Almost no outdoor recreation is presented without a whole ritual of preparing the most delicious, fragrant, juicy shish kebab. Barbecue is no longer just a dish, but a whole reason to get together with loved ones.

What meat to choose for barbecue

Since shish kebab is a traditionally Caucasian dish, the most correct option in choosing meat is lamb. Ideally, dairy (2 months old) lamb meat is needed. However, such a delicacy can only be obtained in the spring. If the young lamb could not be found, give preference to the loin or tenderloin.

Due to the specific smell of lamb, the second place in the ranking of barbecue is pork. It is important that the meat is not very fatty. In view of this, choose the neck (the part of the carcass that is located along the cervical spine), tenderloin or loin. You should not choose meat located in the back, otherwise the dish will be tough and dry.

The beef dish will be tougher and not as juicy. If, nevertheless, only such meat turned out to be on your table, remember that a longer pickling will solve the problem. From beef varieties, give preference to veal.

Maybe chicken skewers too. Since this meat is dietary, for a juicy kebab, choose fatty parts: leg, drumstick or thigh. But the brisket will be dry.

Spoiled gourmets can be surprised with quail, partridge and rabbit meat barbecue. To get such meat is not an easy task. However, the dish is guaranteed to be tender due to the dietary properties of the meat.

Once you have decided on the meat, consider a few tips when buying it:

1. The color of good meat is natural and uniform. Beef and lamb - red, pork - pink, fatty layers - white, but in no case yellow. The dark color indicates the venerable age of the animal.
2. For a good barbecue, you need the meat of a young animal. But do not listen to pseudo cooks who will persuade you to buy meat in pairs (meat up to 3 hours after slaughter). For example, cooked steamed beef is tough, like a sole.
3. The meat should never be slippery. Stale meat contains a large number of liquids. Blood must not ooze.
4. Never use meat that has been frozen repeatedly! This is wasted money, effort and time. How many times the meat has been frozen can be checked by touching it. When heated with a warm finger, a dark spot forms on frozen meat, and several times frozen meat will not change its color. Check the color of the cut: frozen meat will be dark red, while re-frozen meat will be pinkish gray.
5. The smell of fresh meat is neutral.
6. The meat should not stick to your hands, it should be elastic, and when pressed, depressions do not form.

How to calculate the required amount of meat

Sometimes the problem arises to calculate the amount of meat, since the mass can be significantly reduced when cooked. If, in addition to meat, there are other snacks and side dishes (potatoes or mushrooms), then 300 grams of raw meat will be enough for 1 person. If there are only vegetables on the table, then 500 grams are already needed. Please note that these figures are calculated on average when there are children and women in the company. The amount of meat will increase significantly for a purely male company where alcohol is present.

How to cut meat on a barbecue

Cut the meat into medium pieces. Too small ones will become dry, and too large ones will not be baked (they will burn on top, but inside they will be raw). The optimal size of each piece is 5 by 5 centimeters.

The best barbecue marinade

Marinade is one of the most important steps in cooking barbecue. And the right marinade can save even the most hopeless meat. There are as many recipes for marinades as there are those who prepare them. Do not strive for the accuracy of the proportions of the ingredients, in this regard, the kebab gives a wide field for fantasy and imagination. There are no special spices for barbecue. They mainly use salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf - everything that is in your kitchen at hand. Almost all recipes include onions.

Perhaps the universal marinade is lemon juice, which will add sourness and flavor to the meat. Be careful with vinegar: it can keep the meat fresh in the heat for about a day, but it can also deprive the meat of any taste. Therefore, it should be added strictly according to the recipe and if you doubt the quality of the meat.

Marinade tips:

• the meat in the marinade should stand in the cold;
• the more meat and larger pieces, the longer the marinating time;
• pierce the meat with a fork several times, so it is better saturated with marinade;
• if the meat is hard or has been subjected to one freeze, then mustard, fresh kiwi, pineapple and pomegranate juices can soften it;
• in the case when the meat is marinated in kefir, remember that this method is completely inappropriate if the road to the picnic site is long and there is no refrigerator in the car;
• it is recommended to marinate beef in sparkling water;
• a large number of "sour" ingredients: vinegar, wine, juice, can make the meat more rigid.

