Nadezhda K.
What cut of pork is best for making shish kebab?

Any picnic or vacation at the dacha is always associated with the smell of smoky kebab - juicy, aromatic, soft. But sometimes this grilled dish turns out tough or dry. Why is this so, since everything was done as usual? The basis of a good kebab is fresh meat from the “right” parts of pork. Which ones? How not to make a mistake when choosing? The answers are in the article.

Which part of pork is best for barbecue?

Experienced barbecue makers are unanimous in their opinion that pork neck is the best option. A simple secret lies in a large number of thin layers of fat, they help maintain the juiciness and tenderness of the pulp.

Advice. Sometimes the neck pieces are too fatty. In this case, it is recommended to remove excess fat

Of course, this is not the only one that is suitable for barbecue. The barbecue and the blade part are “worthy”. Fat is also contained there. Only, unlike the neck, it will take longer to marinate. In addition, the shoulder pieces contain many veins that cannot be chewed. Therefore, if there is little time left before the picnic, it is advisable not to buy a spatula.

The resulting hard kebab can pretty much ruin the mood of the guests. There are also fans of shashlik made from other parts of pork. Lean tenderloin or carbonade - for those who strictly monitor a slim figure. There are practically no layers of fat there; this is a good alternative to fattier pieces.

Advice. Before dividing the tenderloin into pieces, you should remove the film - it is located on one of the sides. Otherwise the kebab will turn out tough.

How to choose fresh meat

1. Freshness. If pressing the meat pulp with your finger leaves a dent, the piece is not fresh.
2. Smell. It should not be strong, barely perceptible. An obvious rotten or sour smell indicates that the product is beginning to deteriorate.
3. Meat color. The young one has a pale pink color.
4. Fat color. It should not be yellow or gray, only white.

If you have to buy parts of pork for barbecue in a supermarket, you should take into account some of the store’s marketing “tricks”. Dates on packages sometimes change, so don’t rely on them. It is advisable to ask to open the package and smell the pulp. The color of the flesh, which appears soft pink in the display case, can also deceive. The fact is that the shop windows are illuminated with red lamps, which creates this effect.

Preparing to cook barbecue

The pieces of meat have been purchased, it’s time to start preparing for frying them on the fire or on the grill. What should be done:

1. Rinse the meat, carefully removing small bones and cartilage, and dirt.
2. If there is a film on the surface, remove it.
3. Remove cores if present.
4. Cut into pieces, mix with marinade.

There are many recipes for marinade for barbecue. You can use the classic one: vinegar, onion and pepper.

Attention! The marinade does not need to be salted, otherwise the meat pieces will lose their juiciness.

Increasingly, barbecue gurus are abandoning vinegar marinade in favor of natural ingredients, such as soy sauce, lemon or kiwi. It all depends on taste preferences. Even without being an experienced cook, you can invent your own recipe for barbecue marinade.

It is only important to understand that the main thing in it is the acid contained in the main ingredient. This can be citric acid, lactic acid in kefir, fruit acid in kiwi, etc. This is what makes the meat tender. But “overexposure” of it in the marinade can spoil the taste, “pulling out” all the juice. After frying, it, on the contrary, will become tough. So, it is important to maintain the “golden” mean. On average, kebab is marinated for 3-4 hours.

Choosing pieces of meat for barbecue is a responsible, but feasible task. If you know which cuts of pork are best for barbecue, and understand the criteria for choosing them when purchasing, the task will be completed brilliantly.

