Step 1: choosing meat.

The first and very important point is choice meat ingredient! Any meat, be it beef, pork, chicken, veal or lamb, should not be steamed, not frozen, but always fresh and slightly chilled. The ideal cuts of meat for high-quality, non-dried shish kebab are beef, veal or lamb tenderloins. As well as pork neck, pork shoulder or chicken thighs, for people who prefer softer meat. In this recipe I use pork neck, my family loves fattier meat.

Step 2: Preparing the Meat.

Rinse the meat under cold running water and pat dry with paper kitchen towels. Place on a cutting board and, if desired, remove the chaff with a knife, and also cut off any small bones that may remain on the meat during chopping. If using chicken thighs, cut out the bone and remove the skin. Then cut the meat into pieces with a diameter from 4 to 5 centimeters. Slicing is very important! Small pieces may become very dry during cooking, and very large pieces may not be fully cooked! Transfer the chopped meat into a deep, preferably enamel pan.

Step 3: Preparing the Onions.

The basis of any ideal marinade for kebabs is onion, ground black pepper and salt. Just tell vinegar no! It is mainly used to disguise stale or very tough meat. And so peel the onion, rinse it under running water and dry it with paper kitchen towels. Afterwards, place the onion heads on a cutting board and chop; here the cutting depends only on your desire.
If you want kebab with onion rings, then cut the vegetable accordingly, the thickness of each ring should be up to 7 millimeters. Well, if you want the onion to permeate the meat with its juice and aroma, it is best to chop it into smaller pieces, such as strips or half rings. Or you can kill two birds with one stone, as I did, by cutting half the onion into rings and the other half finely, as it was convenient. Place the chopped onion in the pan with the meat.

Step 4: selection of spices.

In principle, ground black pepper, suneli hops, allspice and crushed laurel leaves are quite enough. But this time I went wild and added ground rosemary, ground red pepper, dried basil, marjoram, thyme and dried dandur (purslane) to all the above spices. Mix all the spices indicated in the ingredients in a bowl using a tablespoon and pour them into a bowl with meat and onions.

Step 5: marinate the meat.

Now mix the mixture of onions, spices and meat well with your hands so that the vegetable releases a lot of juice and the spices are rubbed into the pork. Dedicate at least to this process 10 – 15 min t, don’t waste your time, believe me, this step is quite important. Then let the meat rest and marinate. The marinating time also depends on your desire. Meat marinated for a long time turns out much tastier, Ideally it is marinated from 6 to 12 hours, but if time does not wait, it will be enough 2 – 3 hours. Be sure to cover the pan with meat with a lid and place it in a cool place, maybe in the refrigerator or cellar, I marinated pork 3 hours.

Step 6: preparing the grill.

While the meat is marinating, select the raw materials for the fire. Proper shish kebab should be cooked over charcoal, so use dry vine, birch, linden, oak or any fruit trees, such as apple, pear, cherry. Never use softwood firewood with resinous wood, such as pine, spruce, larch, arborvitae or buttermilk. They will simply stink the meat; even the most spicy sauce will not overcome this smell. For the pork, I used cherry and apple wood. Place the first portion of firewood in the grill, place dry leaves or dry brushwood between them and set it on fire. Let the first batch burn completely and add more wood until the coals fill the grill halfway. It will take you a good amount of time to prepare the fire. 2 – 3 hours.

Step 7: place the meat on a skewer.

The coals are ready and slowly smoldering, the meat has been marinated, which means it’s time to prepare the kebab for frying. Now you need some vegetable oil, pour it into a small bowl. Take a skewer and grease it with fat; if you don’t have oil on hand, grease it with a piece of lard. Of course, you don’t have to do this, but the meat comes off easier from a greased skewer, and this ingredient does not affect the taste of the kebab in any way. Take pieces of meat and put them on a skewer so that there is a small distance between them, 5 millimeters is enough. Leave a small free space of about 5 - 7 centimeters at both ends of the skewer. Also prepare the remaining skewers with meat for frying and place them on the tray. If desired, put onion rings between the pieces of meat, and remove the small onions, they have done their job, especially since this little thing can burn on the coals, which will give the finished meat products a not very presentable appearance.

Step 8: prepare the right kebab.

It's time to cook the barbecue. Place the skewers with meat on the grill so that they lie tightly to each other, everything was easier for me since there is a grate on my grill. The ideal distance between the kebab and smoldering coals is 12 - 15 centimeters. If smoke appears during frying, spray the meat or coals with some liquid, such as water, wine, marinade, I used a little water and the remaining marinade.
During frying, periodically turn the skewers in different directions and sides, that’s enough 3 – 4 times during the entire cooking time. If you turn the kebabs frequently, the meat can become very dry. Properly marinated the meat will be cooked from 30 to 45 minutes, more hard meat from 45 to 60 minutes. My kebab was ready in about 40 minutes. Place the finished kebab on a tray or large flat plate directly with the skewers and place the dish on the table, it’s time to enjoy!

Step 9: serve the correct kebab.

