What will we eat at the picnic? Of course, kebab! This is a universal concept that implies a wide selection of components. You can fry pieces of meat and fish, turkey, chicken and even vegetables on skewers over smoldering coals.

In addition, cooking barbecue is always a fascinating ritual and excellent entertainment, and fire and smoke bring a unique sensation to it and set it in a romantic mood.

However, not all so simple. The fire of a fire is an insidious substance, and often juicy pieces of kebab turn into crispy “chips”, or even become completely charred.

To avoid disappointment, you need to know how to properly grill shish kebab.

To prepare this delicious dish you need 3 main components: meat, marinade and firewood.

Meat selection

Marinades and spices

Thanks to marinating, the meat becomes more tender and juicy, and acquires the desired shades of taste and aroma. Hard fibers are softened by acids, so one of the components of the marinade is often something sour: lemon, vinegar, kefir, ayran, unsweetened yogurt, sour milk.

The acidic elements needed to soften the future shish kebab are contained in some mineral waters (Borjomi, Narzan, Essentuki No. 17).

Marinades should not be salted.

Firewood

Firewood made from resinous trees - spruce, cedar, pine - is not suitable for cooking kebabs. They can ruin the taste of any product.

Poplar, willow and other species are useless, leaving only gray ash after burning.

Truly “kebab” firewood is made from alder, oak, hornbeam, and fruit trees: pear, cherry, apricot. A thick vine is perfect. Such firewood turns into hot coals - and they are needed for barbecue.

Coals

The time to cook kebabs comes when large coals form in the grill. They need to be leveled and sprinkled with a little ash to extinguish the flames.

Place the skewers with meat tightly, like a roof over the coals. So the frying temperature will be higher.

Keep some water ready: when the flame starts to break through, sprinkle the lit coal.

For convenience, make a simple device.

Using a hot nail, punch several holes in the cork of a plastic bottle, you will get a simple spray bottle.

From time to time it is necessary to spray the meat so that it does not dry out. For flavor, dilute the remaining marinade in a bottle of water.

There is another technique - you can sprinkle the meat with dark beer or kvass.

Shish kebab is a delicious dish that lifts your spirits and brings bliss to your body. There are many varieties, but the classic one is always made from meat: . The exceptions are chicken and fish.

Threading pieces of meat onto skewers and grilling over coals according to certain rules is a classic for perfectly cooking meat with a smoky flavor.

Cooking on skewers in the oven, in a frying pan from minced meat and various fish in the following articles.

Rules for preparing classic shish kebab

To prepare the dish, it is better to take young and juicy meat. To get good results. The following rules must be observed:

• Avoid cooking with frozen meat. Because frozen meat contains significantly less nutrients than fresh meat. No matter what they say, no matter how they marinate, the fibers from frozen meat will be tough.
• Avoid cooking from fresh meat, from a freshly slaughtered animal. The blood should drain from the carcass, the meat should “rest” for several hours, lie down. In the old days, it was generally considered prohibited to cook dishes directly from shot game - it should take 2 - 3 days.
• Stringy meat is not suitable.

The best brazier for cooking shish kebab is the traditional grill, which is used by most modern people. You can see what kind of barbecues there are in our modern life in the blog.

According to reviews from experts and people from the public, the best firewood is firewood made from grapevines. Next in descending order of quality are: white acacia, dogwood, sloe, beech, oak. You already understand that only deciduous trees are suitable.

The criterion for the quality of firewood is the quantity and heat of the coals.

Better buy ready-made charcoal and use it. As a rule, coal sold in bags is made from birch logs.

If you use firewood, it should burn almost smokelessly, produce a lot of coal with good heat and not be resinous - such is the quality of the firewood itself.

The height of the grill for frying meat should be such that the meat is located 10 - 15 cm above the coals, or even lower. It is more convenient to make a barbecue with grates (small) and a blower in order to create draft depending on the wind and weather.

If there is no barbecue, the hearth for frying shish kebab can be made from available non-combustible material: stones or bricks.

Classic pork kebab - how to marinate with vinegar for a delicious meal

Products:

• 2 kg pulp of not too fatty pork belly or
• 3 kg brisket on the bone (also very tasty)
• 100 ml white wine vinegar
• 1 kg onion
• salt pepper

To submit: 4 sweet onions + thick or thin pita bread

Recipe:

Cut the pork belly into equal pieces with pieces of lard.

Cut the other piece with ribs in the same way. so that the meat is located along the bone.

Each onion should be cut in half lengthwise, then cut into very thin half rings. Mix onion and vinegar and season well with black pepper. Combine meat and marinade in a large saucepan and stir with hands for 5 minutes. Then place the meat and marinade tightly in a container, cover with a lid and marinate at room temperature for 2 - 3 hours.

Use wide and flat skewers so that the meat does not turn while frying.

Thread the meat so that it runs along the skewer without hanging over it. The pieces must be of the same size and quality so that they are fried evenly. Then place the skewers with meat at a distance of 10 - 15 cm from the coals and fry, remembering to turn them evenly, until cooked and browned.

In a large bowl, coarsely chop the onion, take a large piece of pita bread and use it to remove the hot pieces of meat. Sprinkle the shish kebab in a bowl with onions. Thus, it undergoes heat treatment, absorbs the taste of meat and becomes a separate snack.

This is what a rib dish looks like if you decide to do this version of the classic preparation of meat with bones and wine vinegar.

Pork shish kebab recipe with mineral water marinade

Products:

• 2 kg pork neck
• 4 onions
• mineral water
• ground black pepper, ground coriander, salt

Recipe:

Cut the pork meat into pieces, cut the onion into half rings, pepper and sprinkle with ground coriander.

Place the meat and onions in a saucepan and add mineral water until it covers the meat. Place pressure on the meat and leave for 4 hours. Then salt the meat to taste. Next, you should string the pieces of meat onto skewers according to all the rules and fry over the coals.

