Shish kebab is an indispensable condition of any picnic, the taste of which largely depends on what kind of marinade for shish kebab you prepare. And spring, which we all look forward to so impatiently, is the time for trips to nature, to the countryside, picnics with friends and loved ones. We all get tired of long winter and look forward to the first warm days and “barbecue with cognac.”
I described in detail how to cook a delicious pork kebab so that the meat is soft and juicy. Be sure to familiarize yourself with how to choose the right meat for shish kebab, how to cut it and how to fry it correctly on the grill or in the oven, because the taste, softness and juiciness of the shish kebab depends on following these simple rules.
How to deliciously marinate pork kebab at home
Marinating is one of the main stages of preparing delicious kebab. Let me remind you how to properly marinate pork kebab so that the meat is soft and juicy.
1 rule. It is advisable to salt the meat immediately before frying or at the very end of cooking. If you add salt at the beginning, the salt will dry out the meat and the kebab will turn out dry.
Rule 2. Don't get carried away with vinegar; too much of it can also make the kebab dry.
Rule 3. To ensure that the meat is soft and juicy, we use 3 main components - acid, seasonings and vegetable oil. The acid breaks down the connective fibers, making the meat soft. Seasonings give meat flavor and unforgettable taste. And vegetable oil “seals” the meat, preventing juice from escaping during frying.
Rule 4. You need to marinate pork kebab for an average of 4-5 hours.
Rule 5. A delicious marinade for barbecue is made with a lot of onions. For 1 kg of meat, it is advisable to use 0.5 kg of onion.
And for marinating shashlik at home, there are many recipes for delicious marinades to keep your guests full and satisfied. Moreover, each recipe is good in its own way. But the choice is yours. I myself love experiments and I suggest you try all the recipes one by one. After all, this is the only way to draw your own conclusion.
10 most delicious marinades to keep meat soft and juicy
Classic marinade for pork shish kebab with vinegar and onions
This marinade is probably the most popular, it can even be called a classic. It was with this marinade that we marinated the shish kebab in Soviet times, when they were not yet spoiled by an abundance of products. In this recipe we use the most simple ingredients- onion, salt, pepper and vinegar.
We will need:
- pork (neck) - 1.5 kg
- onion— 700 gr.
- vinegar (9%) - 50 ml.
- salt - 1.5 tsp.
- pepper to taste
- vegetable oil - 1 tbsp. l.
- Cut the meat into equal-sized pieces, approximately 5 cm.
- Cut the onions into rings. Once again I would like to note that you should not skimp on onions for the marinade. The weight of the onion should be approximately half the weight of the meat.
- IN enamel pan Lay a layer of meat in layers, sprinkle onions on top, pour a little vinegar on top. Then we repeat the meat-onion-vinegar and so on until the end of the meat.
- Add vegetable oil to the marinade.
- Cover the pan with the kebab with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for an hour. Then leave the kebab at room temperature for another 4-5 hours.
- Just before cooking, the meat remains to be salted, peppered and threaded onto skewers (if desired, you can alternate meat with onions).
- It is better to fry such meat on the grill, following simple but necessary rules.
Pork kebab in onion marinade without vinegar. A very simple marinade recipe
This recipe is probably the simplest, since we only use onions for the marinade. In addition, the meat will be ready for frying quickly - in 1-2 hours.
Ingredients:
- pork (neck) - 2 kg
- onions - 0.5 kg
- vegetable oil - 1 tbsp. l.
- salt - 1 tbsp. l.
- pepper and spices to taste
- Cut the meat into equal pieces of approximately 5 cm.
- Onions can be cut as desired. Grind the onion using a blender to a paste.
- Salt and pepper the meat. If desired, you can add a little vegetable oil for softness.
- Place onion porridge on top of the meat, mix well and leave to marinate for 1-2 hours.
Marinade for pork kebab with mayonnaise and onions
Surely, when they see this recipe, many will say that mayonnaise and meat are incompatible. Meanwhile, meat marinated in mayonnaise marinade turns out unusually tender, juicy and soft.
Ingredients:
- pork (neck) - 1.5 kg
- onions - 700 gr.
- mayonnaise - 300 gr.
- salt - 1 tbsp. l.
- pepper and spices to taste
1. Cut the meat into equal pieces and put it in a pan, add salt and seasonings.
When cutting meat, it is important to observe the measure - if you cut it into small pieces, the meat will burn and be dry, and if it is too large, it will not cook through.
2. Grate 1-2 onions on a fine grater and add to the meat. Cut the rest of the onion into rings. Add mayonnaise to the meat and onions, mix everything well with your hands.
3. Leave the meat to marinate overnight (or 5-6 hours).
4. Thread the meat onto skewers and fry on the grill for about 30 minutes, periodically turning the skewers so that the meat is evenly fried.
Shish kebab on mineral water. How to quickly marinate pork kebab in 1 hour
The advantage of this marinade is that thanks to water saturated with carbon dioxide, the meat becomes soft quite quickly. And mineral water is often on hand. If you are in a hurry, then this recipe is just for you.
We will need:
- pork (neck) - 1.5 kg
- onions - 2-3 large onions
- mineral water – 1 liter
- rosemary 1 tsp.
- Bay leaf— 2-3 pcs.
- salt - 1.5 tsp.
- pepper to taste
To add a little sourness, you can add lemon to the marinade. But then limit the marinating time to no more than 4 hours, as the lemon will make the meat a little bitter.