How to cook shish kebab: video

So, in order to start cooking real and tasty kebab, you must first choose the right meat. What kind of meat should you buy? Some people only like lamb, others do not eat pork, and still others eat any meat. Pork is perfect for a good barbecue, not very fatty, only fresh and not frozen. What part of pork should I use for the best result? I wouldn't risk other parts of the pig's meat just to be disappointed. Take the neck and that's it. But, and right there, I will make one reservation. It has such a middle, without veins, slightly pink in color, which runs along the spine on both sides. So, it’s also not suitable for barbecue. And even if it ends up on the barbecue, and this can always happen, then you will immediately begin to chew it like chicken breast and without much taste pleasure, no matter what seasonings you use. Like all butchers, I will also assure you that frozen meat loses its main taste properties. Although, what can I say, our brother cannot take something for nothing. It happens that somewhere fresh meat is found, but over time it doesn’t always work out. Therefore, listen to at least one piece of advice: do not marinate meat frozen or otherwise. cold, let it first thaw to room temperature and drain all the blood water. Pay attention to the color of the meat: if the meat is faded and dried out, it means it is not fresh and it will not make a kebab. Conclusion: fresh meat, frozen, is better than not fresh! Draw the right conclusion yourself!

To begin, rinse the meat with running water and dry it with a napkin. Who knows how and who groped him before you, and there is absolutely no need for moisture in the marinating. If you buy meat at the market early in the morning and marinate it according to this recipe right away, then in the evening you can safely turn it on the grill!

We have dealt with meat, by the way, lamb will be even tastier, and I have been convinced of this more than once and will always affirm this. I once had the opportunity to cook barbecue for a purely Turkish society; they bought me the meat themselves. What was it like? It was surprising that they snatched pieces of meat almost from the mouths of even others! The lamb was marinated exactly according to this recipe! Therefore, I still try to treat my dear and respected guests with fresh lamb!

Using this method, we cut the meat into transverse washers 3-4 cm wide, then into equal pieces, removing the bar and tendons. Don’t get too carried away with removing the lard, this will add some juiciness. After a good workout, you may end up like me, where each shelf of meat comes out with a difference of two to five grams!!! For lean lamb, it is recommended to also put fat tail fat between the meat. Let's leave this topic for lamb lovers.

Now the ingredients for marinating and the whole secret of my dish. We take it at a rate of, let’s say, 3-4 kilograms. The main system for marinating meat is not what ingredients to put in it, it’s even very important in what sequence!

1. Salt (about 4-5 tsp). I’ll say right away that everyone’s tastes are different, I personally don’t add salt to anything on the table, I never even add salt to eggs or tomatoes. The two chemical compounds, sodium and chlorine, that make up salt, do nothing good for the body, and they will ruin the bones to the point of arthrosis. Let’s not talk about the fact that salt is simply necessary, you can’t live without it, etc. But under-salted kebab will be very inappropriate, so it needs to be well and properly salted.

2. Black pepper and, I especially emphasize, coarsely ground, as in the picture. No “dust” from the pepper shaker! Better yet, crush the peas with the flat of a knife and then cut them a little with the tip. When you chew the meat, these grains will give you a pleasant taste sensation. How many? 15 – 20 peas!!! If you want more, it's not for everybody! By the way, black pepper is very beneficial for the body!!! Are you familiar with vodka with pepper for colds? So, it is not vodka that gives the healing reaction, first of all, but the black pepper itself!

3. Coriander. She is also cilantro. I think you are familiar with this name. Again the question is - how much? I think that 15-20 peas will also be enough. They need to be crushed in a mortar, first lightly fried. It may already be sold ground. But, in no case, maybe I will repeat, it is IMPOSSIBLE to overdo it with seasonings! Otherwise you won’t get the real taste of meat. If the coriander is already ground: a little more than half a tsp. Or rather, it will be like in the photo. I have seen how they marinate kebab with green cilantro, but in order to recommend this to you, you need to check it yourself. I haven’t tried it - I don’t know, although I’ll definitely try to marinate it like this as soon as the opportunity arises.

4. Basil. I have it in a jar, dry. Sold in almost all stores. Take the same amount as ground coriander. In a teaspoon size it is 1/2, maybe a little more! This herb does not have such a sharp and pungent taste.

5. Thyme. He's Thyme. One of the Asian seasonings, from which dried thyme is used. In small quantities, it complements vegetable and meat dishes well, as well as various salads. The use of thyme dates back to ancient Greece, where it symbolized courage. Roman soldiers bathed in water infused with thyme to gain strength, energy and courage. In the Middle Ages, girls embroidered a sprig of thyme on knights' scarves for courage. How many? Per kilogram – one or two pinches, rubbing lightly with your fingers.

