The best barbecue recipe. How to make the most delicious kebab? Pork kebab vinegar marinade with mustard

The recipe for the dish with a photo, see below.

At the word barbecue, many people recall the following picture in their memory: the snow has just melted, it has become noticeably warmer on the street, but frost still happens, there are long weekends ahead (May holidays are on the nose), and meat is marinated in the refrigerator for barbecue... And tomorrow ... Together with a cheerful company of family and friends to the nature, for a picnic - make tea over a fire, bake vegetables and fish in foil in coals, enjoy the clean spring air and the first warm sun with full breast! Here it is, the beauty of spring - the beginning of the barbecue season !

What is this article about?

In our family, the husband prepares barbecue. I do not interfere in this matter and I will not tell you the nuances of directly frying meat. But I know how tasty and original can you marinate meat, so that in the end you get a shish kebab for glory! My husband and I work as a team. He personally chooses and buys meat in the market from a familiar butcher, I marinate the meat, and then his spouse fries him on skewers

The success of a kebab is determined primarily by the marinade. If the meat has lain for several hours in the "correct" marinade, it becomes tender and soft, retains the tenderness of the fibers during heat treatment.

I propose to properly prepare for the joyful event - the opening new season of kebabs and picnics 2015 ... Namely, read my article about marinade options for kebabs . What is the best way to marinate meat? How to make everyone delighted with the taste of the finished barbecue? So, I am sharing my knowledge regarding marinating meat for kebabs.

How NOT to marinate meat for barbecue

Many marinate fresh tender meat for barbecue in vinegar in the old-fashioned way. This is a gross mistake! Forget the vinegar marinade forever! Shish kebab from fresh meat and vinegar are incompatible things. Of course, vinegar can "save" not quite fresh meat, but you and I are not going to string rotten stuff on skewers. Vinegar completely kills the taste in meat and makes it tough. But the marinade has a completely different task - to make the meat for the kebab tender, soft and tasty!

Therefore, I do not recommend using ordinary vinegar (essence) for marinating kebabs. Although some marinade recipes contain fruit vinegar of natural fermentation - apple cider, wine, balsamic. This can be used as part of other ingredients (details below).

NOT I also advise you to use the popular explosive mixture for marinating kebabs ketchup + mayonnaise ... These products are mass industrial production do not marinate the meat on the kebab properly. If you use a ketchup marinade with mayonnaise, then the end result is not a kebab, but a pitiful likeness of it.

How, then, to marinate meat, if not in vinegar and not in a ketchup-mayonnaise mixture, some readers will ask. And I'll tell you everything now with all the details!

5 best barbecue marinades

So, first I will list the five most delicious kebab marinades that have taken root in the traditions of our family. Then I'll tell you about each in more detail. So, I present the 5 best marinades for preparing meat for a wonderful fragrant barbecue:

1. kefir- onion marinade;
2. dry wine marinade;
3. kiwi + pineapple;
4. coffee and onion marinade;
5. Thai sweet and sour sauce.

How to make kefir marinade for kefir with onions

This marinade is perfect for pork kebabs. To prepare the kefir-onion marinade, we need to take (assuming that there is 2 kg of meat):

• 5-6 onions;
• 1 liter of not the fattest kefir (fat< 2,5 %);
• pieces of 5-8 peas of black pepper;
• some spices such as hops-suneli (1 tsp is enough).

Crush black pepper in a mortar. In a deep saucepan, combine onion sliced ​​into rings with a mixture of hop-suneli and pepper. Stir the chopped pieces of meat by hand with the mixture of onions and spices. Salt to taste (0.5-1 tsp) Pour over and stir again with your hands. The meat should be completely covered with kefir. We close the pan with a lid and put it in a cool place (refrigerator, cellar, closet). The preparation time for meat in this sauce is at least 3 hours. It is better to let it brew in the cold for 5-6 hours.

How to make dry wine marinade

Natural grape wines also do a good job of marinating meat for barbecue. To prepare a wine marinade, take (proportion to 2 kg of meat):

• 750 ml dry red wine;
• ground black pepper 1 tbsp. l. without a slide;
• 2 large onions;
• salt if desired.