Classic lamb shish kebab - a dish for the festive table

Products:

• 500 g lamb
• 2 onions
• 100 g green onions
• 200 g tomatoes
• 0.5 lemon
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon oil

Recipe:

Cut the kidney part or the flesh of the hind leg of lamb into even pieces (20 - 25 g), put in a bowl, add salt and sprinkle with ground black pepper. Then put grated onion there, pour in vinegar, stir and keep in a cold place for 5 - 6 hours.

The meat of young lambs is not doused with vinegar, but sprinkled with pepper, salt, parsley and kept in the cold for 2-3 hours.

Grill the kebab over coals for about 15 - 20 minutes. To ensure that the meat is cooked evenly, the skewers must be turned frequently.

The finished pieces of meat should be removed from the skewers, placed on a dish, and poured with oil. Garnish with green onions, sliced ​​tomatoes, and lemon. boiled rice Separately serve dried ground barberry or pomegranate juice.

Beef shish kebab - the marinade is the most delicious so that the meat is soft

Recipe:

This recipe makes the meat soft even if it was very tough. You can even take the meat frozen. Let the meat thaw. Then cut the beef into matchbox-sized pieces.

Sprinkle a layer of allspice on the bottom of the pan. Cover it with a layer of bay leaf on top. Place a layer of onion cut into rings, a layer of meat on top, salt and pepper with red ground pepper, again add a layer of onion and so on alternate. The last layer should be onions. Place a layer of bay leaf on top of it.

On top of the bay leaf layer, place a finger-thick layer of tomato paste and vinegar (put 1 spoon of vinegar per 1 kg of meat). Cover all this with an inverted plate and place about 10 kg of pressure on top. Leave for a day. After a day, drain the yushka, discard the top layer of bay leaves and transfer the meat to another bowl, leaving the bottom layer of bay leaves and peppercorns in the old one.

Then squeeze lemon into the meat and add dry white wine. After 2 hours, you can fry using skewers in a grill with hot coals.

Lamb shish kebab with vinegar: a classic way to cook meat in Tajik style

Products:

• 1200 g lamb
• 200 g onion
• 50 g vinegar 3%
• 30 g cumin
• 50 g greens
• ground black pepper, salt

Recipe:

Cut the lamb pulp into pieces measuring 25 grams. Salt, pepper, mix with finely chopped onions, cumin, pour vinegar and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Then string the pieces of meat onto skewers and fry over hot coals.

When serving, place the meat on a plate and sprinkle with chopped onions and herbs.

Marinades for pork kebab: how to marinate meat in pomegranate juice

Products:

• 2 kg pork neck
• 1 glass fresh pomegranate juice
• 4 tomatoes
• onion
• cloves, basil, parsley, ground black pepper, salt

Recipe:

Cut the pork into portions and place it as the first layer in an enamel pan. Cut the onions into rings and place in a second layer. Finely chop the greens and sprinkle the meat and onions.

Then put clove flowers on top and pour pomegranate juice over it. Place the container with the marinated meat in a cool place for 4 hours. Stir every hour. Add salt before the last stirring.

As a result, start stringing the meat onto skewers, alternating with tomato slices, and fry over the coals in the grill.

Shish kebab: a signature recipe from pork, and a marinade from the people - with beer!

Products:

• 2 kg pork (necks)
• coarse sea salt
• 5 onions
• 500 ml dark live beer
• 5 - 6 sun-dried tomatoes
• ground black pepper

Preparing the recipe:

Rinse and dry the meat. Cut it into large pieces so that each has fat.

Then make the marinade: grate the onion and transfer the onion pulp into a bowl with the meat,

add salt and pepper to taste, pour in all the beer. Stir and marinate for at least 5 - 6 hours.

Then remove from the marinade, string onto metal skewers and grill over coals made of apple, pear or aspen wood. The reviews from the people are excellent, the people are on board!

Method for preparing juicy pork shish kebab on the grill - video

Enjoy your barbecue on the coals, in the fresh air, with smoke!

Shouldn't we, dear and beloved, talk about a dish of all times and peoples - shish kebab? The phrase about the days gone by and the people who tasted this dish, in this case, was not used for the sake of a catchphrase - really, try to think about when a person first cooked shish kebab? Surely our primitive relative, roasting the carcass of a shaggy beast killed with his own spear over a fire, could not have imagined that several thousand years later his followers would also roast meat over a fire, calling their dinner the delicious word “kebab.”

However, we won’t go deep into history, let’s have a heart-to-heart talk about how to cook delicious meat on the grill. Surely your family has a couple of family secrets that you would never tell anyone about. And if “Magic Food” shares its knowledge, will you give away your secrets? We won't tell anyone else, honestly!

15 tips for those who want to learn how to cook the perfect kebab

1. How to choose meat for barbecue

Not everything is barbecue that smells delicious.

It's no secret that if you do everything correctly, correctly and traditionally, then for cooking barbecue need to get lamb. However, firstly, this type of meat has a rather strong specific smell, which not everyone likes, and secondly, it is not so easy to find high-quality lamb tenderloin in our stores and markets, so another almost traditional option has long taken root - pork kebab.

When choosing meat, pay attention to its fat content: a piece that is too lean will be dry and tough after cooking, a piece that is too fatty will remain unpleasantly greasy. Here, as in no other case, the golden mean is important. When it comes to pork, they usually buy the neck. Less often - a shoulder blade or a ham. They don't take loin at all– despite the fact that this is the most beautiful part of the pork carcass, it is absolutely not suitable for barbecue.

In addition to pork, you can use veal (high quality beef), chicken, turkey. In addition, kebab is also prepared from certain types of fish - catfish, salmon, sturgeon.

When sharing family secrets of delicious barbecue, most people share marinade recipes. So, don't believe it! The key to a perfect barbecue is just the right meat. It’s impossible to make juicy, soft, appetizing kebab from cheap, stale, old pork; you don’t even have to try. And vice versa: it is very difficult to spoil fresh, high-quality meat, it is amazing and wonderful in itself, therefore a kebab made from it will most likely be perfect.