Our Favorite Barbecue Marinade Recipe

It often happens that we are going to barbecue spontaneously. In this regard, it is not always possible to go to the market for good meat, and sometimes there is, for example, chicken at all. For such cases, when it is necessary to marinate meat quickly and tasty, we use kefir marinade.

We cut the meat into pieces, add to it the onion, chopped into rings, salt, spices (necessarily a mixture of freshly ground pepper), pour all this with kefir, mix and after 2-3 hours the kebab is ready.

How to cook barbecue on the grill

I suppose everyone imagines the process of cooking barbecue: barbecue, coals, skewers. But even here there are some peculiarities, not observing which, you can spoil the dish. Note that:

1. A tastier barbecue will come out if you use coals from the wood of fruit trees - pears, apricots, plums, apple trees, cherries, etc. Suitable will be vine, linden, birch or oak. They burn almost smokelessly and produce a lot of charcoal with a good heat. And spruce, pine should not be taken, otherwise the meat will completely lose its flavor.
2. Skewers should be very well cleaned, they should not have meat residues on them, because they will burn and spoil the taste. They should be lubricated with vegetable oil, and also preheated.
3. Meat is strung on skewers along the fibers, alternate with onions or vegetables.
4. The optimal distance from meat to hot coals is about 15 cm.
5. Skewers are placed tightly one to one, so the heat from the coals is used more efficiently.
6. To check the readiness of the barbecue - cut it. If the juice is pinkish in color - not yet ready, transparent - confidently serve it on the table.
7. Lean meats such as chicken are more likely to thaw dry. To prevent this, chopped meat pieces are wrapped in a thin slice of bacon, or alternated with small pieces of lard. This will add juiciness.
8. There is lamb skewers, you should not hesitate, because lamb freezes very quickly and becomes tasteless.
9. Lamb skewers are fried for 15-20 minutes, pork - 10-15 minutes. The more tender the meat, the faster it cooks. So be prepared not to overcook it.
10. The best addition to the barbecue will be fresh vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, peppers), greens, bread and sauces to taste.

They say that barbecue is not prepared, but created. Follow our advice, and any of your ideas in cooking barbecue will make the picnic extraordinarily tasty and appetizing.

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

Pork

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

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

For 2 kilograms of pork you will need:

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

Properly cooked pork skewers are incredibly soft, juicy and tasty.

Cooking order:

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

From beef liver

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

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

Cooking order:

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

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

From a rabbit

For this kebab, a fragrant marinade based on vinegar and ketchup is used. From the products you need to prepare:

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

For barbecue, it is best to take home-made ketchup, in its absence, replace with fresh tomatoes or dilute two tablespoons of tomato paste in water (0.5 l).

Cooking order:

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

Shish kebab from a young rabbit is especially tasty.

from turkey

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

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

For cooking kebabs, it is better to take the thigh part (fillet), and from the breast they turn out to be dryish

Cooking:

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

Mackerel

Often they make shish kebabs from fish. A simple option from all available mackerel will appeal to many. To prepare it you will need:

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

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

Operating procedure:

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

Mackerel shish kebab goes great with baked onions or apples, as well as fresh lemon wedges.

From chicken and zucchini

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

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

Cooking:

1. Cut the chicken fillet into small pieces, zucchini - the same thickness in circles, then send to a bowl for marinating. Sprinkle all this with salt and seasoning and add grated garlic. Pour the soy sauce last, mix everything thoroughly and leave for an hour and a half so that the meat is saturated with spices.
2. Thread the pieces of breast on skewers or skewers, alternating with zucchini rings, and place on the grill over hot coals. Turn the skewers while frying. With good coals, cooking will take 20 minutes.

Great combination - chicken breast and zucchini

From vegetables

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

Ingredients:

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

Cooking:

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

If desired, you can additionally cut the zucchini into thin slices lengthwise and wrap slices of marinated tofu cheese in them. String the resulting rolls on skewers and cook in the same way as the rest of the skewers.

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

from eggplant

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

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

Cooking:

1. Wash the eggplant and make 5-6 partial cuts (do not reach the stalk and the core).
2. Grind garlic and dill, salt, add olive oil and mix.
3. Grate the eggplant with this mixture, laying it in the cuts.
4. Prepare a sheet of foil folded in half and completely wrap the eggplant in it so that the juice does not flow out and air does not enter.
5. In another eggplant, make transverse cuts, put in them pre-cut thin slices of fat and pierce it with a skewer along.
6. Place both eggplants over the coals and roast for 20 minutes, turning and being careful not to overcook.