Use highly carbonated mineral water for the marinade.
- Cut the meat into equal pieces and place in a bowl, add salt, pepper and rosemary.
- Cut the onion into rings and mash with your hands until soft. This way the onion will release its juice to the meat faster.
- Chop the bay leaf with your hands and add it to the marinade, stir.
- Fill everything with sparkling mineral water.
- Cover with cling film and leave to marinate for 1-4 hours.
Of course, you can choose seasonings and spices for the marinade at your discretion.
Recipe for pork kebab with kefir. How to deliciously marinate pork kebab with kefir
An excellent recipe, the meat according to this recipe is very juicy, soft, and at the same time spicy thanks to the hot red pepper. It’s also great that we use a lot of herbs and garlic for the marinade.
Meat can be marinated in this marinade for several days.
We will need:
- pork (neck) - 1.5 kg
- onions - 2 large onions
- kefir - 2 cups
- salt - to taste
- sugar - 1.5 tsp.
- fresh herbs - basil, green onions, dill, garlic arrows
- chili pepper - 1 pc.
You don’t have to bother with herbs and simply marinate the meat in kefir. But greens add piquancy to the meat and a special aroma.
- Traditionally, we cut the meat fairly in large pieces and put it in a saucepan.
- In this recipe, the onion is also chopped coarsely. Add it to the meat.
- Chop the greens (as your hand takes them). I don’t always have garlic cloves, so I then chop 2 cloves of garlic into the marinade. We also put the greens in the pan.
- Remove the seeds from the chili pepper and chop it finely. Add chili to meat.
- Add salt, sugar and black pepper to the marinade.
- Fill all this beauty with kefir.
- Cover the pan with a lid and leave to marinate in the refrigerator overnight or even for several days.
The tougher the meat, the more sour the kefir for marinade.
Marinade for pork shish kebab with red wine
A delicious marinade for barbecue to make the meat soft and juicy. It is better to use dry wine. I suggest this recipe with red wine, it still has more rich taste. But I think that with white wine the kebab will turn out no less tasty.
We will need:
- pork (neck) - 1 kg
- onions - 6 pcs.
- red wine – 300 ml
- salt - 3 pinches
- black ground pepper- taste
- rosemary - 1-2 sprigs
- bay leaf - 2 pcs.
- red pepper - 1 pinch
Do not use aluminum utensils for marinating shish kebab. Enameled, glass or clay dishes are suitable for this.
- Cut the meat into equal pieces and place in any container. Add spices and salt.
- Cut the onion into rings and knead it a little with your hands to release the juice. Add onion to meat.
- Separate the rosemary sprig and add it to the marinade.
- After 15 minutes, pour wine into the meat and add bay leaf.
- If you want the kebab to marinate faster, leave the marinade with the meat at room temperature. And if you fry it the next day, you can put the meat in the refrigerator.
The most delicious marinade for pork kebab in pomegranate juice
One of my favorite recipes. The meat is soaked with sour pomegranate juice and a special aroma. Pomegranate juice perfectly softens the fibers of meat, after which it becomes soft and juicy. Even the color of the finished kebab is more beautiful from pomegranate juice. You can make juice by squeezing it from fresh pomegranate. But I prefer not to bother and buy ready-made 100% pomegranate juice in the store. And then everything is very simple.
Ingredients:
- pork (neck) - 2 kg
- onions - 5 pcs.
- pomegranate juice - 500 ml.
- salt - 1 tbsp. l.
- coriander, hops-suneli
- black pepper to taste
- Traditionally, we cut the meat into equal pieces.
- Grate 2 onions on a fine grater, and cut the rest of the onion into slices.
- Place the meat in a pan, add seasonings and salt.
- Pour pomegranate juice over the meat. Mix the meat and juice thoroughly with your hands in the pan.
- Add both grated and chopped onions to the marinade and stir the entire contents of the pan for a few minutes.
- Cover the pan with a lid and place in the refrigerator. For greater effect, you can even put the meat under pressure.
The most delicious kebab in pomegranate juice It will work if you marinate the meat for 2 days. During this time, you can remove the meat from the refrigerator several times and stir it in the pan
Marinade for pork shish kebab in beer
The good thing about beer marinade is that meat with beer marinade is soft and juicy, with a light bready aroma. In addition, beer is an affordable product that men always have on hand.
Ingredients:
- pork (neck) - 1.5 kg
- onions - 2 pcs.
- beer - 0.5 l.
- salt - 1 tbsp. l.
- bay leaf - 2 pcs.
- black pepper to taste
- Cut the pork into pieces and sprinkle with black pepper.
- Grate the onion on a fine grater and add to the meat.
- Knead the meat and onion a little with your hands.
- Chop the bay leaf with your hands and add to the marinade.
- Pour beer into the pan over the meat and onions.
- Cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 8-10 hours.
If you want to marinate the kebab faster, then simply marinate at room temperature, then 3-5 hours will be enough.
7. Now you can add salt (no earlier than 1 hour before the end of marinating the meat).
8. Thread the meat onto skewers and fry; you can sprinkle with beer marinade while frying.
Caucasian pork shashlik recipe
Who doesn't love Caucasian-style kebab? Probably only those who haven't tried it. Many people specifically go to restaurants serving Caucasian cuisine to taste shish kebab, which is invariably delicious, although it is usually prepared according to a classic recipe.