2. How to cut meat perfectly

Shashlik does not tolerate women's hands.
Film “Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears”

To make the kebab tasty and juicy, it is important to approach the issue of cutting meat correctly. There are two key points.

The first is size, no matter how strange it sounds, of course, it matters: pieces of meat that are too small will simply dry out on the fire, turning into dry, hard “chips,” while large pieces will not have time to fry, will burn on top, and will remain raw inside. Again - the golden mean: not big and not small, even and neat and - important! - everything is approximately the same size, otherwise some of the meat will be overcooked, and some will remain undercooked.

Second, the meat needs to be cut across the grain. A simple truth that rarely follows when trying to cut meat as it turns out - instead of doing it right. And the end result, naturally, is different, but more often – tough, dry and unappetizing.

3. How to calculate the product

Make sure that neither the kebab nor the skewer burns.

There should be a lot of shish kebab! This is an immutable truth, a law and simply an axiom that does not require any reasonable evidence. There should be so much shish kebab that it will definitely remain (by the way, have you ever tried to stew potatoes on a kebab, cook pea soup or cook pilaf? no? oh-oh-oh-so-vain!). Meat is usually purchased at the rate of 300-400 g per person. More is possible, less is not worth it. Do not forget that during the cooking process this product will definitely lose weight.

4. The best marinade for barbecue

We didn’t eat shish kebab, but we were blinded by the smoke.

About the best way to marinate shish kebab, ask real professionals - those who prepare this dish constantly and regularly, who were born and raised in a country for which shish kebab has long been an element of culture, who fry it without striving to improve perfection. In many Caucasian countries, barbecue meat is marinated in its own juice, adding only salt, black pepper and onions to the chopped pieces. This minimalism has a special meaning, each ingredient is dictated by experience and common sense.

However, if you want to find a different, special marinade recipe for barbecue and try a new method every time you get ready to fry meat over a fire, do not forget that in most cases it takes time for the meat to marinate properly. Ideally, we are talking about 10-12 hours, in the minimum format – at least 4-5 hours.

5. To salt or not to salt?

If you can’t part with the lamb, you’ll be left without the kebab.

What kind of question, you ask, salt, of course! Ok, salt, but when? Before frying or after? There is a widespread belief that salt “pulls out” the juices from meat, so you should not add it to the marinade, just add salt immediately before or after frying.

Believe me (and if you don’t believe me, arm yourself with scales, a notepad and a smart look and check it experimentally!), pre-salting meat at the marinating stage in no way affects the dehydration of the product. Salting the finished kebab is quite problematic: the salt will not penetrate inside through the thick meat crust, it will remain on the surface and will be felt only on the upper layers of the meat piece.

To be completely fair, it is worth noting that the dryness of the kebab is much more influenced by the cooking time (if the heat is not intense enough, you will have to “marinate” the meat over the coals, for a long time and tediously, which will naturally dry it out much more than this supposedly will make salt) and the size of the piece of meat (this was already mentioned above). Therefore, we add salt without thinking, because like unsalted meat, it’s a horror, a translation of the product and generally nonsense.

6. Seasonings: to be or not to be? That is the question!

Life is easy when you eat kebab.

In recent years, supermarket shelves have sagged under the weight of all kinds of seasonings - for chicken, pork, lamb, just all-purpose meat, grilled meat, barbecue and other tricks. At the bazaar, it is impossible to calmly pass by the beautiful piles of oriental herbs and spices - they will offer you anything you want, and before you even have time to look back, you will receive disposable bags of ingredients mixed from spices that are unknown to you.

If you approach the issue wisely and with restraint, it is certainly delicious. However, be very confident in your rationality and restraint, because otherwise you risk getting something meaty instead of kebab, but poorly identifiable behind a thick crust of all kinds of spices.

And don’t forget that everything that protrudes, sticks out and hangs on the meat will definitely burn. Herbs and seasonings succumb easily to fire—do you want to eat a lot of charcoal?

7. Skewers or grill?

A house cannot be built on seven winds; barbecue cannot cook on seven coals.

Traditionally, shish kebab is fried on skewers, turning them beautifully and confidently over the coals. However, if you prefer to place the meat on the grill grate, then do so! Why not? Of course, this is not a classic of the genre, but then, let’s say, frying pans for pancakes didn’t always exist either - this is not a reason to still fry pancakes on a hot stone.

By the way. If you decide to fry meat on skewers, try to heat them thoroughly on the grill before threading the meat onto them - this way you will not only disinfect the metal (this is important for some), but also ensure the coagulation of proteins inside the meat piece, which will allow the juices not to leak out from the kebab or flow out in a much smaller volume.

8. A little imagination - for beauty and aroma

Only a sheep can refuse barbecue.

Shish kebab is a creative endeavor; it does not require precise proportions, ingredients measured down to the gram, or strict adherence to the recipe, and that’s great! You can always improvise, try your own options, realize your own fantasies. Try playing with the marinade - who knows, maybe you will be able to discover a new component that will make your kebab famous throughout the city?

Another topic for creativity is stringing meat onto skewers in turn with additional products. Most often, of course, we are talking about onion rings, however, feel free to try everything that comes to your mind. The chicken kebab looks absolutely incredible when placed on skewers interspersed with large grapes. Zucchini and zucchini cooked over coals are amazingly tasty - maybe you should try cooking them at the same time as meat? Bell peppers, pieces of lard, pumpkin, tomatoes, eggplants, peaches, apples and everything, everything, everything that comes to your mind. Try it!

9. Fire and coals

If you love barbecue, love to light up the grill.

Experts say that the most delicious shish kebab comes out over fruit wood. Cherry, pear, and plum are considered the most suitable, and it should be understood that a rare specialist, having tasted kebab cooked, say, on cherry wood, will distinguish it from kebab cooked on oak branches.

In general, you can use any deciduous trees - linden, birch, poplar. It is worth remembering: under no circumstances should you use resinous (coniferous) wood for cooking barbecue. Resins will give the meat a characteristic taste and aroma, which will simply spoil the meat.