This wine marinade will perfectly marinate beef and veal, as well as pork loin... If you cook beef kebab, cut off all indigestible parts - veins, films, etc. when cutting meat. Put the pieces of meat in a saucepan, on top - ground pepper, a bit of salt and diced onions. We mix everything again with handles and fill it with a bottle of fine dry wine. Put the marinated meat in the cold for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

How to marinate meat with kiwi and pineapple

We fully appreciated this version of the marinade during our wintering in Southeast Asia. Fresh and juicy fruits are here in bulk, but with good wine and kefir it is stressful. Therefore, this delicious marinade for kebabs was invented from fresh fruits - kiwi and pineapple.

Both, and kiwi have the necessary acidity, which helps to soften the meat pieces. Cooked kebab literally melts in your mouth! Pineapple and kiwi marinade is a real find for us!

This marinade is ideal for quick pickling how for chicken, So and for pork... Kiwis should be chosen ripe, soft, not "stone" to the touch. The pineapple should be completely yellow, without green areas - this is a guarantee of ripeness and juiciness of the fruit. To prepare a marinade for 1.5 - 2 kg of meat, you need to take:

• 1 kiwi;
• 1 medium pineapple;
• 1 bunch of cilantro;
• 1 tbsp. a spoonful of ground black pepper;
• soy sauce 3 tbsp

Chop the meat, grate with pepper, mix with chopped cilantro and soy sauce. Wash pineapple and kiwi, peel. Use a blender to puree the fruit. If there is no blender, try mashing the kiwi with a fork in mashed potatoes, and finely chop the pineapple until a large amount of juice appears ...

The meat is mixed with chopped kiwi and pineapple. It is also marinated in the refrigerator under a closed lid for about 2 hours.

Coffee (hot) marinade for barbecue meat

I read this recipe on the Internet about a year ago. Took note, and last summer we tested it in practice. It turns out really tasty and tender meat fried on coals. The author did not deceive So, we are preparing a coffee marinade, which is good for pork and beef. To prepare it, you need natural ground (forget about instant!). The proportion of products for 2 kg of meat pulp:

• 2 tbsp. spoons of ground coffee;
• olive oil 3 tbsp spoons;
• 1 tbsp. a spoonful of salt (no slide);
• 3-4 onions;
• ground red and black pepper (½ tsp each);
• you can add fresh or dried basil for aroma (2-3 stems or 1 tsp with a slide, if dry).

The onion is cut into thin half rings, mixed with meat, oil, a mixture of peppers and basil. Pour coffee with hot water (about a liter of water will be needed), put it on the stove and as soon as the coffee starts to boil, immediately remove it from the heat. Filter hot coffee from the grounds, add salt to it and stir. Pour our meat with hot coffee brine, close the lid and leave to marinate overnight. The next day we cook a delicious soft barbecue!

Sweet and sour Thai meat sauce

While in Thailand, we tried an interesting local dish. On the menu in English it was called Sweet & Sour Prawns. Literally translated, this dish sounds like Shrimps in Russian. in sweet and sour sauce ... Chicken and pork are cooked in the same way in Tai.

Similar meat recipes in sweet and sour sauces found in many Asian cuisines - Chinese, Filipino, etc.) This sweet and sour tomato sauce with slices of sweet pepper, fresh pineapple and cherry tomatoes awakened the most tender feelings in our stomachs with my husband. It was decided to try using this sauce like a barbecue marinade... It turned out to be an excellent yummy! I'm telling you.

For 1.5 kg of meat (both chicken and pork are suitable), take:

• 150 ml soy sauce;
• 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vegetable oil;
• 2-3 tomatoes;
• 2 tbsp. spoons of rice or pineapple vinegar;
• 3 tbsp. spoons of honey or fruit jam;
• a piece of ginger or galangal 2 cm long;
• 1 small chili pepper;
• ground black pepper ½ tsp;
• ½ tsp salt.

Peel and chop the ginger (galangal). Combine soy sauce with chopped ginger, sliced ​​chili and honey (jam). Stir the mixture. Pour in natural vinegar (you can take apple or wine). Puree fresh tomatoes with a blender, combine with marinade (you can take a couple of tablespoons tomato paste but with fresh tomatoes preferred).

Dry the pieces of washed chopped meat with a paper towel, rub with salt and black pepper, pour over the resulting marinade. In this sauce, the meat is marinated for 12-15 hours, you can leave it for a day. Pieces of shish kebab in a delicate sweet and sour glaze are simply delicious!