6. Zira, aka Zra, aka Kumin. Not to be confused with caraway seeds or dill. Such things do not go into barbecue at all. Look in stores, with friends and it will pay off for you! I haven’t seen it in German stores, but they definitely have it in Russian stores! Quantity? A very specific seasoning, a little less than half a tsp will be enough. Zira has a very specific taste, so be careful in its quantity. Zira is very similar to dill, don’t confuse it!

7. Bay leaf, a couple of pieces. Let it even break into small pieces while stirring. When you put the meat on skewers, if you notice it, simply move it to the side. They don't eat it!!!

8. Red pepper, paprika. Ground, sweet. You can have a teaspoon without a “slide”. It will give a slightly desired aroma and a beautiful color when frying. Want to add some spice? One clove of crushed garlic, add hot capsicum, but I warn you that the taste of the meat can be greatly interrupted, I think you don’t need this, because you wanted a real kebab, right?

9. Onions. We prepare it in two ways: smaller onions are used for meat, larger onions are used as a snack. First, cut large onions and only into rings. The rings need to be separated from each other. We sort it out carefully and add the rings separately into a dose, and mix everything else with the meat. Snack on the kebab rings! And not some kind of waste or tails, cut at random. Aesthetic culture and accuracy must be present first of all! About 5-6 bulbs will be enough. As some people write that onions are 1:1, it seems to me that there will be a lot, just cut them correctly so that they release the juice. For convenience, the second method is to pass the onion through a meat grinder, and then squeeze the resulting mass through cheesecloth. This is what I use, it’s very convenient and you don’t have to deal with onion waste. It’s even easier to put it through a juicer, it will be more practical, but it will be more hassle with washing the machine. The next day, you can sprinkle onion rings with vinegar diluted with water and sprinkle with red or black pepper, as you like!

10. Sunflower oil, do not confuse it with olive oil, 5-6 tablespoons. Yes, yes, you heard absolutely right, it’s sunflower oil! Imagine yourself that you threw meat into a frying pan, without oil. And, no matter how non-stick frying pan you have, any meat will simply start to burn. This is what you see in the pictures of other barbecue makers, where the charred edges stick out, and you need to chew them, because spitting them out is ugly and just inconvenient. Add the oil after all the added, mixed ingredients, in exactly the same order as written.

This is what someone fried meat looks like in the picture: a. marinated without oil;
b. the onion was cut too finely and not all of it was removed;
V. this is the meat that comes from the neck trim,
slightly pink in color, does not change its shape after marinating and does not have a real, juicy taste. How did it burn? Can this be called shish kebab?

11. And now, having put everything that is written above into the meat, passing it between your fingers, we begin to mix everything thoroughly, adding an equally important and, I would even say, effective product, this is LEMON. Half a good-sized lemon will do. Just be careful to squeeze out only when everything is already mixed with seasonings and oil. If lemon gets on clean meat, it will immediately become a “stake”, like vinegar does, so vinegar simply does not go into barbecue.

You can pour vinegar over already fried kebab.

12. A quarter, or maybe half, of natural pomegranate juice will add even more compliments to you and hide the key to your recipe even more reliably! Pomegranate, in the summer, is unlikely to be found anywhere, and it is better to neglect juices in the store. Many tests show that the grenade was not even close to there. So, let's leave your experiment until late autumn.

Mix all this thoroughly and leave it tightly covered in the pan, pressing down on top with a plate of approximately the same diameter. Place something heavy on top and leave it like that until tomorrow. Although, as I mentioned above, if the meat is fresh, then it will also marinate throughout the day. In the morning, mix everything, now enjoying the smell that will already come from the meat. You can even lick it or bite it, now there is nothing scary in this meat.