Proper kebab is served hot and piping hot. If you wish, you can remove the meat from the skewers or place the kebabs on a plate along with the skewers. This meat dish is traditionally savored with light sweet or semi-sweet wines, but you can also enjoy kebabs with stronger aperitifs.
Since meat contains a large amount of protein and lacks fiber, the ideal and mandatory addition to this dish is bread or pita bread. Well, the side dish can be anything you like, for example boiled corn, mashed potatoes, vegetable salads, fresh herbs and whatever your heart desires. Cook with love and you will succeed! Bon appetit!

- – If you are preparing lamb shish kebab, it is better to salt the meat before threading it on a skewer. Lamb itself is a little tough, and salt can bind the meat tissues, making the ingredient even tougher, almost rubbery.

- – For juicy meat, ground black pepper, salt and onion are enough, but sometimes the vegetable does not release enough juice and then the following additives - liquids - come to the rescue: for chicken - milk or wine; for pork and veal - dry wines, sour juices, kefir or yogurt; for beef and lamb - dry wines or sour juices.

- – The main secret of pickling is the container in which you carry out this process, it is best if it is enamel, glass or earthenware. It is advisable not to marinate meat in aluminum containers as it oxidizes, which will spoil the taste, quality and aroma of the meat.

- – For proper pork kebab, you can also use dried and crushed spices such as sumac, mustard, parsley, paprika and coriander.

- – Different wood for different meats! Game shish kebab - firewood from fruit trees. For pork, chicken and lamb, ideal firewood is apple, cherry, birch and linden. From veal and beef - birch, linden or firewood from fruit trees are suitable. By-products include linden and fruit firewood.

- – Some tree species cannot be used to prepare barbecue, as they contain poisonous oils: rowan, poplar, aspen, elm, acacia and oleander.

- – In order for the heat from the fire to be uniform, it must be made from dry logs of the same size.

- – Do not use rotten or damp wood to prepare a fire, this will make it very smoky, which will significantly worsen the taste and smell of your kebab.

- – If you wish, you can add a pleasant herbaceous aroma to the meat by adding a handful of dried herbs, such as mint, sage, tarragon, lemongrass, to the smoldering coals.

Cooking tips

It is believed that “real” shish kebab can only be made from lamb; shashlik made from beef and chicken are also popular, but are rather an “amateur” shashlik, while pork shashlik is generally recognized as the most aromatic and tasty. When cooked correctly, it always turns out very fried, rosy, appetizing, tasty and very tender. If you want to significantly increase your chances of success in barbecuing, choose pork, and you can’t go wrong! However, even the most suitable meat for barbecue can be spoiled if it is prepared incorrectly

The basis of any marinade for soaking shish kebab is onion, salt and pepper. This is enough for fresh meat. If the meat is not completely fresh, liquids containing acids can be added to the marinade: wine - for pork, lamb and veal; milk and curdled milk - for chicken; lemon or pomegranate juice - for lamb, veal and pork. The practice of adding vinegar to the marinade is wrong - it makes the barbecue meat rough. Therefore, it is used only to disguise stale meat in stores that sell soaked pieces of future kebab.

It is necessary to marinate products in enamel, clay or glass containers. You cannot soak and cook meat in an aluminum pan: the oxides of this metal, when interacting with food and liquids, spoil the taste.

Products covered in marinade should be kept in the refrigerator.
The more meat you have and the larger the pieces, the longer it takes to marinate.
To better soak the product in the marinade, pierce it with a fork in several places.
To soften tough pieces of meat, add sliced ​​pineapple, kiwi, papaya to the marinade - these fruits have the ability to soften protein, but in this case you need to marinate the meat for no longer than two hours.
Fresh fish and seafood should not be marinated for more than 45 minutes. It is better not to use acid for pickling.
To prevent the meat from becoming tough, control the amount of “sour” ingredients in the marinade - there should not be too much vinegar, wine, juice. Acid and vegetable oil are added to the marinade in equal quantities.
For outdoor marinating, you can mix all the ingredients in a plastic bag, venting the air.

The shish kebab should be cooked at a distance of 15 cm above hot coals; it is advisable to use a cast iron grill.

You need to cut the meat into small pieces, about 5 by 5 cm. This will allow the kebab to fry evenly, and at the same time it will not dry out. Do not cut the meat too finely - the kebab will turn out dry, because... the meat will lose its juices.

The chicken must be chopped into pieces, which, together with the bones, are threaded onto a skewer. The wings can also be threaded whole or grilled. Lamb also needs to be skewered with bones. Pork meat should have a minimum of fat, since if it burns, it can give the kebab an unpleasant taste. When threading meat onto a skewer, it is necessary to take into account that for uniform frying, adjacent pieces should not touch each other. It is better to separate them with pieces of sweet pepper or onion.

It is better to grease the grill or skewers with vegetable oil and preheat. During cooking, meat should be basted from time to time with fat or a mixture of water with lemon or water with marinade in a ratio of 50x50.