Marinade for pork shish kebab with tomato juice
Another great recipe delicious marinade for pork kebab. Tomato juice, of course, is better to use homemade, but you can get by with store-bought juice. For the barbecue in this recipe we use pork ribs.
Ingredients:
- pork ribs - 1.5 kg
- onions - 2 pcs.
- garlic - 1 clove
- tomato juice - 0.5 l.
- salt - 1 tbsp. l.
- sweet peas - 4 pcs.
- Bay leaf
- carnation
- black pepper to taste
- We cut the ribs quite large, about 6-7 cm in length, and place them in a bowl for marinating. Add a bay leaf, a couple of allspice peas and cloves.
2. Cut the onion into rings and place the next layer on the meat.
3. The next layer is meat again, and on top are spices - bay leaf, cloves, pepper. Place a clove of garlic in the middle. Alternate layers until the meat runs out.
4. Add a little salt to the meat, although the juice is also salty. Pour tomato juice over the meat until it is completely covered.
5. Marinate the meat for at least 5 hours.
If you don't have tomato juice, the marinade can be made from tomato sauce- dilute 2 tbsp. l. sauce in 0.5 liters of boiled water
I hope that of all the proposed recipes you will find your favorite and most delicious. And the theme of barbecue is so popular that it makes sense to continue it.
In the last article I posted a wonderful one, read it, all the cooking tips are in rhyme and short.
Have delicious barbecues and pleasant meetings in nature.
If you ask anyone, even the most experienced chef, what is his favorite marinade for meat, you will hardly be able to get a clear answer from him. After all, over the many centuries of its existence, humanity has accumulated an incredible number of recipes for their preparation. Yes, yes, we didn’t make a mistake. Precisely for centuries. Because the pioneers in this matter were the ancient Egyptians. To keep the meat fresh, they dissolved sea salt in water and then soaked it in this brine. Later, in Southern Europe, salt was replaced with vinegar. And culinary experts liked this marinade for meat so much that even today, even despite the abundance of recipes, it finds its application. Over time, people thought of adding all kinds of seasonings - herbs, spices - which gave the marinated meat a special taste.
Main components of marinades
Any marinade that exists today for meat simply must contain three basic ingredients. This is a flavoring, some kind of acid and fat.
The acidic environment softens the meat fibers, resulting in a more tender finished dish. Fat (usually oil) coats the meat, causing the juice to remain inside during cooking. Well, everything is clear with flavorings and without explanation. They give the food aroma and complete taste.
And now a few words about each component. As a rule, all types of vinegars available to modern cooks are used as acid. Kefir, yogurt, sour lemon juice, and pomegranate are also great for these purposes). Mayonnaise has also proven itself well, which essentially contains all three basic ingredients (if it has aromatic additives).
As for fats, it all depends on the “nationality” of the cuisine. Thus, in the Mediterranean they prefer olive, and in the East they often use sesame.
Perhaps the mentioned nationality also influences the type of aromatic additive. So, for example, in Chinese cuisine Almost every second marinade for meat contains garlic, green onions and ginger. The French love to add vegetables (carrots + onions + celery). Mexicans love it hot marinades, so almost all of them contain hot pepper.
In general, by and large, a marinade for meat is fertile ground for the work of a culinary specialist. Here you can experiment and create your own masterpieces almost every day, without forgetting, however, the basic rules of pickling. Which, in fact, will be discussed further.
Basic Marinating Basics
As a rule, almost every one used does not require cooking. But there are also exceptions. Let's say the French prepare a marinade from boiled red wine, adding juniper to it. But Mexicans sometimes bake their favorite peppers before adding them to the sauce to give the marinade a richer, somewhat smoky flavor.
As for dishes: you need to take containers that do not react to acid. For this reason, metal or aluminum utensils will not work. Take containers made of porcelain, clay or glass. It is not at all necessary that the marinade completely covers the meat. The pieces can be simply turned over or stirred from time to time.
About the cooking time. Follow the recipe. The principle of “let it sit a little longer” does not apply here. Meat that has been left in the marinade for too long can simply become tasteless and sour.
And one last thing. Before the cooking process itself, be sure to ensure that the marinade drains from the pieces. Because when they are wet, for example on a grill, they will be stewed rather than fried.
And remember: you cannot reuse the marinade. There are too many bacteria in it. Even if you want to pour it over, say, a shish kebab while frying, don’t be lazy, put the mixture in a saucepan on the stove and quickly bring (but don’t boil!) to a boil. Believe me, you will be healthier.
Well, that's enough theory, I think. Let's move on to practice. So, recipes for marinades for meat. Begin!
The easiest way
Naturally, this will be a meat marinade with vinegar. By and large, almost everyone who prepared shish kebab previously kept it in this composition. What exactly does such a marinade provide? Soft meat. No more. But sometimes this is enough.
To prepare, we need three hundred grams of onions, a glass (250 milliliters in volume) of ordinary vinegar (nine percent), a grain of black pepper and, of course, salt. A packet of seasoning, special for barbecue, wouldn’t be superfluous either.
How to cook
We cut the pork (preferably) randomly into pieces of the size we need, put the meat in a container. Mix the onion cut into rings with seasoning, salt and, of course, vinegar, add all this to the meat. Then add water (cold, but boiled) so that the marinade completely covers our future kebab. Add some peppercorns and a couple of laurel leaves. All. Place in the refrigerator overnight. And in the morning you can go on a picnic and barbecue.
