste container, and remove the browned garlic remnants so they do not turn bitter. Add the remaining 5 ml olive oil, reheat over medium-high heat, and cook the other four skewers in the same way for 12–15 minutes, turning regularly. Check the thickest cube and, if the center is undercooked, cook for an additional 3–5 minutes, including the cut pieces. Remove the first batch from the oven, and discard the remaining pan fat and juices once cooled, without pouring them over the meat.

Arrange both batches on a clean platter, together with the cooked pieces used to check the center. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes without covering tightly. Do not pour onto the platter any fat or juices left in the dish that held the first batch in the oven.

Divide the skewers among four plates, with two skewers per serving. Drizzle the portions with the reserved 20 ml clean lemon juice, dividing it evenly. Serve warm; the metal skewers may be hot.