10. Grilling shish kebab

The shish kebab is not far from the shish kebab.

It would seem, what could be simpler? He skewered the meat, put the skewers on the grill and twisted it until the kebab became appetizing and everyone passing by came running to smell it. However, barbecue requires a careful approach; with a quick start and without experience, you are unlikely to cook tasty meat, and even a heap of various theoretical knowledge will still not be enough until you fry it yourself at least a dozen times.

The first thing to remember is that the shish kebab is cooked over coals. A banal, uninteresting truth that many people ignore. In their haste to quickly bring the meat to the table, the unfortunate cooks lose patience and begin to fry the shish kebab on wood that is not completely burnt. The result is a tough, burnt crust and a soggy, unchewable middle.

Another common mistake is neglecting the flames that sometimes appear on coals. If grease or any other flammable ingredient suddenly gets on the burnt firewood, the coals react instantly - harmful and very aggressive lights rise up, which strive to ruin your picnic. Always have a bottle of water ready (yes, always, even if you are sure that this will not happen to you). For convenience, make several holes in the lid - this will allow you to gently spray water over those areas that require your intervention, and will help not to flood the remaining coals.

11. Checking the readiness of the kebab

Communication in Russia is so important that external circumstances cease to matter. Several times I happened to barbecue in the cold and in the rain - if we decide to go to the park for barbecue, we do so, regardless of the vagaries of the weather.
Anna-Lena Lauren, “They have something wrong with their heads, these Russians”

Checking shish kebab for doneness is very simple: use a knife to cut the thickest piece of meat down to the skewer and apply light pressure. If the juice released is colorless, the kebab is ready. If blood is visible on the cut, you should wait a little longer.

12. Serving kebab

The lamb is not invited to the barbecue.

It’s beautiful, of course, if the kebab is removed from the heat and immediately placed on the table directly on the skewers - in some restaurants they create a real show from this simple action. In general, yes, it’s impressive and amazing, but... very uncomfortable. Firstly, skewers immediately take up an irrationally large amount of space on the table. Secondly, eating meat from a “skewer” is, of course, magnificent in a primitive way, but it’s hardly pleasant: even your ears get dirty.

The choice is yours - entertainment and theatricality or simplicity and comfort.

13. A little secret before the kebab hits the table

One’s beard was on fire, and the other was grilling shish kebab on it.

After you have removed the meat from the coals, it is not a bad idea to let it “cook” a little. You do it anyway - usually this is exactly the time it takes for guests to, upon hearing the signal “the kebab is ready!”, wash their hands, move to the table, fill their glasses and say the first toast. Ideally, the meat should be covered or wrapped in foil - this is how the “steam effect” is ensured, which helps the kebab to relax a little, release the juices, and completely and irrevocably soften.

For a special twist, try sprinkling the cooked meat with a little pomegranate juice (amazing!) or dry wine (zesty!). If desired, add fresh herbs and onions cut into rings into the bowl - after 15 minutes the kebab will acquire a special aroma and taste.

14. Accompaniment to barbecue

A cart breaks - firewood for a lazy person, a bull dies - barbecue for a slacker.

In our tradition, for some reason, shish kebab is always associated with vodka or beer. No one is calling you to sobriety, however, sometime in your spare time, think about whether the mentioned comrades are actually the best friends of kebab.

Again we make a mental reference to Caucasian traditions and remember that most often on the festive table of a Caucasian there is a jug of wine, we draw conclusions and try to serve dry red wine, tart and thick, with the barbecue.

Well, don’t forget about fresh vegetables and herbs. The more juicy cilantro, bright parsley, delicate dill, spicy basil, sweet cucumbers, sugar tomatoes appear on the table along with the meat, the tastier the kebab will be.

By the way, you can also lightly hold the bread you serve over the coals - it will become fragrant and crispy. If you have a couple of sheets of pita bread lying around the house, wrap cheese, tomatoes, herbs in it and fry it over the coals - it will be incredibly tasty!

15. Sense of proportion

The turkey was thinking too, until he got to the barbecue.
Film "Lock, Money and Two Smoking Barrels"

Barbecue is, of course, a very exciting and creative event, however, in your creative impulses, try to maintain a sense of proportion. Don’t throw all the tips and secrets suggested above into one huge bowl of meat. A hundred ingredients for a marinade are unlikely to make barbecue tastier - when trying to implement your recipes, think about moderation. If you want to string additional components along with the meat, you should not mix lard with grapes and strawberries with fish. If you pour wine over the meat during frying, you probably shouldn’t sprinkle it with additional lemon juice when serving. A sense of proportion, dear ones, a sense of proportion in everything!

Marinade for shish kebab - top 10 best recipes

1. Shish kebab in red wine

During the cooking process, the alcohol vapor, as in many other recipes using wine, cognac or other strong drinks, evaporates, leaving only a subtle subtle fruity flavor and an incredibly rich, beautiful color.

For 1 kg of meat you will need:
300 ml dry red wine;
3-4 onions;
5 cloves of garlic;

Wash the meat, dry it, cut into portions. Place in a saucepan, add salt, pepper, squeeze out the garlic, mix everything thoroughly, add the onion cut into slices, pour in the wine. Mix again, then cover with a plate or lid smaller in diameter than the diameter of the pan, and place a jar of water or other weight on top. Leave for 6-7 hours.

2. Shish kebab in kefir

A combination that is very strange at first glance will surprise you as a result of preparing the barbecue: the meat will be very tender, the taste will be slightly creamy.

For 1 kg of meat you will need:
200 ml kefir;
3 onions;
salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Wash the meat, cut into portions, salt, pepper, and pour kefir. Add the onion, mix well, and refrigerate for at least 5 hours.

3. Shish kebab in mineral water

Fans of marinating shish kebab in mineral water claim that this is one of the fastest ways to pre-prepare meat for cooking over a fire. This marinade itself is quite neutral, so to give the kebab a “zest”, try adding suitable spices to the mineral water - ground hot pepper, paprika, coriander.