Complicating the composition
As we have already mentioned, preparing a marinade for meat is a creative process, and therefore nothing prevents us from improving the first recipe. Why take the same onion (three large pieces will be enough), four cloves of garlic, three teaspoons (don’t overdo it!) sweet paprika, a pinch hot pepper, a large lemon and a couple of tablespoons of banal sunflower oil. A bunch of parsley wouldn't hurt either.
Cut the onion into rings and mix it with finely chopped garlic. Add peppers, pour in oil, salt, squeeze out the juice from our large lemon. Leave for about thirty minutes. During this time, it will be possible to prepare the meat - wash and cut into pieces of the required size. And after the specified time has passed, we add the meat to the marinade we have prepared, after which we forget about it until the morning. As for parsley, you can also chop it along with onions and garlic. It will give the marinade more interesting taste. But here you need to be more careful. Someone who doesn’t really like this greenery may not like the smell of the finished food.
However, what are we all about barbecue? Unfortunately, it’s not often that we get to go on a picnic these days. But at home you have to cook every day. So let's talk further about other recipes that will be useful to housewives in everyday life.
Marinade for meat for frying in a pan
How often does it happen that there is simply no time to cook! Of course, a good piece of meat can satisfy any, even a demanding and extremely capacious male stomach. True, cooked on a quick fix, it is not always able to please our people. What should we do in this case? Of course, use a meat marinade! Not only fresh pieces are suitable for frying in a pan. The meat can also be marinated. And do it in the evening. And after work, quickly prepare a delicious dinner from it.
Take a glass of any beer (the brand doesn’t matter), a few (four pieces will be enough) cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of such wonderful seasoning as thyme, lemon, ground pepper (red). Mix all this, just don’t forget to cut the citrus, and then put portioned pieces of meat into the marinade. Just remember: you need to let it sit in this mixture for at least two hours. Well, it’s best, of course, to leave it overnight. All. Meat that has been in such a marinade will be very tender, soft and incredibly tasty. And no one will dare to reproach you that “today we have dried out soles for dinner again.”
"Instant" marinades
Didn't have time to prepare meat for tomorrow evening? No problem! There are instant ways to help make it soft and tasty. We look into the refrigerator. And if there is mayonnaise and tomato sauce, then we rejoice. Mix them, add chopped garlic + your favorite seasoning. Half an hour of marinating, ten minutes of cooking - and a great dinner is on your table.
Or you can mix yogurt or sour cream with finely chopped onions and pickles. Also an excellent marinade for frying meat. Just don't forget to add seasoning, of course. Whichever one you like best.
Marinade for meat with soy sauce
The latter is an excellent replacement for vinegar, which everyone is already pretty fed up with. Marinade with soy sauce goes well with all types of meat. And it is very easy to prepare. To do this, take one hundred milliliters of the sauce itself, the juice of half a lemon, and mix. Crush the garlic clove and add to the previous ingredients. Season this mixture with a quarter teaspoon of ground pepper. And add a pinch of basil.
Just remember: do not add salt to the marinade. After all, the sauce itself contains quite a lot of it, so be careful, try the composition during cooking. By the way, this marinade is quite “quick”. Beef can be kept in it for no more than three hours. So be sure to take note of this method.
A small retreat
And since we are talking about soybeans, I would like to say a few words about another product made from it, which some call meat. Everyone, as they say, has their own taste, and healthy eating- this is, of course, very good. However, such meat, although very healthy, is not always pleasing with its smell, much less its taste. And here the marinade will come to our rescue. For soy meat There are not many options for its preparation, however, in any case, there is something in the culinary piggy bank.
So, let’s arm ourselves with coriander grains (half a teaspoon will be enough), turmeric (a third of the same spoon), cardamom (take the same amount), a tablespoon of lemon juice, a mixture of peppers (here to taste), tomato paste(one hundred and fifty grams, no more), three tablespoons of oil (any vegetable). Mix all these ingredients, and then pour the resulting mixture, previously soaked in boiling water for ten minutes. Marinate overnight (keep in the refrigerator). Well, then you can cook anything from such meat. Let's say, goulash, or even bake it on coals. People who know a lot say that it turns out to be an excellent dish. But here, of course, is precisely the moment when, as they say, there is no arguing about tastes.
Marinades for smoked meats
Who among us doesn’t love to enjoy smoked delicacies? Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to prepare such delicacies on their own. But if it is available, then, of course, you will need to know which marinade is best for smoking meat. There are also quite a lot of recipes for their preparation, but we will tell you about a few of the best.
Marinade with ketchup
Take half a glass tomato ketchup, white wine, olive oil and honey. Then add a teaspoon of previously chopped garlic, a mixture of peppers, dry mustard and salt. Pour this mixture over the meat. This marinade recipe is good because you can keep it in it for no more than three hours.
On kefir
To make such a marinade for smoking meat, you need to take a glass of kefir, a teaspoon of sugar, about fifty grams, no more, of olive oil, a third of a glass of mint leaves (chopped), five cloves of garlic (crush with a knife). Mix all this, add salt and pepper as you like. Marinate for at least eight hours.
We have offered only two recipes out of many available to smokehouse owners today. All of them are very diverse, and most of them, as a rule, are copyrighted. So you can easily take the ones we have discussed as a basis, and then come up with your own variations based on them. The only thing that experts recommend taking into account. If you smoke meat for future use, be sure to add one more ingredient to the marinade - food nitrate. This is what will allow the product to be stored for as long as possible. As for its quantity, it is usually taken no more than three percent of the required volume of salt.