In order for the finished meat to acquire a truly Thai flavor, I recommend alternating pieces of meat with cherry tomatoes, small pieces of fresh pineapple and slices of sweet pepper on a skewer. String more tightly so that there are no voids between the pieces! Fry on hot coals until the meat is golden brown. It will turn out appetizing and juicy kebab tie-style is very tasty!

How to quickly marinate meat for barbecue

I tell my life hack for emergency life situations. It so happens that the desire to go to barbecue arises spontaneously and there is absolutely no time to wait for several hours when the meat is marinated. Use my advice quick kebab marinade... It is prepared from grated onions.

If time is running out and there are literally a couple of hours for marinating meat - use onion marinade... To marinate the meat quickly, onions are grated or chopped into porridge with a blender. For 1 kg of pork, 3 large onions and 2 tbsp. tablespoons of ground black pepper. Pieces of meat are rubbed with pepper and poured with a liquid onion mixture. After 1.5 - 2 hours, you can fry the shish kebab (remove the leftover onion from the meat before putting it on the skewers).

What other options are there for kebab marinades

There are many different recipes making a marinade for delicious kebabs. Below I will list interesting options marinades, but I myself have not tried them yet. If you have experience in marinating meat in any of the proposed ways - share in the comments if it is delicious

Interesting options for barbecue marinades

1. Yogurt + garlic + spices
2. Pomegranate Juice + ground coriander+ bow
3. Mustard and honey (1 tablespoon each) + ground cumin and black pepper (1 tsp each) + zest of 1 orange
4. Carbonated mineral water + onion + salt + greens
5. Adjika + Apple vinegar+ peppercorns
6. Tomato juice (no chemicals) + onion + red and black ground pepper + garlic + horseradish + rast. oil
7. Lemon juice (freshly squeezed) + olive oil + garlic + dried rosemary
8. Light beer + onion + lemon + plant butter + ground pepper + mustard
9. Tkemali sauce + rast. butter + honey + ground pepper
10. Cream + dried basil + garlic + ground pepper

The meat is marinated, the pieces are skewered, the kebab is ready for frying!

"How tasty and quick to marinate a kebab?" - a very popular question, especially in the summer.
In this article, we decided to tell you about the methods and intricacies of cooking this wonderful dish.

Serve the kebab in combination with herbs and sauce.

By far the most delicious kebab cooked only on charcoal and no airfryer can replace them. But in order for it to turn out as it should, it is important not only to properly prepare the marinade, but also to know how to choose meat for a barbecue.

Shish kebab is a very hot topic and choosing meat for shish kebab is a very important task. First you need to decide what exactly you want to cook? Pork, lamb, chicken, beef, or maybe you even want to make a kebab from salmon or trout. For example, we will take classic version- this is pork kebab, how to choose meat and not make gross mistakes, so that later you regret it. Because, no matter how well you make the marinade for the kebab, if the meat is bad, then all your efforts with the marinade will be in vain.

First of all, you need to know that in no case should you take frozen meat, choose chilled meat, see that it is not darkened and has a fresh pinkish tint. If you take pork, then a neck, shoulder blade or ham is better for barbecue, there is already someone who loves something more. The most common part is the pork neck.

As for any meat, you should not choose it with a lot of veins and fat, as it will not be very pleasant later. Everything should be in moderation.

So, cooking marinade for barbecue - about this great amount disputes. Someone says that it is necessary to marinate the kebab only in vinegar, others think it is necessary to marinate in kefir, and still others think how to marinate the kebab in beer. All of this can be unforgettably delicious if prepared correctly. Once I had to try barbecue in mineral water, naturally with spices, but still it was quite surprising to learn this method of marinade. Traditionally, marinade for barbecue is done like this: The meat is cut into pieces, onions, salt, black pepper, a little vinegar, vegetable oil are added to it , thyme, bay leaf and paprika. All this is mixed and placed in the cold. If the meat is fresh, then 15-30 minutes will be enough, if not, then put it in the cold for an hour or 2.

Pork kebab

The most delicious, most favorite dish of most people is pork kebab, and it is very important to be able to cook it correctly. Pork shashlik begins with the choice of meat, is picked up by the right robin and ends with the very cooking on the grill. Although the dish itself came to us from the south, in Russia they began to cook it so often that it can already be considered almost a primordial Russian dish.

Whichever marinade you choose, almost everywhere there is a standard set in the form of salt and pepper, then the ingredients change, depending on the method of robin of the kebab itself.