And this is what fresh, soft, vigorous, marinated meat should look like. It can be immediately distinguished from bad meat. Conclusion: be friends with the butcher, at least find out what days he slaughters. An exceptional case is if you do this yourself. Now I’ll also pay attention to the grill. It must also meet some parameters. It is best to have an iron one, or even better, a stainless steel one; the thicker its walls, the better. It will retain heat better and fry the outermost pieces.

And you don’t have to torture yourself with hunger by making barbecue on bricks or hanging chains somewhere.

My barbecue looks like this: length - 60 cm, height 15 (from the grate) and width 22 cm. The main mistake of those who make barbecues: the grate should not have a large number of holes. It would be better if a quarter of the bottom of the grill was made entirely of grate, the rest was solid iron. You will see how the meat will simply brown and fry to its full depth. And most importantly, it will not flare up under the flame of fire, where the meat will immediately take on a smoky color and lose the taste we all need. Do you want to eat soot??? Me not!!! Smoking is a completely different topic and in this case it will simply not be appropriate.

This barbecue is for a small company or an outing. At the moment in the photo, my newest barbecue is being tested. Now that everything is over. behind and the meat has been eaten, I can say with confidence that it did not pass the test 100% and now has its drawbacks: along the edge of the holeless bottom, along, I made holes through five centimeters and now everything is fine! Yes, there was no damper for the blower yet, so I had to remove the meat from the place where the grate was, my welder said that he would fix this matter.

Also, I will not focus on the fact that the meat should be fried at good heat all the time, turning and, in no case, should not be doused with flames. Let the coals burn thoroughly, fan the ashes, and only then do the most beautiful thing in this art - fry the kebab! Every self-respecting kebab cook should know this!

Next to the grill is all my marinated and skewered deliciousness! Everything is very convenient and practical! Regarding lamb: be especially careful! If you overcook it, the meat will turn into dry and stale balls. Good, fresh meat cooks quickly, just a couple of minutes is enough. Women especially need to learn one truth, because... they often confuse the juices from the fried meat with blood, so they ask for more fried meat. Although the meat is already quite ready.

I will also reveal my tradition to everyone. Once the coals are lit, I always grill just one stick first. For the success of the event, I will pour a glass of good red wine and evaluate the quality of the future kebab. I’ll let my guests try it, even if not all of them, irritating them to the limit. And then it went - let's go!

I personally have had cases where close friends, one even a butcher by training, were speechless while eating. And after 5-6 sticks, exhaling, he said that he had never eaten such kebab! Now, by the way, this is the only way to marinate!

There is no need to make meter-long skewers. By the time you eat, you get to the last piece, it will already be cold. Secondly, waving a “sword” at the table, saying how delicious the kebab is, you can gouge out a good friend’s eye. And how wonderful it is to eat shish kebab from a skewer when it is still hot. In this case, I use my own short skewers (total length 37 cm). If you only have 20 of them, it means you have no friends and you cannot invite anyone to visit. The meat should be put on the skewers until the last piece. Or do you do this: “Hey, Vovan, come on, finish your food, give me the skewer, I need to fry Kolka!”

I have about 90-100 of them, they don’t rust, they don’t ask to be eaten, unless they put meat on them, and there’s enough for everyone. And when I go into nature, I take all the meat already put on and only on skewers. In a special container and hidden from all insects. I only put marinated meat on skewers myself and only at home. I don’t bother my ladies with this work; once I’ve taken up the task, I’ll see it through to the end. I don’t want to offend our dear and fair sex, but the meat should not roll on skewers or hang down to the very coals.

As for the size of the sticks, when eating, it’s better to take another, fresh, hot stick, so I stick 5-6 pieces. For lovely ladies, one skewer is enough; she would like to try a second one, but with huge skewers, she is afraid that she might not be able to cope. With my size, I can easily regulate the amount of kebab I eat. We are not in the Stone Age with a spinning mammoth or in a competition: “Who can eat the most!” Although, with a good barbecue, any thought about diet simply disappears! And your lady can always eat two or three skewers with pleasure!

