Pork Skewer with Tare, Pickled Daikon and Yuzu Aioli

Pork is an especially popular skewered item in Filipino and Hawaiian cuisine, but it can also be the ideal protein for any number of global flavors.

PYRO, which debuted in Phoenix last fall, specializes in open-flame cooking, from roasting and searing to grilling and smoking. The restaurant’s custom-made hearth is at the heart of the operation and can accommodate both charcoal- and wood-burning to coax out the natural flavors in each dish.

While technically a Japanese-American bistro, PYRO pulls flavors and ingredients from the world over, as demonstrated by its signature pork skewer, which reimagines the coveted cured meat as a skewer.

“The acorn-finished Ibérico Pork Skewer is marinated in a housemade tare sauce. We then roast the pork on the charcoal yakitori, and the tare is added once more,” says Chef Benjamin Maides, culinary director of PYRO’s parent company, Flagship Restaurant Group. “It comes out crispy and glazed, and the flavor is fantastic.” Pickled daikon and yuzu aïoli complete the dish with a bit of tang and textural contrast.