It happens that you just want a chicken fried on coals, personally I love wings and hips, someone loves legs. But again, you need to know how to properly cook chicken kebab.

Now we will tell one very interesting recipe cooking chicken kebab.

So, first of all, we need the chicken or chicken itself, which we will fry. Chop the chicken into pieces, lightly salt and go to prepare the marinade.

We need: salt, pepper, garlic, juice of half a lemon, a little vegetable oil, sour cream, onion, dried orange peel and saffron infusion. First, grind all the dry ingredients of the marinade, then add all the liquid ingredients, and mix too. Then we marinate our chicken in this composition, for 40 minutes and go to fry.

It is important to choose delicious recipe kebab before you start cooking it. We will sanctify some more of them in our article.

Small subtlety. In order for the onion to give its juice to the meat during pickling, you need to sprinkle it with salt and soak, then it will give juice. Many people also often add bay leaves, it also goes well. The main thing is to saturate the meat with the flavor of the seasoning that you love and that will work well for the type of meat you have chosen.

a) preparation of meat and marinating; b) frying barbecue

For example, if you decide to make lamb shish kebab, then you should not spoil it with various marinades, you can only salt and season the mutton a little. For me, well-cooked lamb ribs are considered the most delicious.

You need to turn the shish kebab when frying as soon as it starts to sizzle on the coals.

There are a great many ways to marinate a kebab deliciously, we can only talk about some of them. I had a chance to try a very tasty shish kebab.

In order for the kebab to be well saturated with the onion aroma, finely chop the onion, or better, pass it through a meat grinder.

Recipe:

Pork neck is taken. For the marinade: ground coriander, salt, black and red peppers and bay leaves. Put chopped onions in the dish on the bottom and add spices, stir a little and put the meat on top, in one layer, then again our seasonings and onions and again meat and so on. Depends on the amount of meat and the width of the dish. This marinade can stand overnight in the cold. In the morning, add vegetable oil and mix, it envelops the pieces and when frying the kebab it will turn out juicy and crispy. The shish kebab will be delicious!

There is such an unusual way of cooking kebabs as kefir-based kebabs. Enough for me good recipe, managed to try. What we need, in principle, as usual, we take salt, pepper, onion, barbecue seasonings to taste, who likes what, mix everything, add to the pieces of meat and fill it with kefir, preferably not fat. Mix everything and leave to marinate for 3-5 hours. Then we fry on coals, the taste is incomparable! Kefir shashlik is what everyone needs to try.

How to make kebab juicy

Everyone loves barbecue, but sometimes it happens that we overcook it, and it turns out to be dry. What to do? You need to follow some rules that will help make the kebab juicy.

Firstly, when finished marinating the kebab, no matter in what form, you need to make sure that there is vegetable oil there. When frying, it envelopes pieces of meat and makes it crispy and juicy!

Secondly, overdrying. This is when you rotate pieces of meat for an hour, fearing that it will not be fried, and in the end - a dry shish kebab.

To make the shish kebab juicy, you need to turn it over at the moment when it begins to boil on the coals and hiss, then, you need to change the side and vice versa. The average frying time of the same pork is 15-20 minutes.

Plus, when the meat is raw, it is soft to the touch, but when it is fried, it becomes elastic. But if you overcook it, it will turn out tough. Consider this when preparing your kebab.

How to cook barbecue properly

We have already discussed many recipes and methods for making the right kebab. Let's summarize how to properly cook a barbecue so that it is just insanely delicious.

First- this is the choice of meat for barbecue, see above, we have already talked about this.

Second- marinade, also described in many ways.

And the third- the process itself, consider all the subtleties of cooking, which we also talked about in this article.

Shish kebab is a real "masculine" dish, a symbol of summer and picnics. Bad is the hike or trip to the country that did without him. But where did this interesting dish come from? And what does the best kebab recipe sound like? Let's try to find answers to these questions.

The origin of the kebab

Many people who are not familiar with history believe that barbecue is an original dish of the peoples of the Caucasus, that it came from behind the mountains, and that only Caucasians know how to cook a real barbecue according to a special recipe. This is wrong. Such a dish as shashlik can be found in many nations of the world. But the country where it was invented chose to remain anonymous. After all, even the first people who learned how to make fire cooked meat over a fire - and this was also a barbecue. Many hundreds of years later, hunters and soldiers roasted meat with musket ramrods.