Again, a real-life incident. The day dragged on with all sorts of things, it was late evening, a sauna and, accordingly, a barbecue. One lady from a family circle was very indignant, like, at night, looking at such a dish!? From her youth she knew the rules of nutrition, looked after her figure, and, by the way, she swallowed three sticks, and even a glass of beer!!!…

The last condition and important: always seat guests at the table, let them skip one glass with salads. No walking around the grill, everyone must sit at the table! Let them sniff with their nostrils what you are cooking there. Your place is only by the fire!!! This is where you start serving them your kebab!

Shish kebab should only be eaten hot! And yet, if you treat them to barbecue, let it be only barbecue. Some kind of appetizer, like: pickles, tomatoes, squash. Sweet peppers, black olives, onions, dark bread and, of course, good vodka! There shouldn’t be any manti or pies, because you are only serving SHAB!

I don’t know where they will kiss you later for this, but you will definitely be the first kebab maker in the village! This is what the first skewer looks like, squealing, frying and not burning over the hot fire. And the juice, what juice is flowing, just look! If it drops on the fire, then this drop will immediately burst into flames, but at the bottom of the grill with the least ventilation, this will not happen.

Below you will see that all the batches of barbecue I fried look about the same, so you can do it too, I’m sure of it!

But here is the first batch, people are waiting, everything is poured, just serve it!

And this is what lamb looks like: surprisingly golden brown and just melting in your mouth. This is exactly the meat that you saw in the second picture above. What exactly served as the pickle? This cannot be said; most likely, each ingredient contributed to this work. And the fact that the first pancake can always be lumpy, you know this, but the lesson you will learn from this is the most correct one! In this case, if everything was clear to you, there simply cannot be an error.

Try my recipe, maybe you will like this dish too! You're actually drooling???

PS: as one wise man said, “We do not live in this world to eat, but we eat to live!!!”

A picnic will be successful only with deliciously delicious food. Therefore, the event organizer has considerable responsibility in terms of choosing meat, marinating and preparing it.

Everyone knows that meat for barbecue must be fresh, and in no case frozen. But which part of the pork carcass should you choose to make the kebab soft, juicy and tasty? We will talk about this and how to properly marinate meat for barbecue below.

Which part of pork is best to make shish kebab from?

Any barbecue specialist will definitely answer that the best pork meat for making barbecue is pork neck. It is from this that you can get the most tender, juicy and soft kebab cooked over a fire. The meat from this part of the pork carcass has many layers of fat, which contributes to obtaining an ideal result. In addition, the meat fibers of the neck are always more tender and softer than, say, in the shoulder or back.

Sometimes it happens that it is not possible to purchase pork neck for barbecue due to its unavailability on sale at the right time. What to do in this case? Is it really possible to refuse a planned trip to nature? Or can you still buy another part of the pork carcass and make a kebab from it? In fact, in addition to pork neck for barbecue, you can also buy meat from the shoulder part. It also usually contains enough fatty layers. But unlike the collar, the shoulder blade is always tougher and requires longer cooking. This can be corrected with a more aggressive marinade that softens the meat fibers well. These are spicy mixtures based on kefir and mineral carbonated water, in which it is recommended to marinate meat for 24 hours. For a quick effect, you can use the pulp of which is added to the meat a couple of hours before frying the kebab. The juice of this tropical fruit will work wonders and make the meat incredibly soft. But in this case, it is not recommended to keep the shish kebab in such a marinade for more than two hours, otherwise the meat can simply be ruined.

Some also use pork tenderloin or tenderloin for barbecue. Such meat, like the neck, is soft and tender, but its structure after cooking is much drier and even the most first-class marinade will not be able to achieve its greater juiciness than the neck. However, carbonated kebab also has its admirers. Among them are those who respect leaner, low-fat dishes, because fat layers in such meat are very rare.

We have decided on the meat and now you know which part of the pork is best to use for the barbecue. All that remains is to marinate it a few hours before frying. Next, we offer a version of the most standard set of spices and herbs for marinating shish kebab. Note that this marinade is more suitable for the neck, since it is aimed more at imparting flavor to the meat, and not at softening it.

What is the best way to marinate pork kebab?