Serve ready-made skewers to the table, sprinkled with herbs.

From shrimp and fish

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

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

Cooking:

1. Cut the fish fillet into pieces and place in a marinade bowl along with the shrimp.
2. Tear off the lower leaves from the rosemary branches, chop them, mix with chopped lemon zest and garlic, add salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice.
3. Combine fish and shrimp with marinade and leave for two hours.
4. Thread the fish and shrimp pieces alternately on the rosemary branches.
5. Grill on the grill for 4 minutes on each side.

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

From mushrooms

Kebabs can be fried from any mushrooms, for example, from champignons, with the acquisition of which there are never problems. For this you need to take:

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

Cooking:

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

Shish kebab from champignons turns out juicy and fragrant

from bananas

From bananas, you can cook different kebabs - sweet and savory.

Banana with bacon
Ingredients:

• three bananas;
• six slices of bacon.

Cooking:

1. Bananas cut into circles 2 cm thick.
2. Cut each slice of bacon in half.
3. Wrap banana circles in these halves and string the resulting envelopes on skewers.
4. Grill in a barbecue for 15 minutes.

Bananas in coconut
According to this recipe, you will get an original sweet dessert.

Ingredients:

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

Cooking:
Peel the banana, pour over the lemon juice, sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar and send to the oven under the grill for about seven minutes. Take it out of the oven, cool slightly, cut into eight pieces, roll each in coconut flakes and string 4 pieces on skewers. Can be served both warm and chilled.

As you can see, kebabs can be made from almost everything. At the same time, you can use so many different marinades and additional ingredients that you simply cannot count the possible options for dishes, and what scope for imagination.

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

First, rinse the meat with running water and dry it with a paper towel. Who knows how and who pawed him before you, and the moisture in the pickle is not needed, absolutely. If you buy meat at the market early in the morning, marinating according to this recipe right away, then in the evening you can safely turn it on the grill!

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

Using this method, we cut the meat into transverse washers 3-4 cm wide, then into identical pieces, removing the bar and tendons. Strongly do not get carried away with the removal of fat, this will give some juiciness. After a good workout, you can get the same as mine, where each shelf with meat comes out with a difference of two to five grams !!! With low-fat lamb, it is recommended to put fat tail fat between the meat. Let's leave this topic for lamb lovers.

Now the ingredients for pickling and the whole secret of my dish. We take from the calculation, let's say, 3-4 kilograms. The main system for marinating meat is not what ingredients to put there, it is even very important - in what order!

1. Salt (about 4-5 tsp). I’ll say right away that everyone has different tastes, I personally don’t add salt to anything on the table, I never even salt eggs or tomatoes. Two chemical compounds, sodium and chlorine, which make up salt, do not give anything good for the body, and the bones will spoil until arthrosis. Let's not talk about the fact that salt is simply necessary, it is impossible to do without it, etc. But under-salted kebab will be very inopportune, so it needs to be well and properly salted.

2. Black pepper and, I emphasize, LARGELY ground, as in the picture. No "dust" from the pepperbox! Better yet, crush the peas with the plane of the knife and then cut a little with the tip. When you chew the meat, these grains will give you a pleasant taste sensation. How much? 15 - 20 peas!!! Want more, for an amateur! By the way, black pepper is very useful for the body!!! Do you know vodka with pepper for colds? So, it is not vodka that gives a healing reaction, but black pepper itself!

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

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

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

6. Zira, she is Zra, she is Kumin. Do not confuse with cumin or dill. Such things do not go to the barbecue at all. Look in stores, with friends and it will pay off for you! I have not seen it in German stores, but in Russian stores there is for sure! Quantity? A very specific seasoning, a little less than half a tsp will suffice. Zira is very specific in taste, so be careful in its quantity. Zira is very similar to dill, do not confuse!

7. Bay leaf, a couple of pieces. Let it even break into small pieces there when mixed. When you put meat on skewers, noticing it, just put it aside. They don't eat it!!!