You need to thread the meat onto a skewer along the fibers, and smaller pieces - from the edges, larger ones - in the middle (there is more fat there)

Place the skewers very tightly next to each other - the fire burns less, there is more smoke, as a result - tastier kebab.

The main thing is not to make an accordion out of meat. It is enough to pierce the piece in just two places lengthwise. Make sure that the pieces of meat do not hang or dangle. And between them put a ring of onion or sweet pepper. The “layer” must be placed so that it is not visible. Often, where the pieces touch each other, the meat is not cooked well. By separating the pieces from each other, you will fry the kebab more evenly. During the cooking process, the skewers must be turned over, but no more than twice, so as not to dry out the meat.

Do not allow flames to appear;

If, when frying over coals, juice is released from the meat and drips onto the coals, then the kebab must be periodically sprinkled with marinade, otherwise the meat may dry out.

The readiness of the kebab is checked by making a neat cut. If the juice is clear, you can serve. If it is pink, the meat is not ready. If there is no juice, something irreparable has happened: you have dried out the kebab, you can safely throw it away and experiment with the next portion.

You cannot cook barbecue over a fire made of spruce, fir, pine, larch, maple, alder, ash and poplar, aspen, rowan, willow, elm and acacia. When these trees burn, they release carcinogenic substances that end up in food cooked over the fire. The minimum harm that such firewood will cause is that the kebab will be tasteless and smell bad. Dry fruit trees are considered the ideal material. Apricot gives meat a delicate aroma and a sweetish taste. In the south this is the best option. Apple wood is a good material for coals. Plum has good flammability and produces stable coals. More aromatic than apple, but not enough to compete with cherry. It is enough to throw a couple of cherry logs onto any firewood, and the meat will be saturated with an unimaginable aroma!

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.

Shish kebab is a meat product that is perceived by many as a main course or as an appetizer. Many feasts are not complete without it, as pieces of meat cooked in smoke win the hearts of millions of gourmets from around the world.

In order for such a dish to be truly tasty, you need to know how to cook it correctly. There are a large number of their varieties in the cuisines of different peoples of the world, however, as practice shows, the most delicious was and remains Caucasian shish kebab.

How to cook shish kebab? What subtleties does this process have? What sauce is ideal for smoked meat? More on all this below.

How to choose meat

Any proper kebab is made from meat. To do this, you can choose different types: chicken, pork, lamb, beef and any others. Any novice cook must remember that the key to a tasty and juicy kebab is the right choice of meat, not by grade, but by quality.

The first thing you should pay attention to is the freshness of the main ingredient. It is ideal if the meat is chilled and not frozen. When choosing it on the market, you should pay attention to those pieces that will have clear juice and bright color. The aroma of fresh meat should also be pleasant, barely perceptible.

For cooking with smoke, it is advisable to choose the meat of a young animal - it is from this that you can prepare the softest kebab. From pork you should choose the pinkish pieces, and from lamb and beef - the reddest (you can have layers of white), because this color indicates the best quality of the main ingredient.

Features of preparing lamb dishes

How to cook juicy lamb shish kebab? It is for the correct preparation of this type of meat that certain culinary skills of the cook are required.

First of all, you need to pay attention to the quality of the meat. To prepare shish kebab, you should choose dairy lambs under the age of one year. The ideal parts of the carcass to create such a meat snack would be the loin, tenderloin or back of the leg.

Another feature of lamb shish kebab is that it must be eaten immediately after cooking. Otherwise, the meat will become hard and difficult to chew.

Lamb marinade recipe

How to cook lamb shish kebab? In order for it to turn out very tasty and juicy, it is not enough to choose excellent meat - you will also need to choose the right marinade, the components of which will perfectly nourish each piece. Let's consider one of these options.

To prepare the marinade for a kilogram of lamb, take a generous amount of a mixture of peppers (or separately ground black pepper), as well as salt. Make a mixture of spices and thoroughly rub each piece of meat with it. After this, the main ingredient should be placed in a bowl for marinating and 4 large onions should be cut into it. Sprinkle 150 ml of wine on top of all the ingredients (it’s best to take dry wine), as well as vegetable oil to taste. All combined components must be mixed well and left for ten minutes. If the meat of an old animal is used to prepare shish kebab, it should be marinated for 3-4 hours.

After the meat is marinated, it can be cooked on the grill or in an electric kebab grill.

Features of cooking pork shish kebab

A huge number of lovers of this hot meat dish prefer the version made from pork meat. According to many gourmets, it is the pork kebab that turns out to be especially tender. What is his secret? Of course, in the right meat.

How to choose meat for pork barbecue? First of all, you need to remember that it must be fatty - only this way the finished meat will be truly tender. In addition to the fattest parts, you can also use pork tenderloin, ribs or loin, however, as many cooks advise, preference should be given to the neck.

The chosen meat should be young - this can be easily understood by its color: pink-red is considered the correct color.

To make the dish more piquant, onions should be used in the marinade, which gives it additional juiciness.