Ingredients:

Calculation for 3.5 kg of pork neck:

• medium-sized onions – 5 pcs.;
• sunflower oil without aroma – 85 ml;
• black peppercorns – 17 pcs.;
• coriander peas – 17 pcs.;
• dried basil – 0.5 teaspoon;
• dried thyme – 1 pinch;
• ground red paprika – 1 teaspoon;
• bay leaves – 2 pcs.;
• coarse salt - 40 g or to taste.

Preparation

When starting to marinate the kebab, rinse the pork neck with cold water, dry it and cut it into medium-sized slices (approximately the size of a matchbox). Place the meat in a bowl, add some salt and mix thoroughly. Now grind the peppercorns and coriander in a mortar and season the meat with the resulting crushed mass. Add dried basil and thyme, add ground paprika and bay leaves, add sunflower oil and mix.

At the end of the preparatory stage, we clean the onions, cut them into circles, disassemble them into rings, knead them a little with our hands and mix with the meat.

Pork should be marinated in the refrigerator, but about an hour before frying it must be taken out and kept at room conditions.

On the last warm autumn days, you really want to relax in nature with friends or family, warming up by a smoking grill in anticipation of a meat delicacy. Therefore, before the weekend, you need to take care of everything you need in advance: purchase all the provisions, choose a place for a picnic, prepare the car for the trip. And, of course, find out what kind of meat the kebab is made from to make it truly tasty. This article describes the possible options for the products used. The pros and cons of each type are outlined in detail. This will allow you to accurately decide before purchasing everything you need to prepare the main dish of the picnic - barbecue. Then there will be enough impressions for the whole long winter.

What kind of meat is suitable for barbecue?, and which one is not? Expert advice

Regardless of the variety, the meat must be young. Otherwise, the dish will turn out tough and not cooked through. The darker the meat, the older the carcass.

Freshness is a must. When using weathered pieces of dubious origin, there is a possibility of getting foreign “odors”. Try pressing your finger on the pulp when purchasing. Good meat will immediately return to shape, smoothing out the dimple.

Under no circumstances use frozen pieces for barbecue - they will turn out dry and tasteless.

The pulp should be without veins and with sufficient inclusion of fatty tissue to obtain a juicy dish.

: pork

This choice will certainly be ideal! Pork has, in addition to excellent taste, another amazing feature: you do not need to worry about marinating in advance. Just two to three hours will be enough to soak the pieces in aromatic seasonings and sauce before frying. The best kebab comes from the flesh located on the parts of the body closer to the pig's neck.

What kind of meat is best for barbecue?: beef

To avoid toughness, place the pieces in the marinade for a longer time, such as overnight. The best sauce for soaking would be mineral water. Beef is not as fatty and juicy as pork, so cooks use some tricks when preparing shish kebab from it - they stuff the meat with pieces of lard or bread it in eggs and breadcrumbs to preserve juiciness. The most tender dish is made from tenderloin and carcass.

What kind of meat is best for barbecue?: mutton

Despite its harshness, true gourmets prefer a smoky fried dish made from this particular product. In all cookbooks of the Caucasus, young lamb shish kebab is a classic dish with excellent taste and aroma. It usually uses ribs, leg or shoulder. But the main highlight is having time to enjoy the hot, juicy pieces. After all, any lamb tends to harden quickly.

What kind of meat is best for barbecue?: bird

Some categorically do not recognize such a dish. They believe that this is the same as “ear from a rooster.” But, if you use meat not from tough old domestic chickens, but from “precocious” broilers, the result will be quite tender and appetizing. Carcasses are usually cut into portions and fried on a grill, turning over to brown. Tasty and appetizing!

The long-awaited warm days have arrived - the warmth and sun allow you to get out into nature. Have a nice time relaxing in the fresh air with friends and family. It's hard to find a person who doesn't love barbecue. Everyone associates this dish with a great mood and the pleasant smell of a fire. But in order for the kebab to be remembered for a long time, it must be prepared from very good meat. So how to choose meat for barbecue?