And the very word "shashlik" is not Caucasian and accidentally "wandered" into the Russian language. This is a distortion of the Crimean Tatar word "shish", which means "spit". It turns out that a shish kebab is “something on a spit”. In Russia, it was known back in the 17th century, and this dish was called "spun meat", that is, meat that is turned over on a spit.

Kebab in the world

In Azerbaijan, shish kebab is known as "kebab", and in Armenia it is "khorovats". In Mediterranean countries, a kebab is a cutlet mass to which a huge amount of mint was added, put on long wooden skewers and baked in coals. Well, that's what she and Mediterranean cuisine. But in America shish kebab is an overturned dish, where it is cooked on special grates in a brazier, and it is called "barbecue".

In Afghanistan, Morocco and their neighbors, kebabs are made from pickled lamb. In North Africa, this dish is called "brochettes". Since these countries consist of deserts, saxaul (woody plant) is used as coal. Saxaul produces very hot coals that give off fragrant smoke. In other parts of Africa, Aboriginal people make kebabs from pieces of heart, kidney or liver, stringing them on skewers and grilling them on coals.

In Georgia, it is prepared only for special guests. It is called "mtsvadi" and is baked on a dry vine. Often they use the wood of other trees - apple trees, pears, cherries. Fried pieces of meat are popular in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia. There they are made from chicken using shrimp.

It is advised to drink white or red strong wines with a barbecue. It is they who give this dish a special taste. Experts of oriental cuisine offer dry wine - supposedly, it goes best with meat and fish.

It turns out that this is not Caucasian dish, and the world. But still: what is the classic and best barbecue recipe?

The perfect recipe

In order for the kebab to turn out really tasty, you need to choose good meat. This can be lamb, pork, or beef. Still, the classic version is pork, not too fatty and in no case frozen (all taste qualities). Experienced chefs advise taking the neck part - baked over charcoal, it turns out to be very tender and tasty.

If you did buy frozen meat, then in no case marinate it cold. Let it thaw first and reach room temperature, and at the same time the blood water will drain. The color of the meat cannot be deprived of attention: if it is light and "dried out", then a good shish kebab will not work.

If you purchased fresh meat, rinse it with water and dry it first. Moisture is the main enemy of pickle. The ideal option would be to buy meat early in the morning and marinate immediately. In this case, the kebab will be ready for "pokatushki" on the grill the very next day. Cut the meat into transverse "washers" 3 or 4 centimeters wide, while removing all the tendons. But do not get carried away and cut out all the bacon, otherwise the kebab will lose its juiciness!

Now it's time to move on to marinating. Here is a list of the products that you will need to make the most delicious kebab (based on about 3.5 kg of meat):

1. Salt (4 teaspoons). Everyone knows that no dish is complete without salt, and barbecue is no exception.
2. Coarse black pepper. Eliminate dust from the pepper shaker! BUT the best option- crush the peppercorns with a knife and cut lightly. Such grains of pepper give an extraordinary taste sensation. Enough 15 peas.
3. Coriander. Again, 15 peas are enough. They must first be lightly fried, and then crushed.
4. Basil. It is enough to take as much as coriander.
5. Thyme. The most popular Asian spice, which is often added to meat and salads. And in ancient Greece, thyme symbolized courage. A pinch of this spice is enough for a kilogram of meat.
6. Kumin. In no case should it be confused with caraway seeds or dill! They are not suitable for barbecue. This seasoning is very specific, and less than half a teaspoon is enough for three and a half kilograms.
7. Bay leaf. A few pieces are enough. Never put it on skewers with meat - these leaves are not edible.
8. Paprika. One teaspoon is enough. It is the paprika that gives the shish kebab its aroma and characteristic reddish color, so you can't go anywhere without it. You can add a clove of garlic to the paprika if you like the thrill.
9. Onion. It needs to be cut into rings, they are also suitable for a snack. Six onions are enough.
10. Sunflower oil. Not to be confused with olive! Five tablespoons are enough. You need to add it only after you have “loaded” all the seasonings into the marinade.
11. Lemon. Oddly enough, but he plays a big role. Half of the squeezed lemon is enough, only you need to add it after pouring the vinegar. You can also pour vinegar over a grilled kebab.

Now is the time to mix everything thoroughly and leave in a tightly closed saucepan, pressing down on top with a plate. In the morning, you need to mix everything again.