Pork marinade recipe

How to marinate meat? For a kilogram of quality meat, cut into small pieces, add three thinly sliced ​​lemons. To prepare the sauce for this kebab, combine a couple of teaspoons of coriander, one ground red pepper, half a spoonful of ground ginger, as well as two tablespoons of dried basil, salt and black pepper in one bowl. To these ingredients you should add chopped bay leaf, as well as five tablespoons of olive oil. All ingredients must be mixed well with the meat, covered tightly with a lid and left to marinate overnight.

Georgian marinade

This simple type of marinade was invented in a country where dishes cooked over an open fire are made according to the most savory recipes - in Georgia. How to cook shish kebab according to a traditional Georgian recipe? To do this, take a generous amount of onions (6 heads per 600 g of pork meat), cut them into rings and add a generous amount of a mixture of ground peppers to it. After this, add the meat cut into small cubes to the onion, stir well again and cover with film or a lid and put in a cold place for 5-6 hours.

After the meat is ready, it must be strung on a skewer, alternating with pickled onions, as well as sliced ​​tomatoes, and fry until done. It is advisable to serve the finished dish with herbs - in national Georgian cuisine, cilantro is used for this purpose.

If it is not possible to light a live fire and cook barbecue over an open fire, you can use an electric barbecue maker, which is sold in hardware stores. You can cook any meat this way. The advantage of this method is the speed of preparation of the dish, which is especially helpful, for example, during a feast. For cooking meat in an electric kebab maker, as a rule, marinades are especially in demand, which quickly saturate pieces of meat. Let's consider one of them.

For 1200 g of pork meat (it is advisable to use tenderloin for this purpose), take a couple of onions and cut them into rings. To them you need to add 100 g of mayonnaise, as well as salt and spices to taste (you can use a ready-made package, which is easy to find in the store). The listed ingredients need to be mixed thoroughly and the meat cut into small pieces should be added.

In this marinade, meat can be marinated for an hour or overnight - in any case, the result will be a tender and aromatic dish. After it is ready for frying, each piece should be strung on a skewer, alternating with onion rings, and placed in an electric kebab maker. The dish will be ready in literally 15 minutes.

Features of preparing beef shish kebab

Not many novice cooks know how to cook beef kebab. Some people prefer not to deal with this type of meat at all, since experience shows that it turns out to be quite tough at the end. The main secret to cooking beef kebab is to marinate for a longer time.

As for the choice of meat, for this type of kebab it is best to give preference to fillet, brisket or hind leg. All other pieces will most likely be unusable.

Beef marinade recipe

A properly selected marinade is the key to success. So how to marinate meat? To do this, cut it into small pieces, place it in a large bowl and sprinkle with a mixture of salt and pepper. Next, place three onions, cut into rings, into the bowl. In a separate bowl, you need to dilute a couple of tablespoons of vinegar essence and 500 ml of water, then pour the resulting liquid over the meat. You should also add a tablespoon of sunflower oil, mix thoroughly and leave overnight, covered with a lid.

Using this delicious shish kebab recipe, you can end up with a spicy hot meat dish that will have a slightly sour taste.

Garlic sauce for barbecue

Many lovers of this meat dish prefer to use ready-made products that are offered on store shelves as barbecue sauce: ketchup, adjika, mustard, mayonnaise and others. However, only true gourmets prepare it themselves, selecting ingredients by hand and experimenting. How to make barbecue sauce? An original version of this could be white garlic, which will make the taste of meat more piquant.

To prepare it, take three cloves of garlic and pass them through a crush. To them you need to add chopped herbs, three teaspoons of soy sauce and a glass of sour cream. All ingredients should be salt and pepper to taste, then thoroughly grind until the mass is homogeneous.

It is advisable to let this sauce brew for about half an hour before serving - this will make its taste more vibrant. You should also remember that it is advisable to use it immediately, since the shelf life of such sauce is short - about 8-10 hours. This fact is due to the fact that it is created on the basis of a perishable fermented milk product.

Mustard sauce for barbecue

Another interesting sauce option that is suitable for barbecue made from pork or lamb. In order to make it, you need to combine a couple of hard-boiled chicken yolks, 1.5 teaspoons of mustard, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and 10 ml of soy sauce in one bowl. All ingredients must be ground until smooth. After this, to the listed ingredients you should add ground black pepper to taste, a pinch of sugar and 180 ml of sour cream (it is best to take one that is not sour). All ingredients should be thoroughly ground and, tightly closed with a lid, placed in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

To prepare such an original sauce, you can use any mustard - many chefs recommend using French mustard (with grains). When prepared, mustard sauce has a very delicate consistency and a particularly pleasant taste, which will surprise all guests and your household.

How to grill kebab

Correctly selected meat and suitable marinade are, of course, the key to a tasty dish. However, if a novice cook does not know how to properly cook shish kebab on a grill, he can simply dry out the meat and thereby ruin it. So what are the secrets to roasting meat over an open fire?