And finally, let's look at a few recipes for unusual marinades.
Fruit
This marinade is usually used when you want to cook beef steaks.
To make it, you first need to peel and then grate the kiwi on a coarse grater (two large copies will be enough). Then add a pinch of rosemary and a mixture of your favorite peppers to them. Salt and then marinate the steaks in this mixture. The holding time is at least an hour. Before cooking, do not forget to dry the steaks with a napkin. It is advisable to fry in a hot frying pan. And although the marinade is somewhat unusual, the taste of the final product is simply amazing!
"Drunk" marinades
The constant ingredient in such compositions is either wine or cognac. Maybe also beer. We mentioned one such recipe above. And now we’ll tell you about a few more, but this time on wine.
Carrots (one piece is enough) and two fairly large onions cut. Crush the garlic (several cloves). Add all this to the meat previously placed in the dish, pour in a glass of wine (dry white), as well as half a glass of vegetable (any) oil. Add salt, throw in a few black peppercorns and a couple of bay leaves. Mix carefully. Marinate for about eight hours. By the way, by the way. Without marinade, such meat can be stored for another two days. So be sure to take note of this “long-lasting” recipe.
Very often white wine is mixed with fruit juices. For example, an Austrian recipe suggests making a mix of a glass of wine and three glasses pineapple juice. Ground black pepper is used as seasoning. And the Argentinean version involves the presence of two glasses of grapefruit juice and half a glass lemon juice and wine. In addition, it is recommended to add a teaspoon of curry.
An excellent marinade for almost any meat - mixture apple juice(here you already need as much as half a liter of the drink), a glass of brandy, finely chopped one onion, marjoram and turmeric (you need to take a pinch of these ingredients).
Conclusion
Of course, it is almost impossible to describe all existing recipes. After all, as we have already mentioned, all marinades can be made independently, based on the recommendations of culinary specialists and your own taste preferences. But one thing is certain. Marinade is necessary for meat. After all, it is this that makes this product soft and tender. Well, its components allow you to radically change the taste of many dishes that have long become familiar to us. So don't be afraid. Create! Come up with your own marinades, and let your family praise you for your imagination and extraordinary culinary abilities.
Bon appetit!
The May holidays are coming soon. And everyone, young and old, will be drawn to their summer cottages. It will probably be difficult for even the most experienced accountant to calculate how much meat will be eaten during these days. And of course, it’s not difficult to guess that the bulk of it will be fried on the grill, in the form of everyone’s favorite kebabs and.
Prepared from lamb, beef. But the most popular and beloved by all, of course, is the one made from pork. One of delicious recipes which you can find. It pickles quickly, fries quickly, it’s tasty and juicy. It is precisely for its taste and ease of preparation that it is loved by millions of people.
Cooking barbecue is not just a culinary process, it is a kind of action! Just the preparation for the process puts you in a certain mood. You need to buy everything you need, then decide which marinade you will use. Then fry! Everywhere you need certain skills and abilities.
So how to cook tasty, juicy, aromatic dish from pork? It’s no secret that some people turn out the finished dish juicy, while others turn it dry; For some, it always turns out overcooked and tough, while for others, it’s not at all cooked inside.
In order for fried meat to be tasty, juicy and well-done, you need to select the right part of the right quality, keep it in a properly prepared composition, and fry it correctly on the grill.
Let's first look at the different options.
Properly marinating the pulp is an important step in cooking. delicious dish. The method you choose to do this primarily determines the taste of the finished product. Therefore, this stage is one of the most important. Even if you buy an excellent piece of pulp, if you process it incorrectly, it may not turn out to have the taste that you expect from it.
There are a lot of cooking options. And by preparing them correctly, you can make the finished product juicy from almost any one. The main thing is to observe proportions and time.
Sometimes in recipes it is found that vinegar is added to the ingredients. I'm not adding it. I think that when it is added, the taste of the main product is lost. It turns out tough and not juicy.
Maybe I’m wrong, or maybe I just don’t know how to prepare options using vinegar, but I never use it. What for? Then, when there is a large number natural products, thanks to which the meat turns out very juicy and certainly tasty.
In addition, the pork itself is quite tender, not tough at all, and the vinegar is mainly used to soften it. And in this case there is absolutely no need to use it.
But let's look at other methods. In fact, there are many more of them; here are the most popular and in demand.
On kefir
Kefir also contains acid, and if you need to quickly make the pulp soft, then kefir will come in handy.
Just know that you don’t need to keep it in kefir for too long. Otherwise, the result will be the same as if we keep meat in vinegar - it will lose its taste and juiciness.
Keep in kefir for no more than 3.5-4 hours. This will be quite enough to obtain a delicate taste.
We will need:
- pork neck – 2 kg
- onion - 1 kg
- kefir -05-0.7 ml.
- salt, ground black pepper to taste
- ginger - 1 tablespoon
- spices - I use mixes that include chopped coriander, cumin, paprika, nutmeg
- dried herbs
- ground red pepper
Preparation:
- Cut the neck into pieces 5x5 cm. Smaller pieces It’s better not to cut it, because in this case the pork will turn out dry. There is no need to cut any more, there is a risk that it will not have time to fry inside. Place everything in a large bowl.
- Cut the onion into very thin half rings. Mash it so that the onion releases its juice and add to the bowl.
- Stir everything together, pressing lightly on the onion so that the juice is absorbed into the pulp.