Frying process

When lighting a fire, you need to put as much firewood as possible, because there is never too much coal. Usually the fire needs to be burned out for about 20 minutes. While it flares up, you can string the meat on skewers. Flat skewers are best; they will not constantly turn over under the weight of the meat. Small pieces should be strung from the edge, large - in the middle.

Remember that when frying kebabs, there should be no fire in the fire, so periodically you need to fill the fire with water, since fat ignites at high temperatures. The meat must be placed at a distance of 10 centimeters from the coals, creating a "roof".

Kebab should be eaten only hot! BUT perfect snack there will be pickled cucumbers, tomatoes or squash, peppers, olives, onions and black bread. Bon Appetit and good luck in making the best kebab with the best recipe!

To make a real and delicious kebab, you first need to choose the right meat for this dish. What kind of meat should I buy? Someone adores only lamb, others - pork, and still others can eat any meat. Shish kebab can be prepared while traveling to different parts of our planet. And where exactly to go, decide for yourself - the world of travel is wide, diverse and surprisingly interesting. by clicking on the link, you can see the most interesting corners on Earth, in order to choose where to go next time.

For an excellent barbecue, pork is suitable, not too fatty, and most importantly, fresh and not frozen. Which part of the pork carcass should I choose? Perfect option- this is the neck! But, there is one caveat. It has a middle, without veins, pinkish in color, which runs along the spine on both sides - this part is not suitable for kebabs (it resembles white chicken meat, no matter what seasonings are added to the marinade). But the sellers of meat on the market will assure you exactly the opposite, even that frozen meat does not lose its taste at all. Decide for yourself.

Although, it is difficult for a Russian person to take something not in reserve. It may also happen that the meat was bought fresh, and over time - trouble, you have to freeze the meat. Therefore, the next tip: do not marinate the meat frozen or still quite cold. It is desirable that it thaws and warms up to room temperature, then all the blood water will drain. Even in the market (in the store), pay attention to the color of the meat: if it is faded or dry, such meat is not fresh and is not suitable for making a barbecue.

We bought the meat. Having thoroughly washed it, we proceed to cutting. We cut it into transverse identical washers 3-4 cm wide (we try to cut it this way), removing the film and tendons. But it is not advisable to cut the bacon, without it, the kebab will turn out to be dry. When cooking, melting, the bacon adds juiciness to the kebab.

The next important step is the pickling ingredients. The whole secret is in them. We take at the rate of 3-4 kilograms. The main thing is not exactly which ingredients to put in the marinade, but in what order!

1. Salt (about 4-5 tsp). Everyone has a different taste, but an undersalted kebab will not be very good. Therefore, the meat simply needs to be salt enough and correctly.

2. Black pepper and, most importantly, GREAT ground. In no case without the "dust" from the pepper shaker! You can simply crush the peas with the plane of a knife, and then cut them a little with a sharp point. Feel free to put 15 - 20 peas !!! You can even more, for an amateur!

3. Coriander. He is cilantro. Also 15-20 peas will be enough. They must be crushed in a mortar, having previously fried a little.

4. Basil. You can take it dry, it is available in almost all stores. You need ½ teaspoon, maybe a little more! This herb does not have such a sharp and pungent taste.

5. Thyme. He's Thyme. From the calculation - one, two pinches per kilogram, rubbing slightly with your fingers.

6. Zira (Zra), she is Kumin. Not to be confused with cumin or dill. Slightly less than half a teaspoon.
7. Bay leaves, a couple of pieces.

8. Red ground, Bell pepper or paprika. A teaspoon without a "slide".

9. Bulb onions. We take the same amount of onion with meat 1 to 1. Cut into half rings. Soak a little onion separately in vinegar, and mix the rest with the meat. Onions and vinegar are a great barbecue snack.

10. A little, literally 3 - 5 tablespoons, sunflower oil... So that the meat does not burn.

May holidays are a great reason for barbecue!

But now, having put all the ingredients in the meat, mix well, passing them between your fingers. At this stage, it is necessary to add one more, no less important, but very significant ingredient - LEMON.

Meat soaked for barbecue - ready! You can go to the dacha, to the forest, wherever there is a barbecue - to enjoy this yummy!