First of all, you should pay attention to the density of the pieces of meat on the skewers - they should not fit too closely to each other. After the meat has been skewered, it is necessary to place it over the coals, which must have already burned significantly before this. Professional barbecue makers recommend starting the process of cooking meat over higher heat and maintaining its intensity until the pieces become golden brown. After this happens, the heat should be reduced by watering the coals with pre-prepared water, and cooking should continue on low heat and mostly smoke.

How to determine the readiness of meat? It’s very simple: when cut, it releases clear juice.

If you love outdoor recreation, then, of course, you have enjoyed barbecue more than once. Fresh, smoky and in pleasant company. Mmm... Great, right? Do you know how to cook the right shish kebab? Which meat should you give preference to: pork, lamb, chicken or fish? What recipe should I use, and what cooking method is the most delicious? Well, there are plenty of questions, so we’ll try to figure it out and answer them in this article.

Delicious shish kebab is quite difficult to prepare. After all, its preparation requires special skills, awareness, experience and, of course, a good mood. You should always take your preparation quite seriously to avoid trouble (food poisoning). Meat and fish (as the main products in barbecue) are those products that should be prepared with care and utmost attention, in compliance with all recipe tips and instructions. Needless to say, kebab is a culinary masterpiece that is loved by many. In its implementation, it requires such integral components as: an excellent recipe, fresh meat or fish, a special marinade, and grilling coals. But still, the most important thing in preparing barbecue will be your inspiration and desire to pleasantly surprise and please your loved ones.

A little about the cooking process itself and what to cook shish kebab from.

Basic preparations should begin several days before heat treatment, but you can do it in one day. Meat should be purchased in advance. You can choose beef tenderloin, pork neck, lean veal. The meat product must be boneless and sinewless. Shish kebab can also be prepared from chicken (loin), good varieties of fish (sturgeon, red and regular fish). When preparing barbecue (as an addition or even as a main product), you can use the following vegetables: eggplant, red and regular bell peppers, all varieties of tomatoes, onions, even zucchini. As practice shows, meat for barbecue should be cut into square pieces, about 6 cm in diameter. If the pieces are quite fatty, thick layers of fat need to be cut off, but at the same time, the meat should not be completely without fat, otherwise it will turn out dry and harsh. As for fish, it’s worth cutting into longer pieces, 7-8 cm long. And you should remember that fish cooks faster compared to pork or beef, and even chicken. Vegetables look quite aesthetically pleasing in the form of circles, but they can also be cut into cubes, if desired.

And now about the marinade.

The marinade plays an equally important role in preparing shish kebab. It is this that gives meat, fish, and vegetables an extraordinary taste that is revealed under the influence of fire. A classic marinade for meat is table vinegar. Nowadays, many also soak meat in red wine, tomato juice, mayonnaise, kefir, and mineral water. There are many options. There are recipes for marinade with tea and pomegranate juice. But in all types, a special place is given to herbs, spices, and aromatic herbs. As a rule, the main product of the future barbecue (meat, fish) is left in the marinade for a day, or even for several hours. It all depends on the type of product and its hardness: the harder it is, the longer it should be marinated. After the product is covered with marinade, it should be pressed with a press (this can be any heavy object, even just a container with water that is placed on top) and placed in a fairly cool place.

1. Classic pork shashlik.

You will need: fresh pork neck - about 2 kg, table vinegar - 250 g, onions - 300 g, kebab seasoning - 3 tbsp, black allspice, table salt.

The pork is cut into cubes, the onion into half rings. The ingredients are mixed, sprinkled with salt and spices. They marinate in this way in a fairly cool place for about a day. Before frying, thread onto skewers and cook over hot coals.

2. Pork or veal shish kebab marinated in wine.

Required: 2-3 kg of young pork or veal pulp, 1 kg of onion, 1-1.5 glasses of white sour wine, salt along with spices, 0.5 kg of eggplant and tomato.

The pulp should be cut into pieces of the same size, placed in a layer in a special bowl, preferably enameled, salt and pepper, and mixed vigorously. Add onion, stir again. Pour wine over everything. Leave to marinate for about 12 hours. Before cooking, string pieces of meat onto skewers, alternating with tomatoes and eggplants cut into rings. You should fry over coals that no longer have a flame, that is, over heat. In this case, from time to time it is necessary to turn the skewer until the pieces of meat are completely cooked.

3. Pork shish kebab with beer.

Moderately fatty pork is cut in the usual way, it is better that the pieces are the same size. Place a layer of meat in an enamel bowl, add more fresh onions, salt and pepper to taste, pour mayonnaise with a fat content of 50-67% over the meat based on 2 kg of pork - 250-300 ml of mayonnaise. Everything is mixed well and placed in a fairly cool place for almost the entire 24 hours. 20-30 minutes before the start of cooking the shish kebab, pour 0.5 liters of light beer into the pan with meat. Everything gets mixed up. Then, as usual, the meat is skewered and cooked. But that is not all. The onion remaining after the marinade should be fried in vegetable or olive oil, add ketchup and a small amount of mayonnaise. Carefully remove the fried kebab from the skewers and place in a container with onions, leave under the lid over moderate, low heat for only 15 minutes. Let it simmer. The result is such a kebab that is very soft, juicy and tasty.