- Add spices, herbs, pepper, kefir. Mix everything again, lightly pressing on the contents so that the marinade quickly saturates each piece.
- Leave to infuse in a cool place. It is not advisable to put it in the refrigerator. You can stir occasionally.
It is better to salt the prepared pieces 30-40 minutes before you start grilling the kebab. It is not recommended to salt before. Salt draws the juice out of the pulp. And if you salt it earlier, the pulp will never turn out juicy.
This is one of the main secrets of preparing a juicy product. Don’t ignore it, and then it will always turn out juicy.
With soy sauce and lemon juice
This composition also has an acidic base, only now lemon is used for this. A soy sauce will give ready-made dish spicy taste and beautiful golden brown roast.
We will need:
- pork neck – 3 kg
- onion - 5-6 large onions
- lemon - 1 pc.
- spices for pork
- salt - 1 tbsp. spoon
- pepper - red and black
- soy sauce - 2 tbsp. spoons
Preparation:
- Cut the meat into 5x5 cm pieces. Transfer to a bowl.
- Mix everything together, lightly pressing on the onion so that it releases the juice.
- Squeeze juice from lemon, add spices and pepper. Mix everything again, lightly pressing on the contents to quickly saturate each piece.
- Keep in a cool place for 3.5-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Add salt 30 minutes before frying.
Delicious kebab using olive oil
If you purchased a leaner part for the shish kebab, for example, tenderloin, then in order to prevent the flesh from becoming dry, you can use a marinade with olive oil.
We will need:
- pork tenderloin – 1.5 kg
- lemon - 1 pc.
- olive oil - 4 tbsp. spoons
- paprika -1 teaspoon
- ground coriander - 1 teaspoon
- a pinch each - ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg
- pepper - red and black
- Bay leaf
Preparation:
- Grind and mix all the spices, add pepper and chopped bay leaf. Pour olive oil over the mixture, stir, leave for 20 minutes to allow the spices to combine with the oil and the flavors to combine.
- During this time, cut the tenderloin into medium pieces and then place in a bowl with ready-made mixture. Mix. Close with a lid or cover with cling film.
- Leave for 1-1.5 hours at room temperature, periodically stirring the pieces with spices and oil so that they are evenly saturated with juice.
- Add salt 30-40 minutes before frying.
- Cut the lemon into rings. Thread the pieces onto skewers, alternating with lemon rings, and fry on the grill until done.
With mayonnaise - the most popular
This method is perhaps one of the most popular among people. Well, we love mayonnaise... It is also better to use it when preparing kebab from leaner pieces, if it is appropriate to talk about pork.
We will need:
- pork - 2 kg
- onion - 1 kg
- mayonnaise -350-400g
- spices for barbecue
- mustard - 3 tablespoons
- salt, pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Cut the meat into pieces 5x5 cm. Place in a bowl.
- Cut the onion into thin half rings. Mash it so that the onion releases its juice and add to the bowl.
- Stir the contents, pressing lightly on the onion to form juice.
- Add spices, pepper, mayonnaise. Mix everything.
- Leave to infuse for 6-7 hours, or preferably overnight. It is better to keep the chopped pieces in mayonnaise in the refrigerator.
- It is better to add salt 30-40 minutes before cooking. It is also not recommended to keep the pieces in salt for a long time.
In tomato juice and with tomatoes
The pulp turns out to be very tasty and juicy if you use tomatoes for the marinade. To ensure that all the juice collected from the tomatoes is preserved and does not leak out during frying, add a little vegetable oil.
We will need:
- pork tenderloin – 2 kg
- onion -1.2 kg
- tomatoes -1.3 kg
- fresh ginger – 30 g
- vegetable oil -4 tbsp. spoons
- spices - 1 tbsp. spoon
- pepper - 1 teaspoon
- salt - 1 tbsp. spoon
Preparation:
- Cut the meat into large pieces.
- Cut the onion into thin half rings.
- Grind 800 grams of tomatoes in a blender bowl with ginger. If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can add it in powder.
- Cut 500 grams of tomatoes into slices.
- Mix all ingredients with onion, tomato juice and spices. Mash the contents so that the juice is better absorbed into the pulp.
- Add chopped tomatoes. Stir gently until the tomatoes remain whole.
- Leave for 4-5 hours.
- 30-40 minutes before, add salt and oil. Mix.
- Thread onto skewers and fry until done.
On mineral water
Also a very popular option among the people. This is also a long way. You will need to soak the pieces of pulp in water and onion juice all night.
The advantage of this method is that the water has a neutral taste. And the taste of the product is revealed most fully in this case. And the second plus is that the pulp is softened with the help of mineral water, and becomes very soft, juicy and aromatic. And its fibers, under the influence of mineral water, become more elastic and are better saturated with spices. And the finished product becomes more aromatic and remains tender at the same time.
We will need:
- pork - 3 kg
- onion -1 -1.5 kg
- highly carbonated mineral water - 1 liter
- spices
- salt pepper
- vegetable oil
Preparation:
- Cut the pulp into pieces 5x5 cm.
- Cut the onion into thin half rings. Mash it so that the onion releases juice and add to the pulp.
- Stir everything together, pressing lightly on the onion to release the juice.
- Add mineral water. It is better to choose water with potassium and sodium salts.
- Add spices and pepper. There is no need to salt immediately, as this may make the meat tough; it is better to salt it 1-2 hours before frying.