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

9. Bulb onion. We cook in two ways: onions, which are smaller - in meat, larger onions - for a snack. First, cut large onions and only rings. Rings must be separated from each other. We sort it out neatly and separately add the rings to the dose, and mix everything else with the meat. Eat barbecue rings! And not some kind of waste or ponytails, chopped at random. Aesthetic culture and accuracy should be present in the first place! Approximately 5-6 bulbs will suffice. As some write, it seems to me that there will be a lot of onion 1: 1, just cut it correctly so that it gives the juice. For convenience, in the second way, you can pass the onion through a meat grinder, and then squeeze the resulting mass through gauze. This is what I use, it’s very convenient and I don’t have to mess with onion waste. It is even easier to pass through a juicer, it will be more practical, but there will be more trouble with washing the machine. The next day, onion rings can be sprinkled with vinegar diluted with water and sprinkled with red or black pepper, as you like!

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

It looks like, someone, fried, in the picture, meat: a. pickled without oil;
b. too finely chopped onion and not all of it was removed;
in. this is the meat that goes along the neck pruning,
slightly pink in color, does not change its shape after pickling and does not have a real, juicy taste. How did it get burned? Can this be called barbecue?

11. And now, having put everything that is written above into the meat, passing between the fingers, we begin to mix everything well, adding an equally important and, I will even say, effective product, this is LEMON. A good-sized lemon will suffice for half. Just be careful, squeeze out only when everything is already mixed with seasonings and oil. Getting a lemon on clean meat, it will immediately become a "stake", as after vinegar, so vinegar simply does not go into the barbecue.

Vinegar can be poured over already fried barbecue.

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

All this is thoroughly mixed and left tightly covered in a saucepan, pressing down on top with a plate suitable, approximately in diameter. Put something heavy on top and leave it until tomorrow. Although, as I mentioned above, if the meat is fresh, then it will also marinate for the whole day. In the morning, mix everything, now enjoying the smell that will already come from the meat. You can even lick it or bite it off, now there is nothing terrible in this meat.

And this is how fresh, soft, vigorous, pickled meat should look like. It can be immediately distinguished from bad meat. Conclusion: be friends with the butcher, at least find out on what days he slaughters. Exceptional case if you do it yourself. I will now also pay attention to the barbecue. It must also meet certain criteria. It is best to have iron, and even better with stainless steel, the thicker its walls, the better. It will retain heat better and fry the extreme pieces.

And do not torture yourself with hunger, making barbecue on bricks or somewhere on hanging chains.

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

This brazier is for a small company or a field trip. At the moment, in the photo, my newest brazier is being tested. Now, when Sun. behind and the meat is eaten, I can say with confidence that he did not pass the test 100% and now there are some drawbacks: along the edge of the hole-free bottom, along, I made holes, after five centimeters and now everything is fine! Yes, there was still no damper for the blower, so I had to remove the meat from the place where the grate was, my welder said that he would fix this matter.

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

Next to the barbecue there is all my yummy marinated and put on skewers! Everything is very convenient, practical! As for lamb: be especially careful! If you overcook it, the meat will turn into dry and stale balls. Good, fresh meat is cooked quickly, just a couple of minutes is enough. Women especially need to learn one truth. they often confuse juice from fried meat with blood, so they ask for more toast. Although the meat is already quite ready.

And I will open my tradition to everyone. When the coals are hot, I always roast just one stick first. For the success of the event, I will pour a glass of good red wine and evaluate the quality of the future barbecue. I will give the guests a try, albeit not for everyone, teasing them to the limit. And then it went - let's go!

I, personally, had cases when close friends, one even a butcher by education, lost the power of speech while eating. And after 5-6 sticks, exhaling, he said that he had never eaten such a barbecue! Now, by the way, pickles just like that!

No need to make meter-sized skewers. By the time you get to the last piece while eating, it will already be cold. Secondly, waving a “sword” at the table, saying what a delicious barbecue, you can gouge out a good friend’s eye. And how wonderful it is to eat barbecue from a skewer when it is still hot. In this case, I use my own, short, total length 37 cm, skewers. If you have only 20 of them, then you have no friends, and you cannot invite someone to visit. Meat should be put on skewers to the last piece. Or do you do this: -Hey, Vovan, come on, finish your meal, come on, skewer, I need to fry Kolka!

