Pincho Moruno Vasco

Pincho moruno vasco belongs to the Basque bar counter: small pork skewers stained red with pimentón, cumin, garlic, and oil, cooked fast until the edges char and the inside stays juicy. Its name looks south, toward the Moorish seasoning of al-Andalus, but this version lives in Euskadi as a hot pintxo, a bite from the counter. It isn't a sauced kebab, and it isn't a sweet barbecue skewer. The meat is spiced through, then grilled hard.

The marinade decides it. Salt, garlic, and spices go on the pork the night before, not five minutes before cooking, so the cumin and pimentón taste like part of the meat instead of dust on the outside. Then the heat must be fierce. Cook it slowly and the pork gives up its juice before it browns. Cook it hard and fast, and you get the dark edges a pincho moruno wants.

No hace falta haber pisado España. If you can't buy preparado para pinchos morunos, the butcher's ready spice mix, make it yourself with pimentón de la Vera, cumin, coriander, garlic, and a little turmeric or saffron for colour. If you only find lean loin, cut it a little bigger and pull it from the heat as soon as it is just cooked; shoulder or pork neck forgives you more. My Margin beside this one says only: overnight means overnight. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.