For 1 kg of meat you will need:
250 ml mineral water;
2-3 onions;
salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Wash the meat, dry it, cut into portions. Arrange in layers with chopped onions, salt and pepper at the same time. Fill with mineral water and leave in a cool place for 1-3 hours.

4. Kebab with kiwi

But this is definitely the “fastest” of all possible marinades! Thanks to the organic acids that make up the green exotic berry, the collagen in the meat protein is destroyed, as a result of which the meat becomes very, very soft. However, be careful: overcook it a little and you’ll end up with minced meat instead of kebab: kiwi thus acts on the meat quite quickly. The method is very useful in cases where you have chosen the wrong meat - tough and stringy.

For 1 kg of meat you will need:
5 kiwi;
5 cloves of garlic;
salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Puree the kiwi and garlic, mix with washed, dried, cut into pieces and salted meat. Cover with a lid and leave for 40-60 minutes, periodically checking the condition of the meat and testing it for softness by simply piercing it with a knife.

5. Shish kebab in onion-tomato marinade

Spicy and aromatic. Meat marinated in tomato and onion dressing will be juicy and original.

For 1 kg of meat you will need:
3 ripe tomatoes;
1 large onion;
1 tsp. khmeli-suneli;
salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Grate the tomatoes. Cut the onion into rings.
Wash the meat, dry it, cut it into pieces. Salt, add pepper, hops-suneli. Mix with tomato puree and add onion rings. Leave for 8-10 hours.

6. Oriental pork or meat in honey

The marinade, frankly speaking, is not for everybody, however, if you are a fan of oriental trends in cooking, you will certainly like the spicy-sweet taste that the kebab gets thanks to this marinade.

For 1 kg of meat you will need:
3 tbsp. l. honey;
2 tbsp. l. soy sauce;
2 tbsp. l. mustard beans;
1 tsp. dry ground ginger;
1 tsp. hot ground pepper;
salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Wash the meat, dry it, cut it into pieces.
Mix with honey, soy sauce, hot and black peppers, ginger, mustard, and salt. Leave for 5-8 hours.

7. Shish kebab in vinegar

Many kebab connoisseurs believe that vinegar makes the meat coarser and tougher, however, there is another opinion: thanks to this additive, the meat becomes spicy, piquant and very tasty. To understand whose camp you are in, you should try at least once to cook shish kebab marinated in vinegar.

For 1 kg of meat you will need:
4 tbsp. l. table vinegar (9%);
10 tbsp. l. water;
3-4 heads of onions;
salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Wash the meat, dry it with disposable towels, cut into portions. Salt and pepper. Mix water and vinegar and pour over meat. Stir, add onions, leave in a cool place for 3-4 hours.

8. Shish kebab in mayonnaise

Yes, yes, mayonnaise is a cold sauce, yes, of course, when heated it breaks down into a mountain of harmful substances, of course, it is generally bad manners to use it when cooking meat. But you can do it just once, right? And if you really like it, then sometimes, just a couple of times a year? Quietly - so that no one knows?

For 1 kg of meat you will need:
200 g mayonnaise;
4 onions;
salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Wash the meat, dry it, divide it into pieces. Salt and pepper. While stirring, gradually add mayonnaise. Arrange in layers, alternating with onion rings. Leave for 5-10 hours.

9. Shish kebab in pomegranate juice

Tender, juicy, bright, aromatic, berry - what else can I add to make you understand that this marinade is worth trying at least once in your life!

For 1 kg of meat you will need:
250 ml fresh pomegranate juice;
4 onions;
salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste.

We wash the meat, cut off excess, dry it, and divide it into portions. Salt, add pepper and pomegranate juice, mix well, add onion rings, leave in a cool place for 8-10 hours.

10. “Quick” onion marinade

This marinade is very... very, let’s say, not for everyone, because during the process of preparing shish kebab, the onion mass quickly burns if you don’t clean it off the meat first, however, a significant plus is the special juiciness that onion juice gives to the meat, and the mind-blowing smell that characteristic of kebab cooked with onions. It's definitely worth a try!

For 1 kg of meat you will need:
0.5 kg of onion;
salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Grate the onion or chop it in a blender. Wash the meat, dry it, chop it, mix it with salt, pepper and onion mixture. We put it under pressure for 5-8 hours. Before threading the meat onto skewers, clean the meat as much as possible from the onions.

Well, now that you're savvy in theory, it's time to start practicing? We wish you many, many sunny days, wonderful occasions for picnics, excellent companies and, of course, delicious barbecue. And yes, “Magic Food” fulfilled its part of the contract, told about the secrets - now it’s your turn to reveal family secrets.

Even if you don’t notice the warm days and hot sun, it’s impossible to miss the onset of summer: it is at this time, before every weekend, that the contents of meat counters in markets fly away like hot cakes, and queues in supermarkets break New Year’s records: people flee the city en masse, preferring to spend barbecue time.

Kebabs - that’s right, in the plural - are not a dish, they are a phenomenon that has become part of our culture and the cause of many kilometers of traffic jams. But still, at its center is food - pre-marinated pieces of meat cooked on the grill, which every self-respecting man seems to know how to cook. However, even such a simple dish has its secrets (this is what usually happens with such simple ones). In a word, the question “how to properly cook shish kebab” is not so simple and not idle. Let's try to answer it.

Connoisseurs of culinary terminology understand that kebab is not actually fried, but baked. And yet, for some reason, in Russian it is customary to “fry shish kebab.” As they say, it wasn’t us who started it, and it’s not up to us to change it.

Meat…

When choosing meat, remember that not every cut is suitable for barbecue: the meat must be soft (otherwise the barbecue will not be chewable), moderately fatty (so that it retains its juiciness when cooked) and high quality (otherwise the barbecue will simply be tasteless). So, from our beef, only fillet is suitable for barbecue, pork kebab is traditionally prepared from the neck or ham, tender poultry chicken can be used for barbecue almost entirely, but the most suitable part of lamb for barbecue is the tenderloin.