I have 90-100 of them, they don’t rust, they don’t ask to eat, unless they put meat on them, and there’s enough for everyone. And on nature I take all the meat already put on and only on skewers. In a special container and from any insects hidden. I put marinated meat on skewers only myself and only at home. I do not bother my ladies with this work, if I have taken up the matter, then I will bring it to the end. I do not want to offend our dear and beautiful sex, but the meat should not scroll on skewers or hang down to the very coals.

As for the size of the sticks, while eating, it's better to take another, fresh, hot stick, so I plant 5-6 pieces each. For lovely ladies, one skewer is enough, she would like to try the second one, but with huge skewers she is afraid that she will suddenly fail. With my size, you can safely regulate the amount of shish kebab eaten. After all, we are not in the Stone Age with a spinning mammoth or in a competition: “Who will eat more!” Although, with a good barbecue, any thought of a diet simply disappears! And two or three skewers, your lady can always eat with pleasure!

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

The last condition and not least: always put guests at the table, let them skip one glass of salads. No walking around the barbecue, everyone must sit at the table! Let them inhale with their nostrils what you cook there. Your place is only by the fire!!! This is where you start serving them your barbecue!

Shashlik should only be eaten hot! And yet, if you treat you to a barbecue, let it be only a barbecue. Something from a snack, such as: pickles, tomatoes, squash. Sweet peppers, black olives, onions, dark bread and, of course, good vodka! There should not be any manti and pies, because you treat only SHASHLIK!

I don’t know where they will kiss you later for this, but you will definitely be the first barbecue in the village! This is how the first skewer looks like, sizzling, roasting and not burning on a hot fire. And the juice, what juice is running, just look! If he drops on the fire, then this drop will immediately burst into flames, and at the bottom of the brazier with the least ventilation, this will not happen.

Below you will see that all batches of kebab fried by me look about the same, so you will succeed, I'm sure of it!

And here it is the first batch, the people are waiting, everything is poured, just give it!

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

Try my recipe, maybe you will like this dish too! Drooling, after all, flowed ???

PS: as one wise man said that: "We live in this world not to eat, but we eat to live !!!"

Shish kebab is a meat product that is perceived by many as a main course or as an appetizer. Many feasts cannot do without it, as smoked meat pieces win the hearts of millions of gourmets from around the world.

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

How to cook barbecue? What are the subtleties of this process? What is the best sauce for smoked meats? About all this - further.

How to choose meat

Any proper barbecue is prepared from meat. To do this, you can choose its different types: chicken, pork, lamb, beef and any others. Any novice culinary specialist must remember that the key to a tasty and juicy kebab is the right meat, and not by variety, but by quality.

The first thing you should pay attention to is the freshness of the main ingredient. Ideally, if the meat is chilled, 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 on smoke, it is advisable to choose the meat of a young animal - it will be possible to cook the softest shish kebab from it. From pork, you should choose pinkish pieces, and from lamb and beef - the reddest (you can with layers of white), because it is this color that indicates the best quality of the main ingredient.

Features of cooking lamb dishes

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

First of all, you need to pay attention to the quality of the meat. For barbecue, you should choose dairy lambs under the age of one year. The ideal parts of the carcass for creating such a meat snack would be a loin, tenderloin or back of the leg.

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

lamb marinade recipe

How to cook lamb skewers? In order to make it 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 the options.

To prepare a marinade for a kilogram of lamb, you should take a copious amount of a mixture of peppers (or black ground separately), as well as salt. Make a mixture of spices and carefully rub each piece of meat with it. After that, the main ingredient should be put in a marinating bowl and cut into 4 large onions. On top of all the ingredients, sprinkle 150 ml of wine (it is best to take dry), as well as vegetable oil to taste. All the connected components must be mixed well and left for ten minutes. In the event that the meat of an old animal is used to prepare the barbecue, it should be marinated for 3-4 hours.

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

Features of cooking barbecue pork

A huge number of lovers of this hot meat dish prefer the option, which is prepared 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 in 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, neck should be preferred.

The selected meat should be young - this is easy to understand by its color: pink-red is considered the correct color.

In order 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, you should lay out three lemons chopped into thin slices. To prepare the sauce for such a kebab, in one bowl combine a couple of teaspoons of coriander, one red ground pepper, half a spoonful of ground ginger, as well as two tablespoons of dried basil, salt and black pepper. To these ingredients should be added chopped bay leaf, as well as five tablespoons of olive oil. Mix all the ingredients well with the meat, cover tightly with a lid and leave to marinate overnight.