A delicious, aromatic and invariably attractive dish, barbecue, accompanies us throughout the warm season. In Russia, practically not a single picnic, not a single trip to nature with family or friends is unthinkable without a whole ritual of cooking and eating juicy, aromatic, smelling of spicy herbs and smoke, fried over coals of meat. In fact, kebab has long been not just another generally accepted culinary masterpiece, but also an excellent means of bringing people together, an excellent excuse to get together and make new friends.

How to cook a kebab? Kebab preparation has traditionally been considered a typically male responsibility. And there is a good deal of truth in this. After all, only strong male hands can really hard knead meat with onions and marinade so that onion juice, acids and enzymes completely saturate the pieces of meat, give them all their taste, soften them and saturate them with their aroma. And, of course, the very ritual of roasting coals, stringing kebabs on skewers and frying meat is quite rightly considered by many to be a brutal action, emphasizing masculine strength and arousing admiration in the eyes of the ladies. However, we will not offend beautiful women with gender prejudices, because their refined taste, imagination and culinary experience often allow them to cook unusually refined and amazing versions of this dish.

At first glance, the preparation of a barbecue is not fraught with any special difficulties. Well, what can be difficult about chop the meat portioned chunks, mix with marinade and grill on charcoal? It is in this popular belief that lies the mistake that leads to disappointment when dry, tough and tasteless cuts of overcooked meat end up on our table. But in the mystery of barbecue cooking, every detail, every movement is important. It is necessary to choose the right meat, marinate it correctly, light the coals correctly, fry it correctly and even eat the barbecue correctly, knowing exactly what side dish and what drink to accompany it. All this knowledge comes with experience, but your intuition also plays a significant role here. Experienced chefs while cooking a barbecue, they include all their senses, they not only follow it with their eyes, not only trust their sense of smell, but even listen to the hissing of fat and juice on the coals in order to accurately catch the very moment when it is time to turn the skewer or sprinkle the meat and coals with marinade or wine. And what about those who have not yet had time to gain experience and do not know how to cook barbecue, but really want that even the first time cooked barbecue could bring joy and pleasure? Do not despair!

It is for those who do not feel quite confident when preparing barbecue, for those who prepare barbecue for the first time, "Culinary Eden" has collected and recorded the most important tips and the secrets of how to cook a barbecue, following which you can certainly please your friends and loved ones with a real, juicy, tasty and aromatic barbecue.

1. Kebab preparation begins with the choice of meat. And here it is very important not to be mistaken. Indeed, the juiciness, taste and aroma of the finished dish depend on how correctly you chose the meat. You should choose the freshest meat for barbecue, from a young animal. Take a close look at the selected piece. When cut, the pork should be soft pink, and the beef and lamb should be red. Too dark meat will tell you about the venerable age of the animal, soft kebab such meat will not work. The color of the meat should be uniform without spots, with a slight glossy sheen. Pay attention to the smell of meat too. Fresh meat of a young animal has a very pleasant, slightly sweet aroma. Any harsh, unpleasant odors, ammonia smell, sour or musty smell will tell you about staleness of the meat or the venerable age of the animal, it is better to refuse to buy such meat. The cut of meat is also of great importance. Most best kebab is obtained from a tender, slightly greased neck, loin or saddle. However, you can use a ham or even a scapula, but the preparation of these parts of the carcass will require more marinating time.

2. It is very important to be very careful in the selection and ignition of coal. Its quality will determine not only the roasting temperature, but also the taste and aroma of the finished kebab. It is best to use birch or alder charcoal. The light, unobtrusive aroma of smoke from embers from these woods is best combined with the taste of meat, poultry or fish, without interrupting, but only complementing the products' own aroma. If you burn the charcoal yourself, it is best to do it in a separate fire, transferring the prepared coals to the grill with tongs. This will prevent ash and coal dust from getting on your kebab. If your choice is ready-made coals, then try to find a good manufacturer, one that does not add any additional substances to the coal that contribute to the ignition, but spoil the taste of the meat. Also, if possible, try to avoid various ignition fluids. Even the faint aroma of paraffin is unlikely to add charm to your kebab.

3. When lighting the coals, make sure that all the charcoal burns with an even scarlet color. If black blotches remain on the coals, it means that they have not flared up enough, give them some more time. Spread the well-burnt coals in an even layer over the grill, break large coals into pieces no more than 3 - 5 centimeters. Carefully level the coals by placing slightly more of them on the sides and corners of the barbecue. After that, give the coals a little rest and cover it with a light layer of fluffy white ash. This will even out and normalize the burning temperature, which will save your kebab from burning and drying out.