- Leave the pieces in a mixture of water and onion juice for 12-15 hours, putting it in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
- Before cooking, drain the water, remove the onion and add a little vegetable oil. In this case, when frying, the pieces will not burn.
Here are just a few ways in which the finished dish will turn out tasty and juicy. However, there are also options for aging the pulp in red and white wine (for lovers), in pomegranate and tomato juice. There are also recipes based on sour cream, and with the addition of balsamic vinegar. However, like regular vinegar. And lovers of beer and specific tastes soak the pulp in beer.
When the chopped pieces are mixed with all the ingredients, it must be tightly closed and placed under pressure, pressing down with something heavy.
If you are using quick ways, in 3-4 hours, then it is better to keep them in a cool place. And if you need more time, it is better to keep it in the refrigerator.
But that’s not all, for the kebab to turn out great, it should also be fried correctly.
How to properly grill shish kebab
1. Before frying the chopped pieces, they need to be properly threaded on skewers. They should not be strung too tightly. There should be a little space between them for better roasting on all sides.
2. You need to string them evenly so that they are evenly on the skewer, and so that nothing hangs down in separate pieces.
3. If onions were used for the marinade, then they must be carefully removed from each piece. If this is not done, then burnt onions will give the dish a bitter taste and deprive it of the desired aroma.
4. If no oils were used, you can coat each sliced piece before frying. vegetable oil. This is necessary so that the flesh is well fried on the inside and not burnt on the outside.
5. Coal can be bought ready-made in the store, although there are many who are against this. And opponents, as a rule, make coals themselves. They take firewood from deciduous trees - birch, aspen, apple..., burn it, and when coals appear, they fry on them. Just don’t fry the pulp using coniferous wood, this can ruin its natural smell and taste.
6. While frying on the grill, you must constantly turn the skewers so that the pieces are fried evenly. You should make sure that the coals smolder well. If the heat is weak, the pulp will dry out, and if flames constantly burst out, it will begin to burn. To do this, keep a bottle of water ready. And as soon as the flame breaks out, it should be immediately extinguished with water from a bottle.
7. During the entire frying process, you must be near the grill to monitor the entire process.
8. When the kebab is browned, you can check its readiness by making a cut on the piece that is the lightest. If no blood flows out of it, and the inside is a pleasant pink color, then the dish is ready.
9. Remove from the skewers to a large platter and cover with a lid to rest for 5 minutes. Rested, it will be even juicier and tastier.
10. You can serve the finished dish with grilled vegetables, fresh vegetables, herbs and onions soaked in vinegar.
The next topic would essentially need to be put first. But since the article is about marinades, they went first. Therefore, although belatedly, let us dwell on this important topic in more detail.
How to choose pork for barbecue
The kind of kebab you get depends on what kind of meat you choose for cooking. You can make an excellent marinade and fry the pulp well. But if it is bought incorrectly, it will be difficult to prepare the perfect dish.
And it is best to use the neck or loin.
1. It is best that it is fresh. This makes the finished product the most delicious. As a last resort, you can use frozen, but only under one condition. If you bought it fresh, you froze it yourself, and defrosted it only once. They defrosted it just for this occasion, that is, for preparing the dish.
2. It must be defrosted at room temperature, in a natural way. Without use hot water or microwave.
3. Also, you should not buy a ready-made product in a store. After all, we don’t know what’s cut there. This means the result may be unpredictable.
4. Pay attention to appearance when you buy it. It should be pale pink in color, with thin streaks of fat. If it is red, it may be old and best discarded. The finished dish from it will be tough, no matter how much it is pre-cooked and fried.
5. There is no need to take pieces that are too fatty. During frying, excess fat will drip onto the coals, burn on them, and this will give the finished dish an unnecessary smell.
6. Fresh product should not have any foreign odors, only a fresh, almost neutral odor.
7. When pressing on it, no blood should come out. And the pressure mark should disappear almost immediately. If the mark remains for a long time, then the pulp was thawed and frozen again.
8. When examining externally, look at the consistency; it should not be matte, but glossy. It should also not stick to your hands.
Now, when going to the store, always choose the right piece. And then any dish will turn out delicious.
Pork shish kebab in its own juices without marinade
Even though I know various ways marinade, I am constantly looking for new recipes for myself. And I found this original way.
This recipe differs from all those proposed above not only by this, but also by the fact that when choosing the main product, it is not the neck part that is taken, but the carbonate, and it is cut not into the usual pieces, but into thin plates in the form of steaks.
This is such an interesting and original recipe! How do you like it? Did you like it or not?
And in general, it’s very interesting, what methods do you usually use? Maybe you have your own original ways. It would be great if you share them with us!
In today’s article, I tried to talk in great detail about all the nuances of preparing delicious, tender kebab. You should pay attention to all stages of preparation. They are all equally important and significant. To make a delicious dish, you don’t have to ignore any of them. And only then will it turn out tender, juicy and very tasty.
Bon appetit!
The chef told MK how best to prepare meat for frying over an open fire
There are only a few days left until summer. And on weekends you can already smell the barbecue everywhere, which is so familiar for this time of year. There are many recipes for the main summer dish. And often we have no idea which one is the best. Chef Soslan Marshanov told MK how to cook best marinade for barbecue.
-They say that vinegar is not very suitable for marinade, and even spoils the meat. How true is this?
Vinegar has a beneficial effect on connective tissue, it softens it. But this is not always the most preferred marinade. Vinegar is added if the meat is very tough. They also use either kiwi or young nettle. But, of course, it is not recommended to add vinegar to soft meat, as its taste deteriorates. But professionals often make marinade at home.