But there are several ways to turn less suitable cuts into kebab - for example, by preparing minced meat from tougher meat, we will make a wonderful lula kebab, and the fat mesh, which is sold in the markets, will allow us to make kebab from meat that is lean in itself , such as veal. Let's not forget about offal - here the choice is truly extensive and varied - as well as about less trivial types of meat, such as duck, game and so on.

…and not only

If we talk about non-meat kebabs, fish, seafood, vegetables and mushrooms come to mind. In principle, any fish will do for barbecue, but if we want our kebab to be tasty and juicy, we need to focus on fish with medium fat content. The recognized king of fish kebab is sturgeon; the fish is expensive, but delicious; other suitable options are salmon and catfish. Of course, smaller or flatter fish can also be cooked on coals, but we will only call kebab what can be put on a skewer. Almost anything from seafood is also suitable for barbecue, but it’s unlikely that anything compares to large shrimp skewered directly in the shell: they don’t really need to be marinated.

Shish kebab made from vegetables and mushrooms is not necessarily the lot of vegetarians, because baked over hot coals, with a smoky aroma, such vegetables themselves are no worse than any meat. An ideal and very common option for vegetable kebab is bell peppers, young zucchini and zucchini, eggplants, tomatoes, and onions. Among mushrooms, champignons and porcini mushrooms are the undisputed leaders - the former are inexpensive, the latter are tasty, and both can be eaten raw, so there is no need to be afraid of under-heating the kebab over the coals.

Marinade

Marinating is one of the most important stages in preparing barbecue, although some believe that good meat does not need any marinade. The reason for this belief dates back to the past, when the main task of the marinade was to soften tough meat, which could at least be chewed only after being kept in vinegar or other acidic medium. We really don’t need vinegar - but as a way to give the product the taste and aroma of herbs and spices, marinating is useful even in the case of excellent quality meat.

Let's assume both a dry marinade - that is, simply spices that are used to season the meat some time before cooking - and a liquid one. In this case, the basis may be a vegetable or moderately acidic liquid - wine, kefir, onion juice, yogurt. Everyone has their own marinade recipe, proven by the experience of generations, but here are a few common mistakes that should be avoided if you do not plan to spoil the kebab:

• Do not overuse acidic environments. The juice of half a lemon or a little may not do any harm and will even impart its flavor to the kebab, but too much acid will make the meat, albeit soft, but completely tasteless. If you do decide to marinate meat in an acidic environment, do not do it for too long.
• When marinating, it is better to under-salt the meat - otherwise it will release too much juice, and the finished kebab will turn out a little dry.
• Putting too many different spices is a bad idea. Our task is to reveal and complement the taste of the original product, and not kill it. Plus, even with moderate seasoning, you simply won't recognize all the spices you added to the marinade.
• Marinate the kebab for at least several hours. Ideally, overnight (if you haven’t abused acid). Otherwise, the effect of pickling will be so unnoticeable that there is no need to fence the garden. However, the exact time that should be allocated for marinating depends on the original product and the recipe for the marinade itself.
• Do not marinate shish kebab in mayonnaise. No matter what they tell you, it is not intended for this.

Time-tested combinations are pork and onions, lamb and coriander, or rosemary, garlic and. On this site you will find recipes for other barbecue marinades.

Coals

But now the meat has been selected, marinated, and it’s time to start the fire. Do this in advance, because it is correct to fry shashlik on gray coals, which provide stable, even heat, and for this they need to burn out properly (however, “young” coals are better suited for vegetable shish kebab). Many stores and gas stations now sell barbecue coals - this is a win-win option, especially if you don’t have much experience, time or simply the desire to tinker with the barbecue for a long time. In this case, simply pour lighter fluid (sold there) over the coals, let it soak in, and then light it. If your coals blazed merrily for a couple of minutes and then went out, this does not necessarily mean that you need to start all over again: spray them with fresh air by waving a sheet of cardboard or just something large and flat, and if the sides of some coals immediately turn red, that means , Everything's under control. After a while, when the coals get hotter, you can stir up the contents of the grill.

If you decide to start with firewood, take logs from birch, linden, oak or fruit trees such as cherry or apple. Grapevine wood is great for making barbecue. You should absolutely not fry shish kebab on coniferous wood - these logs will give off acrid resin smoke, which will settle on the kebab, making it harmful to health, and even frankly tasteless. You can flavor the smoke by throwing some dried herbs onto the coals.

One way or another, let the coals burn until they acquire a uniform whitish tint. You can already cook shish kebab on such coals - but make sure that you take enough coals or firewood from the very beginning, otherwise the grill will quickly lose heat and the second and subsequent batches of shish kebab will take so long to cook that they will have time to dry out.

On the grill

Cooking shish kebab correctly is a small trick: meat cooked outdoors, and in good company, is quite difficult to spoil. But it is possible. By following these tips, you will be able to avoid a fiasco and prepare first-class kebab:

• Mount the kebab correctly. A lot depends on how you place the meat on the skewer: it is better to place pieces of pork and chicken separately from each other - this way they will cook faster and better inside - and beef and lamb, on the contrary, close to each other to maintain juiciness.
• Turn the meat constantly. Most barbecues are made in such a way that each skewer can be placed in four or even eight different positions; you should not skimp on this: by regularly turning the skewers with kebab, you can achieve a uniform golden brown crust on the outside and uniform roasting on the inside.
• Keep fire away. If you are cooking fatty meat, the fat will drip onto the coals and immediately ignite, and the flames will happily lick your kebab. In fact, there is nothing fun here: the outside of such meat will be cooked and even burnt, but the inside will remain raw. To prevent this, you can move the coals to the side or carefully, so as not to raise a whirlwind of ash, pour the marinade over the meat and coals. However, from time to time, basting or coating the kebab with marinade is not a bad idea in any case, because this way it will turn out more juicy.
• Swap skewers. If some skewers cook faster than others, swap them periodically, or better yet, stir the coals to ensure even heat.
• Monitor the readiness of the meat. Having become a little more experienced in cooking shish kebab, you will be able to determine readiness “by eye,” but it’s a good idea to cut one of the pieces to check how ready it is inside. This is especially important when preparing chicken and pork kebabs.
• Let the meat rest for a while. Do not remove the meat from the skewer immediately, let it rest for a minute or two - this way less juice will flow out of it.
• The right choice of side dishes and drinks is no less important than the actual preparation of the kebab. If with the first everything is simple - fresh or grilled vegetables, fresh bread and a lot of herbs, then among drinks you should pay attention to dry wine or mineral water: beer, which often accompanies barbecue, in most cases does not fit with it at all.