4. Pork shish kebab. Spicy (fragrant).

Ingredients: 1 kg of soft fresh boneless pork, 2-3 lemons, bay leaves, a mixture of aromatic spices (paprika 2 tsp, ground coriander seeds 1 tsp, ground basil 1 tsp, one and a half teaspoons of cumin, ground ginger ¼ tsp; a pinch of red pepper, aromatic nutmeg, cinnamon, a few finely chopped bay leaves, a few tablespoons of oil (olive), salt, ground black pepper).

Mix the pieces of meat well in the mixture of aromatic spices. The spices should be well distributed among the sliced ​​pork. Cover the bowl of meat with a lid and leave in the refrigerator for 10 hours (more is possible). The chopped meat in the marinade should be stirred periodically. After frying the kebab on the fire or on the grill, garnish the prepared dish with lemon slices and bay leaves. Serve the kebab moderately hot.

5. Pork kebab in sugar.

You will need: a kilogram of sliced ​​pork meat, 130-150 grams of brown sugar, 1 tbsp. l oyster and soy sauce, 2 tbsp. l dry sherry or wine, 3 tbsp. l boiling water, 1 tsp. l sesame oil, half a spoon of sea salt, lettuce leaves.

Sugar should be dissolved in boiling water, add other products to it in the same container, everything except meat and lettuce. Leave the mixture to sit for 20 minutes. And only after this, place pieces of meat into the prepared mixture (it is desirable that the pieces are the same size). Leave everything in a cool place, preferably dark, for 10-16 hours. After approximately the same amount of time, stir the meat so that it marinates better. Before cooking, remove pork from marinade and dry slightly. Thread onto skewers and fry until fully cooked, periodically basting with any remaining marinade. Then carefully remove the meat, place on fresh green salad leaves and serve.

6. Pork kebab marinated in pomegranate juice.

For a 2.5 kg neck of pork you will need: dry red wine - 0.5 tbsp, pomegranate juice - 0.5 tbsp, onions - 7-8 pcs., lemon - 1 pc., olive oil - 4 tbsp. spoons, hop-suneli seasoning - 1.5 teaspoons, table or sea salt to taste, allspice.

The meat should be cut into fairly large cubes, and the onion into rings. Mash everything well with your hands, add spices and salt. Pour lemon juice, wine and pomegranate juice into the pan with the meat. Mix more carefully, add olive oil. Keep in a dark, cool place for a day. Cook on the grill for 15-20 minutes. It is advisable to water from time to time with the marinade that remains.

7. Pork shish kebab with apples.

For 500-600 grams of fresh pork you need: 5 canned apples and 5 fresh tomatoes, 2-3 pcs. ripe bell pepper, 4 small onions, 2-3 tablespoons of butter (vegetable or olive), any hot sauce, pepper and a little salt.

The meat can be cut as desired, sprinkle well with pepper and add salt. Cut the apples into slices, the onion into rings and steam for about 10 minutes. Tomatoes should be cut in half, peppers should be peeled, seeds removed, and cut into several pieces. The pork is threaded alternately with onions, apples, tomatoes and peppers onto a medium-sized skewer, greased with butter (butter or vegetable), and sprinkled with hot sauce. The finished shish kebab can be served, and it can be accompanied by boiled potatoes or rice, various salads from fresh vegetables, and herbs.

8. Lamb shish kebab (classic recipe).

Ingredients: 1 kg of fresh lamb, 6 medium onions, 0.5 tbsp. table or fruit vinegar (3%), 1 ripe lemon, black allspice, salt to taste. Also needed: 3-4 pcs. ripe tomatoes, 4 tbsp. spoons of tkemali sauce, 1 gram of dried barberry, 20-30 grams of melted lard (fat tail), a bunch of parsley or green onions.

Cut the lamb into squares and place in a container; Sprinkle well with salt, add allspice ground black pepper. Mix everything thoroughly. Then add 3 finely chopped onions, pour in vinegar, squeeze out the juice of half a lemon. Mix again. Cover and marinate overnight. When threading on a skewer or skewer, you should make onion layers between the pieces of meat (cut the remaining 3 onions into rings). Grease each skewer with melted lamb lard. The shish kebab is being grilled over the heat of the coals. The kebab is served with a side dish of tomatoes cut into half rings, half a lemon (also in half rings), green onions with feathers, and the meat of the finished kebab itself is poured with tkemali sauce and sprinkled with barberries.

9. Young lamb shish kebab with rice.

Ingredients: 1 kg of young lamb meat, 5-6 medium-sized onions, 1 bunch of fresh or frozen herbs: dill, celery, parsley; red pepper, salt to taste. In addition, you will need half a cup of rice for the side dish.

Cut the young lamb into medium cubes, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Peeled onions should be cut into rings. String this way: a piece of meat - a few onion rings - a piece of meat. Repeat until the skewer is full. Fry over hot coals, while pouring melted fat over everything. While the kebab is being prepared, you need to boil the rice (preferably in salted water). Serve boiled rice as a side dish for meat. The cooked kebab should be decorated with onion greens.