Oddly enough, men always take charge of cooking kebabs. In general, men and meat have a special relationship. Not all men take the initiative in daily cooking, but barbecue on the weekend at a picnic or at the dacha is their strong point.

The main secret of delicious barbecue is the right choice of meat for the barbecue. And in order for the kebab to turn out juicy and soft, it is very important to properly marinate and fry it.

Let's figure out how not to make a mistake and choose the right meat for barbecue.

High-quality barbecue meat is the key to a tasty and successful barbecue. Here are the basic rules for choosing meat:

It is best to take chilled meat

Fresh meat is not suitable for barbecue (especially beef), as it will turn out tough. You need to hold it for a while for the muscles to relax.

You should not cook shish kebab from frozen meat, as it is deprived of some nutrients and will turn out less juicy.

To distinguish chilled meat from frozen and thawed meat, you need to press on it with your finger: the meat should be elastic. Thawed meat has a more intense color, loose consistency and dark red meat juice.

It is very important that the barbecue meat is fresh.

Pay attention to the appearance of the meat: fresh chilled meat is dry. The color should be uniform, with a glossy sheen. There should be no mucus, blood or liquid on the meat. The surface is slightly moistened, not sticky, and the meat juice is clear. A very important indicator of freshness is the consistency of meat: fresh meat is dense, elastic and smooth. The color of fresh meat when cut: pork should be pink, and beef and lamb should be red.

If possible, you should choose young meat for barbecue.

The age of meat can be checked using a simple test: a thin piece can easily be torn even by hand. The darker the color of the meat, the older the animal, the denser the muscle fibers. A kebab made from such meat will turn out tough.

Be sure to smell the meat: it should have a pleasant smell

The smell of quality meat should not evoke negative emotions. If it is unpleasant, you should not buy meat. When you press on the surface of the meat with your finger, the resulting hole quickly levels out. In meat of suspicious freshness, the depression from pressure is slowly leveled out. In poor-quality meat, the pit does not level out at all.

The quality of the meat is indicated by the color of the fat layers; they should be white or light yellow

Meat of suspicious freshness will have dull, sticky fat, while meat of poor quality will have a gray-yellow color, sometimes with mucus.

Don’t save time and don’t buy already marinated meat for barbecue.

firstly, it is impossible to determine the composition of the marinade, and secondly, it is impossible to correctly assess the quality of the meat. Flavor enhancers, preservatives and other additives harmful to the body can be added to the marinade.

Meat for shish kebab should not be lean, otherwise the kebab will not be juicy

Meat that is too fatty is also not good. The ideal option is meat with small layers of fat.

If you doubt the juiciness of the meat, thread small pieces of lard onto a skewer, alternating with the meat. This will add juiciness!

What meat makes the most delicious kebab?

Pork makes juicier kebabs than beef, and it doesn't need to be marinated for long. Veal is also great for kebabs. Very tasty lamb kebabs.

By the way, you can cook poultry, offal and seafood over coals.

Lamb kebab

Previously, kebab was generally prepared only from lamb. Young lamb meat is suitable for grilling over charcoal. It is bright red. If the meat has acquired a darkish, ruby ​​tint, then the lamb is old. You need to eat lamb shish kebab right away, as the lamb cools down very quickly.

Pork shish kebab

Many people prefer pork kebabs. Please note that the meat should not be very fatty. Pork for barbecue should be light pink and with a little fat. Suitable for barbecue is pork neck - meat located along the ridge of the neck. Here the fat streaks are evenly distributed in the meat. This kebab will be soft and juicy. A strip along the ridge on the back is also suitable; a loin would also work well. A shish kebab made from ham, a part of the carcass with a small amount of fat, will be less dry. It is better to marinate this part of the pork thoroughly.

Beef shish kebab

Beef meat is a bit dry and tough, so it is rarely chosen for barbecue. But if the choice fell on beef, then it is better to buy young, light-colored veal. If you decide to grill kebabs from this particular meat, then take beef fillet or brisket. The hind leg of a beef carcass is also suitable for making barbecue.