That's the whole secret. Not so difficult, right? And you can find recipes for putting this theory into practice in one of these collections.

Traditionally, kebab is the name given to small pieces of lamb skewered and grilled over coals. In fact, there are many more options for kebabs: you can take pork, beef, turkey, rabbit, chicken, nutria, and so on. But that’s not all: in addition to meat, fish, shrimp, vegetables, mushrooms and even fruits are suitable for barbecue. And they are fried not only over hot coals on the grill, but also in an oven with a grill or an electric barbecue grill. What is better to make shish kebab from and what to fry it on, everyone will decide for themselves.

From pork

This option can safely be called traditionally Russian. Pork is the most popular meat among Russians who go out of town for barbecues.

For it, it is best to take the collar or neck, but, of course, both loin and brisket will do. But ham and shoulder are not a very good idea for such a dish. To prevent the kebab from turning out dry, the meat should be taken with fat, but there should be little of it. The pork needs to be marinated first. The younger the pig, the less time you will have to keep the meat in the marinade. There are a huge number of types of marinades, we offer one of the classic methods.

For 2 kilograms of pork you will need:

• onions – 6 pieces (large);
• mixture of herbs - 2 tablespoons (basil, cilantro, sage, marjoram, etc.);
• ground pepper (red and black) - to taste;
• coarse salt – 1 teaspoon.

Properly cooked pork kebab is incredibly soft, juicy and tasty.

Preparation procedure:

1. Cut the meat into cubes of approximately 5 cm, combine with the marinade ingredients, mix and let stand for 6-12 hours.
2. Thread onto skewers, place them on the grill over smoldering charcoals: birch, aspen, linden, and so on - the main thing is that the firewood is hardwood.
3. During frying, the skewers should be periodically turned over and sprinkled with marinade to make the meat juicy.
4. Readiness is determined as follows: the largest piece of pork is cut, if clear juice flows out of it, the dish is ready.

Beef liver

Picnic lovers probably want to diversify their menu in nature, so why not consider this option, especially since it is prepared incredibly quickly.

All you need is beef liver, sour cream mayonnaise and ready-made barbecue seasoning

Preparation procedure:

1. Cut the liver: remove the veins, cut into pieces convenient for threading on skewers.
2. Place them in a marinating container, add barbecue seasoning (salt is usually already included), add mayonnaise and stir. Leave to marinate for several hours.
3. Thread pieces of liver onto skewers (5-6 pieces each).
4. Place on the grill over the coals and fry for about 5-10 minutes, turning the skewers.

The liver cooks very quickly, so it is important to remove the kebabs in time so that they do not dry out. Any seasonal vegetables will suit the finished dish.

From rabbit

This kebab uses a flavorful marinade based on vinegar and ketchup. Products you need to prepare:

• rabbit carcass;
• five onions;
• 500 g ketchup;
• 20 ml vinegar (9%);
• salt, spices - to taste.

For barbecue, it is best to use homemade ketchup; if it is unavailable, replace it with fresh tomatoes or dilute two tablespoons of tomato paste in water (0.5 l).

Preparation procedure:

1. Rinse the rabbit carcass under running water and cut into pieces.
2. Place the rabbit meat in a saucepan, add chopped onion, salt, and spices.
3. Pour in the ketchup and vinegar, mix well and leave to marinate for at least 5 hours.
4. Thread the rabbit pieces onto skewers, place over the coals and turn every 5 minutes. Fry until fully cooked, pouring over the remaining sauce in which the meat was marinated, diluted with water.

Young rabbit kebab is especially tasty.

Turkey

Another good option for barbecue is turkey meat. It has high gastronomic value: incredibly tasty and low in calories. For 1.5 kg of meat you will need:

• one lemon;
• two onions;
• a quarter teaspoon of ground red pepper;
• two teaspoons of dried basil;
• allspice peas;
• salt.

To prepare kebabs, it is better to take the thigh part (fillet), but from the breast they turn out a little dry

Preparation:

1. Wash the turkey fillet, dry it, cut into 5 cm pieces.
2. Cut the onion into medium rings.
3. Place the meat in a saucepan, add onion rings, basil, allspice, ground red pepper and salt. Stir gently so as not to break the onion.
4. Squeeze the lemon juice into the pan, stir again, and let stand for two hours.
5. Pour in 0.5 cups of water, cover with a saucer and press down. Cover the pan with a lid and marinate for 8-10 hours.
6. Thread the meat mixed with onion rings onto skewers.
7. Place them on the grill over hot coals with good heat.
8. Turn the skewers constantly while frying. It is important not to dry out the meat, so you need to carefully monitor its readiness.

From mackerel

Fish kebabs are often made. Many people will like a simple version of the widely available mackerel. To prepare it you will need:

• two mackerel carcasses;
• a teaspoon of lemon juice;
• one apple;
• a teaspoon of curry seasoning;
• salt to taste.

It is believed that liquid marinade makes mackerel watery and disintegrates, so it is either not marinated at all or done in a dry way. In this case, marinade with lemon juice is used to add piquancy to the fish.