10. Karski-style lamb shish kebab.

1 way.

Required: 500 g of lamb, several medium onions (3-4 pcs.), several tomatoes, 10-15 g of butter, 1 ripe lemon, 50 g of tkemali sauce, green onions for decoration.

It is advisable to cut the young lamb into one piece for each serving, salt it well, marinate in spices and onions. Pre-moisten the onions in lemon juice and sprinkle them over the pieces of meat. Pepper everything well, put it in a bowl and let it sit for a day. Before frying the meat, it should be skewered, alternating with tomato slices. Lightly coat the meat with butter and then fry until golden brown. Slowly remove the cooked meat and tomatoes from the skewer and place beautifully on a small dish decorated with herbs. Pour the sauce over the top of the kebab.

Method 2.

Ingredients: 500-600 grams of young lamb, 50-70 grams of lamb fat (fat tail), 4-5 heads of large onions, 50 grams of vodka or cognac, 10 grams of wine or apple cider vinegar, ground red or allspice black pepper, and fresh herbs .

It is advisable to cut the lamb into pieces 4 cm thick, sprinkle with small strips of onion, aromatic pepper and a small amount of table salt, put in a container, pour in wine vinegar, vodka or cognac. Mix thoroughly, cover the meat with a lid, and place pressure on top. Place in the cold and leave to marinate for 10-12 hours. Before preparing the kebab, place the marinated meat on a skewer, making layers of fat tail fat. Next, the skewer is placed in a vertical position before the heat. The meat should be fried evenly, so the skewer should be constantly turned. And as soon as the skewered meat begins to brown well, the edges should be cut into thin slices with a knife. Frying should be continued. Then cut off the fried slices again. Continue in this manner until the meat is completely cooked. Before serving hot kebab, make a side dish of chopped onion rings and tomato slices. Place the fried lamb slices in a heap on a dish, garnish with fresh parsley, basil or cilantro. You can also crush 3-4 cloves of winter garlic.

11. Lamb shashlik with zucchini.

You will need the pulp from the back of a young lamb. The meat is cut into medium-sized pieces and salted. Zucchini is washed, peeled, cut into slices and also salted. When skewering, alternate the zucchini with young lamb meat. Brown the meat and vegetables well over the heat of a fire or barbecue. Remove from heat briefly until cool, sprinkle generously with herbs, garlic, moisten with a well-beaten egg, and then fry again. Any side dish goes with this type of barbecue.

12. Beef shish kebab (tenderloin), cooked in a frying pan.

The following products are needed: beef tenderloin - 700-900 g, tomatoes - 600 g, onions - 3 small heads, as well as winter garlic - 4-6 large cloves, good red wine, preferably dry, - 150-200 ml, cilantro and parsley, loose pepper and table salt.

In advance, you should cut the meat into small pieces, add salt, pepper, and onions. Pour the entire amount of wine indicated above over the beef. Let it sit in the marinade for a day, longer if possible, since beef is a tough meat. Grease a frying pan, heat it well and place marinated pieces of meat and pickled onions on it. Simmer well under a tightly closed lid for 10-15 minutes, after which you should remove the lid and add the tomatoes, previously cut into small slices. Keep on fire until the meat is browned. Before turning off, add crushed or finely chopped garlic. Remove from heat.

13. Beef shish kebab with a side dish of rice.

1 kg of fresh beef, half a kilogram of bacon, 50 grams of rendered lard and butter, several medium onions (4-5 pieces), 500 grams of ready-boiled rice, ground allspice, salt to taste.

Cut fresh beef pulp into pieces of 30 grams, lightly beat. Cut the bacon into oblong slices. Beef meat is strung on skewers mixed with pork lard, the sequence is arbitrary. Sprinkle everything well with salt and aromatic spices. You can fry it over a fire, pouring melted lard on it, or in a frying pan (the lard should then be melted first). Cook rice in salted meat broth until fully cooked. The rice grains should not be dense. Place the rice side dish on a dish or plate in a row, pour butter heated over the fire well on top. Carefully place a skewer with kebab on top and, holding the meat and lard, pull out the skewer. Decorate as desired.

14. Georgian shashlik from beef tenderloin.

The beef tenderloin is washed under running water, cleared of films and completely, at its entire length, put on a long skewer. In order for the tenderloin to hold well and cook evenly, it must be tied with a strong thread. Before frying, the meat is greased with regular vegetable oil or moistened with cold water. The filled skewer should be placed over the coals and rotated regularly until the tenderloin is sufficiently cooked. Afterwards, the skewer is pulled out, the thread is removed, and the meat is cut into beautiful oblong slices, salted and peppered, and can be generously greased with adjika. Serve the tenderloin hot, preferably garnished with herbs. You can serve the meat with vegetables baked over a fire (eggplant, ripe tomatoes, large bell peppers).