-Which marinade is most suitable?
My opinion is salt, black pepper and onions. Since ancient times in the Caucasus, shashlik was marinated with onions.
-Which optimal quantity should there be any ingredients?
Per kilogram of meat 12 grams of salt. It is important to grind the black pepper yourself because it makes the kebab more flavorful. You need 5 grams of pepper. Well, as for onions, the more the better. I recommend adding 400 grams, of course, but more is possible. Less is not advisable. And before adding the onion to the meat, you need to salt it a little and squeeze it with your hands so that it releases its juice.
-How long do you keep it in the marinade?
Day. Then the marinade will turn out exceptional, and the meat will be marinated to the very base.
-Can I add lemon?
Lemon goes well with fish, but not with meat.
-What other marinades are common?
They marinate in kefir and sour cream. They do this mainly for softening. In a dairy environment, the meat softens. But we're losing it taste qualities. Marinate in mineral water with gas. Many different aromatic spices are added. But for me, onions, salt and pepper are the best marinade for barbecue.
Pork is such a popular meat in our country that even classic Caucasian kebabs We don’t make it from lamb at all, but from such convenient and familiar pork. How to properly marinate pork for barbecue, explains Yuri Kudryavtsev, chef of Goodman restaurants.
What kind of meat to take
For barbecue - fatty neck. This is the optimal meat. Although not necessarily the neck. In the Caucasus, for example, no one takes the flesh; everyone wants a loin on the bone for grilling. And the kebab from it turns out to be denser and more fibrous.
Why do you need a marinade?
Previously, we were dealing with low-quality meat, so we marinated it to hide the flaws. And the people got used to it - now we have a cult of pickling. The marinating is partly justified. After all, why do they marinate meat...
Look, the meat must mature. All meat contains lactic acid. When interacting with fresh air, lactic acid bacteria begin their work. They soften the fibers. And the longer this happens, the more tender the meat becomes. We can speed up the process without relying on lactic bacteria and marinate the meat. Any product containing acid will do.
Softness
Everyone wants soft pork, everyone is looking for it. But keep in mind that either soft pork will be fatty, or there will be little fat and the meat will be denser and tougher.
To soften the fibers, mayonnaise is suitable, where available. acetic acid, pineapple, where there is a huge amount of acid, lemon, it will also add a citrus smell. Nowadays, marinating in kiwi is very popular, but I think that kiwi is more suitable for beef, it has a slight sweetness.
Aroma
The second direction in which marinade works: adding flavor. Let's turn again to the Caucasus: there they use only salt and pepper for barbecue, and no marinades. They chopped it up, salted it, peppered it - that's it. Well, as a last resort, they sprinkled it with onions. All the sets of Caucasian spices that are sold to us at the market for barbecue are actually not used in the Caucasus. Spices are just flavorings; they were designed to take away the unpleasant smell of pork from bad meat. But that was when good meat I couldn't buy it. Why do we need them now?
Juiciness
This is the third task of the marinade. If the meat is cooked over a fire, if it is lean, then we need to saturate it with something so that it does not give up its juice during frying, but rather retains it. This is why, for example, mayonnaise is used. It is fatty, and when baked it gives a crust that seals in the meat juices. And finally, mayonnaise contains an acid - vinegar.
In Soviet times, they sold kebabs: the meat was dipped in flour gruel, the result was a mini-belyash, with a piece of meat inside and flour and salt on top. And the juice did not leave the meat.
The best marinade
Very good softener onion juice. The onion can be chopped, grated or chopped in a blender. And marinate the meat in this. The kebab will turn out very tender. And juicy. Because the onion pulp immediately sets when heated and forms a crust.
Vinegar
You can't marinate meat with it, it tightens the fibers and the meat becomes drier. Better take it dry wine for marinade than vinegar.
Crazy marinades
You have to try hard to spoil the meat with the marinade. But sometimes this happens. For example, in America, barbecue is marinated in Coca-Cola. But if you keep the meat in the marinade, after 2 hours you may not find the pork in the cola, it has been corroded.
And Mexicans marinate meat in pineapple. And it has a very strong acid. Meat can be kept in pineapple for no more than half an hour. Once I decided to marinate the meat overnight, made the marinade on fresh pineapple, and came in the morning and couldn’t find the meat - the marinade had eaten everything away. So no more than half an hour!
Store-bought kebab
There are two tricks with ready-made kebab in the store: you can put meat there that is not suitable for kebab. That is, instead of the declared neck, you will receive a shoulder blade and part of the hind leg. They can also put it on the very top of the neck, where there is an awful lot of fat. And you will run into the fact that out of a kilogram of shish kebab there will be 200 grams of excellent meat, and the rest, well, gnawed and that’s it.
The second point is that marinating extends the shelf life of meat. For example, meat lay on the counter for 4 days and was not sold. You marinated it - and you have 4 more days to sell. This meat is normal, it is not rotten. In most cases, now everyone values their reputation and customers and will not sell something completely terrible and dangerous to health.
Do not buy! If the kebab is marinated in red spices, it’s better not to take it at all, in winter it’s still here and there, but in summer, definitely not. In addition, under no circumstances should you buy barbecue on the highway or from hand in an unknown place. The meat is here without a certificate, without being examined by a veterinarian, no one knows what the animal was sick with, maybe it’s actually the meat of a dead pig.