Operating procedure:

1. To prepare the marinade, cut an apple into slices, rub them with curry and sprinkle with lemon juice.
2. Thawed mackerel is gutted, the head is cut off, washed, rubbed with curry, apple slices are placed inside the fish and left in the marinade for 20 minutes.
3. The grate is greased with vegetable oil, whole carcasses are placed between the doors and clamped.
4. Fry the mackerel over hot coals for about 10 minutes, constantly turning the grill.
5. It is important not to dry out the fish, so you should not increase the frying time, and for small fish it can even be reduced.

Mackerel skewers go great with baked onions or apples, as well as fresh lemon wedges

Chicken and zucchini

This is a so-called dietary kebab, and it is not only light, but also incredibly tasty. For one chicken breast you will need:

• 4 cloves of garlic;
• one young zucchini;
• soy sauce – 60 ml;
• ready seasoning for chicken;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Cut the chicken fillet into small pieces, zucchini into equal-thick slices, then place in a bowl for marinating. All this needs to be sprinkled with salt and seasoning and add grated garlic. Lastly, pour in the soy sauce, mix everything thoroughly and leave for an hour and a half so that the meat is saturated with spices.
2. Thread breast pieces onto skewers or skewers, alternating with zucchini rings, and place on the grill over hot coals. Turn the skewers over during frying. With good coals, cooking will take 20 minutes.

Great combination - chicken breast and zucchini

From vegetables

What you can make dietary kebabs from is vegetables. These mini-kebabs are a very light and healthy summer snack, and they can also replace the meat option for vegetarians.

Ingredients:

• 2 zucchini;
• 3 bell peppers;
• 6 tomatoes;
• zest of one lemon;
• half a bunch of mint;
• 3 tablespoons olive oil;
• half a fresh hot pepper;
• salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Preparation:

1. Soak wooden skewers in water.
2. Cut the vegetables into approximately equal pieces so that it is convenient to string them onto skewers: small tomatoes - in halves, zucchini - in half rings, sweet peppers - in cubes.
3. Finely chop the hot pepper and mint, grate the lemon zest, add to the vegetables and stir. Add olive oil, salt and pepper, mix again and leave to marinate for half an hour.
4. Thread vegetables onto skewers, place over coals, and fry for 10 minutes.

If desired, you can additionally cut the zucchini into thin slices lengthwise and wrap pieces of marinated tofu cheese in them. Thread the resulting rolls onto skewers and cook in the same way as other kebabs.

This is an ideal dish for picnics and gatherings at the dacha; it will add not only variety to the diet, but also joyful notes, especially if you show imagination when decorating the dish when serving

From eggplant

Eggplant kebabs can easily replace meat ones or be an excellent addition to them. Some eggplants can be prepared vegetarian, while others can be stuffed with lard. To prepare them you need to take:

• 0.5 kg eggplants;
• 100 g lard;
• two cloves of garlic;
• a tablespoon of olive oil;
• a bunch of dill;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash the eggplant and make 5-6 slices (do not reach the stem and the core).
2. Chop the garlic and dill, add salt, add olive oil and stir.
3. Rub the eggplant with this mixture, placing it into the cuts.
4. Prepare a sheet of foil folded in half and completely wrap the eggplant in it so that the juice does not leak out and air does not enter.
5. Make cross cuts in another eggplant, put lard in them, pre-cut into thin slices, and pierce it lengthwise with a skewer.
6. Place both eggplants over the coals and roast for 20 minutes, turning over and being careful not to overcook.

Serve the finished kebabs to the table, sprinkled with herbs.

From shrimp and fish

For variety, you can make shish kebab from fish and shrimp. To prepare it you will need the following ingredients:

• 200 grams of peeled raw shrimp;
• 400 grams of fish fillet (fish with firm white meat);
• juice of one lemon;
• several sprigs of rosemary;
• two cloves of garlic;
• zest of one lemon;
• ground salt and pepper to taste;
• 7 tablespoons olive oil.

Preparation:

1. Cut the fish fillet into pieces and place in a bowl for marinade along with the shrimp.
2. Remove the bottom leaves from the rosemary branches, chop them, mix with chopped lemon zest and garlic, add salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice.
3. Combine fish and shrimp with marinade and leave for two hours.
4. Alternately string pieces of fish and shrimp onto rosemary branches.
5. Fry on the grill for 4 minutes on each side.

An original dish with amazing taste of shrimp and fish is ready

From mushrooms

Kebabs can be fried from any mushrooms, for example, champignons, the acquisition of which is never a problem. To do this you need to take:

• 0.5 kg of large champignons;
• 200 g mayonnaise (it is better to take liquid);
• black pepper and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Peel, rinse, dry and place the mushrooms in a container. Salt, pepper and pour mayonnaise. Shake the saucepan several times and leave the champignons to marinate for an hour.
2. Thread the mushrooms onto skewers and fry over coals until cooked, turning over.
3. Serve with garlic sauce. To prepare it, add chopped garlic, finely chopped herbs to mayonnaise and mix.

Champignon kebab turns out juicy and flavorful

From bananas

You can make different kebabs from bananas - sweet and savory.

Banana with bacon
Ingredients:

• three bananas;
• six slices of bacon.

Preparation:

1. Cut the bananas into 2 cm thick slices.
2. Cut each slice of bacon in half.
3. Wrap banana slices in these halves and thread the resulting envelopes onto skewers.
4. Fry in a kebab for 15 minutes.

Bananas in coconut
This recipe will make an original sweet dessert.

Ingredients:

• one banana;
• lemon juice;
• cinnamon;
• brown sugar;
• coconut flakes.

Preparation:
Peel the banana, pour in lemon juice, sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar and place in the oven under the grill for about seven minutes. Remove it from the oven, cool slightly, cut into eight pieces, roll each piece in coconut flakes and thread 4 pieces onto skewers. Can be served either warm or chilled.

As you can see, kebabs can be made from almost anything. At the same time, you can use so many different marinades and additional ingredients that you simply can’t count the possible options for dishes, and there is so much room for imagination.