4. The size of the pieces of meat that you are going to cook is also important. Do not cut the meat into too small pieces - they will instantly dry out and become tough. But not good and too large pieces- they will reach for a long time in the middle and may burn at the edges. The optimal size of pieces of meat is 5-7 centimeters. Pieces of kebab of this size will be perfectly baked on the inside and will not burn on the outside. String pieces of kebab on a skewer should be tight enough. In the event that you are not quite sure about the quality and tenderness of the meat, thin pieces of bacon or juicy vegetables (tomatoes, onions, etc.) can be strung between its pieces.

5. While browning, turn the skewers frequently, making sure that the meat is evenly browned on all sides. Make sure that the fat dripping from the meat does not ignite the coals. As soon as this happens, immediately sprinkle the burning coals with marinade, wine or just water. Pay close attention to the crust that forms on your kebab. If you notice excessive drying or burning, immediately turn the skewer and brush the dried meat with a mixture of marinade and vegetable oil. The average time for shashlik frying is 10 - 12 minutes. It is this roasting time that will allow the meat to bake well without burning or drying out, and your kebab will turn out to be juicy and tender, covered with a fragrant crispy crust.

6. Let's try to make the simplest kebab from pork neck... Cut into 2 kg. pork in pieces of medium size. Cut three large onions into rings, add 1 teaspoon of coarse salt and carefully remember the onions with your hands so that they let the juice out. Add to the onion ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon coriander and the juice of half a lemon. Mix the finished marinade with pieces of meat, mix everything thoroughly and leave to marinate for 3 - 5 hours. String the cooked meat on skewers and sprinkle with a mixture of finely chopped hot pepper, leeks and garlic. Cook over charcoal for 10 minutes, turning frequently and brushing with a mixture of dry red wine and vegetable oil.

7. Beef can be cooked in a mustard-lemon marinade. Mix 3 tbsp. tablespoons of mustard, 3 tbsp. spoons of honey, juice of one lemon, 3 chopped garlic cloves, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of soy sauce and a few drops of Tabasco sauce. Cut two kilograms of beef into small pieces, mix with the marinade and leave to marinate for 5 - 6 hours. String the cooked meat on skewers, carefully coat with the remaining marinade and bake over charcoal for 10-15 minutes until tender.

8. Unusually tasty duck shashlik turns out to orange marinade... To prepare the marinade, mix 50 ml orange juice, 2 tbsp. spoons of soy sauce, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of dry white wine, 2 tbsp. spoons of honey. Add 1 finely chopped fresh chili and 50g. chopped tarragon or basil. 800 gr. cut duck meat into small pieces, mix with the marinade and leave to marinate for 2 hours. String the marinated duck pieces onto the skewers, transferring them to the orange slices. Fry over charcoal for 8 to 10 minutes, turning frequently and brushing with marinade.

9. An original and unusual barbecue can be prepared from lamb ribs... In a deep saucepan, place three finely chopped bell peppers, 5 minced garlic cloves and ½ kg. chopped tomatoes. Add 2 tbsp. spoons of water and 2 tbsp. spoons olive oil... 1 ½ kg. chop the lamb ribs with a layer of meat in portions and add to the pan to the vegetables. Add two bay leaves and 1 teaspoon of cumin or cumin. Bring vegetables and meat to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for an hour. Remove the finished ribs on a separate dish, and strain the vegetable broth through a colander. Thicken the broth in a saucepan over the fire and add one finely chopped chili pepper and 50 g. cilantro greens. Mix thoroughly. String the ribs on skewers and brush with the resulting sauce. Fry over coals for 5 to 8 minutes.

10. You should not serve anything superfluous as a side dish for a barbecue. After all, your kebab is extraordinarily good and tasty in itself and should remain the only king on your table. Best served with barbecue fresh vegetables or vegetable salad, salsa and lots of fresh herbs. Juicy, crispy vegetables perfectly set off the taste of tender, hot, fragrant meat... In addition, some vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, can be skewered and greased. vegetable oil bake over coals. So simple, delicious and aromatic side dish everyone will definitely like the barbecue. And don't forget a glass - another good dry wine!

You can always find even more proven recipes for making delicious barbecue on the pages of "Culinary Eden".

Zhalnin Dmitry