15. Beef shish kebab with champignons and onions.

Beef fillet is cut into equal pieces, placed in an enamel container, filled with vegetable oil so that the pieces are almost completely covered, then salt is added, as well as aromatic spices (to taste). The meat should be kept in this marinade for about a day. The onion is cut into rings, large champignons are cut lengthwise. Alternating onions, meat, mushrooms, string all ingredients onto skewers. Pour generously of the remaining marinade and cook over a fire.

16. Chicken kebab.

Necessary products: 1-1.5 kg of chicken fillet, preferably not old, 400 g of champignons, 1-2 pcs. large red pepper, 5-6 tbsp. tablespoons vegetable or other, not too fatty oil, 1 teaspoon each of ground coriander and allspice black pepper, table salt.

Chicken fillet should be cut into pieces of the same medium size so that the meat does not dry out quickly and is juicy. Wash the champignons, cut off the stems. Peppers can be cut into large cubes or rings. Combine champignon caps, peppers, chicken, sprinkle the products with ground allspice, add oil, as well as coriander, ground allspice, and the required amount of salt. You need to mix everything vigorously and put it in a cold place for 5-8 hours. When the heat is ready, alternately thread the chicken, champignons, and bell peppers onto the entire length of the skewer. This kebab does not take long to prepare, about half an hour in total.

17. Shish kebab from a duck carcass.

Boil the prepared young duck carcass in boiling water (salt the water well beforehand), preferably until half cooked, cool, rub on all sides with salt, a mixture of black or red pepper, crushed garlic, and grease the outside with vegetable or olive oil. Tie the legs and wings of the bird tightly with an elastic thread. The carcass is put on two skewers at the same time for ease of frying. Keep over the coals until fully cooked. Can be removed from skewers, chopped or broken into pieces of any size. Sprinkle the pieces generously with chopped herbs and garlic, and wrap quite tightly in cling film. Let it brew well for 15 minutes. Only then serve it to the table. You can offer any hot sauce for cooked meat.

18. Chicken kebab with nuts.

Cut the chicken fillet into pieces of approximately the same size. Then rub with a special mixture of the following ingredients: crushed garlic cloves, well-fried and crushed nuts (walnuts or peanuts), finely chopped onion. The mixture should be evenly distributed between the chicken pieces. You should not forget about salt, as well as allspice black pepper. Chicken meat prepared in this way should be marinated for several hours (or longer). Fry over well-hot charcoal until golden brown.

19. Fish kebab (sturgeon family).

1 way.

You need beluga or sturgeon. The scales are removed from the fish, the skin is removed, and the cartilage is removed. The fish should be cut into small pieces of 50-60 grams, rub well with salt and any aromatic spices. Then pour the juice of 1 lemon over the fish fillet. Let the prepared fish stand for 30 minutes. Next add the onion, which is cut into half rings. Set aside again (preferably in a cool, dark place), but for a longer time - 2-3 hours. Fish kebab is strung on skewers in the same way as regular pieces of meat. Sprinkle with lemon juice again before frying. Serve coarsely chopped fresh vegetables with the finished kebab: tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, as well as fresh herbs.

Method 2.

500g of peeled sturgeon or stellate sturgeon pulp, 50g of sour cream, 2 small onions, fresh or dried parsley, cilantro, tkemali sauce, spicy spices and regular salt.

The flesh of fresh fish is cut into elongated pieces, sprinkled with spices and salt. The pieces are strung on special skewers, brushed with sour cream and fried. The finished fish can be left on skewers, beautifully placed on a dish, sprinkled with onion rings, parsley leaves, cilantro, and tkemali sauce.

20. Cod kebab.

1 kg cod fillet, juice squeezed from one lemon, 1 small zucchini, 2-3 large bell peppers, 350 grams of salted cheese, a little salt and spices.

Rinse the fish fillet under running water, pat dry with a towel, cut into 2-3 cm pieces and sprinkle with lemon juice. Wash and peel the peppers and zucchini. Cut into pieces the same size as the fish. Mix all the vegetables and pieces of fish, add salt and spices. Thread, alternating, onto skewers. Place a thin layer of cheese on top, cut into oblong pieces. Place the skewers in a special flat shape and place everything in the microwave. When the grill mode is on, it is recommended to cook for at least 20 minutes.

21. Assorted seafood shish kebab.

For cooking you will need different types of sea fish: cod, horse mackerel, perch. You can take one fish at a time. Peel, wash, separate the fillet from the bones. Cut the flesh of each fish into cubes of the same size, sprinkle with fresh dill or parsley, pepper and salt. Sprinkle everything generously with lemon juice. Everything should sit for several hours. Alternately thread a piece of each type of fish onto skewers to create an assortment. Grill shish kebab on the grill or over a fire.

As you can see, there are a lot of recipes, and even then, this is just a small tip of a large iceberg. Each cooking method is original and unusual in its own way, and, of course, delicious. Only after trying, you can give your preference to any version of the recipe. The choice is yours, or rather your taste. The main thing is that everyone can cook a good kebab if they put in the effort, and, of course, a great mood. All that remains is to wish you “Bon appetit!”