Slice, season, skewer

3-step technique is secret to building flavor when grilling almost any lean meat

Crispy grilled pork makes a great sandwich layered with Sriracha mayonnaise, tomato and greens. The pork tenderloin is marinated in lemongrass puree and black bean garlic sauce. (Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune; Mark Graham/food styling)

We all struggle to add flavor and intrigue to lean meats, such as chicken breasts and pork tenderloin. The grill helps. Heck, the grill adds interest to most everything we cook. Season the food highly, and dinner doldrums disappear.

To get crispy edges, moist interiors and super-fast cooking, I slice lean meats thinly before tossing in a zesty sauce or marinade. Then the sauced slices get threaded onto thin skewers. Set over hot coals, the meat cooks in about 5 minutes. The result will remind you of those mouthwatering, crispy, spit-roasted meats served in gyros and tacos.

This “slice, season and skewer” technique can be applied to almost any kind of lean, tender meat, such as pork tenderloin, leg of lamb, flank steak, and chicken thighs or breasts. I use olive oil, fresh oregano and crushed garlic with lamb slices, then tuck the grilled meat into toasted pita with cucumber-yogurt sauce. Chicken thighs brushed with red curry paste taste great wrapped in warm naan breads.

For a speedy barbecued pork sandwich, I use pork tenderloin. For a more traditional tasting sandwich, slather the meat slices before grilling with your favorite barbecue sauce — just watch the heat as the sugars in some sauces tend to burn easily.

This summer, I’m changing it up a bit and making an Asian-inspired barbecue pork sandwich, using two of my favorite standby condiments: refrigerated lemongrass puree and Asian black bean garlic sauce. The result won’t taste like the American South, but rather red-cooked Chinese dishes or perhaps those seared meats from a Korean tableside grill restaurant.

Transform the crispy-edged pork into sandwiches and wraps, or use it to top rice bowls and enliven ramen soup and tossed salads. Serve the grilled meat tucked inside a toasted pretzel or brioche bun with a few leaves of tender baby arugula or kale. Or, pile the slices onto warm jasmine rice or over rice noodles for a perfect warm weather salad.

No time to grill? Cook the skewered meat under a broiler about 6 inches from the heat source. Watch closely to prevent burning. Slice, season, skewer, and repeat all summer.