Georgian marinade

This simple type of marinade was invented in a country where dishes cooked on an open fire are made according to the most savory recipes - in Georgia. How to cook barbecue according to a traditional Georgian recipe? To do this, take a plentiful amount of onions (6 heads per 600 g of pork meat), cut it into rings and add a plentiful amount of a mixture of ground peppers to it. After that, it is necessary to add the meat cut into small cubes to the onion, stir well again and, covered with a film or lid, 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 ​​\u200b\u200btomatoes and fry until tender. It is desirable to serve the finished dish with greens - in the national Georgian cuisine, cilantro is used for this purpose.

In the event that it is not possible to kindle a live fire and cook barbecue on an open fire, you can use an electric barbecue grill, which is sold in household appliances stores. In this way, you can cook any meat. The advantage of this method is the speed of cooking, which is especially helpful, for example, during a feast. For cooking meat in an electric barbecue, as a rule, marinades are especially in demand, which quickly nourish the pieces of meat. Let's consider one of them.

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

In such a marinade, meat can be marinated both for an hour and all night - in any case, the output will be a tender and fragrant dish. After it is ready for frying, each piece should be strung on a skewer, alternating with onion rings, and sent to the electric barbecue. The dish will be ready in just 15 minutes.

Features of cooking beef skewers

Not many novice cooks know how to cook beef skewers. Some generally prefer not to encounter this type of meat, as practice shows that at the end it turns out to be quite tough. The main secret of cooking beef skewers is a longer marinating time.

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

beef marinade recipe

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

Using such a delicious barbecue recipe, you can get a spicy hot meat dish that will have a slightly sour taste.

Garlic barbecue sauce

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

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

It is advisable to let this sauce brew for about half an hour before serving - so its taste will become brighter. It should also be remembered that it is desirable to use it immediately, since the shelf life of such a sauce is small - 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 version of the sauce, which is suitable for shish kebab made from pork or lamb. In order to make it, you need to combine in one bowl a couple of hard-boiled chicken yolks, 1.5 teaspoons of mustard, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and 10 ml of soy sauce. All ingredients must be blended until smooth. After that, black ground pepper to taste, a pinch of sugar and 180 ml of sour cream should be added to the listed ingredients (it is best to take the one that does not sour). All components should be thoroughly ground and, tightly closed with a lid, put in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

To prepare such an original sauce, you can take any mustard - many chefs recommend using French (with grains). When ready, mustard sauce has a very delicate texture and a particularly pleasant taste, which can surprise all guests and family members.

How to barbecue

Properly selected meat and a suitable marinade are, of course, the key to a delicious dish. However, if a novice cook does not know how to properly cook barbecue on the grill, he can simply overdry the meat and thereby ruin it. So what are the secrets in roasting meat over an open fire?

First of all, you should pay attention to the density of the placement of pieces of meat on skewers - they should not fit too closely to each other. After the meat is skewered, it is necessary to place it over the coals, which should have already burned out significantly before that. Professional kebabs recommend starting the process of cooking meat on a higher heat and keeping its intensity until the pieces become rosy. After this happens, the heat should be lowered by pouring pre-prepared water on the coals, and cooking should be continued on low heat and mostly on smoke.

How to determine the readiness of meat? Very simple: when cut, it releases clear juice.

Delicious, fragrant and invariably attractive dish, barbecue, accompanies us throughout the warm period of the year. In Russia, almost no picnic, no trip to nature with family or friends is unthinkable without a whole ritual of cooking and eating juicy, fragrant, smelling of spicy herbs and smoke, roasted over coals. In fact, barbecue has long been not just another universally recognized culinary masterpiece, but also an excellent means of bringing people together, an excellent occasion to get together and make new friends.

How to cook barbecue? Cooking shish kebab is traditionally considered a typical male responsibility. And there is a lot of truth in this. After all, only strong male hands can really 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 nourish them with their aroma. And of course, the very ritual of burning coals, stringing kebabs on skewers and frying meat, is quite rightly considered by many to be a brutal act that emphasizes male power and arouses admiration in the eyes of 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 exquisite and amazing versions of this dish.

At first glance, cooking barbecue is not fraught with any particular difficulties. Well, what can be difficult in cut the meat into portions, mix with the marinade and fry on the coals? It is in this popular belief that the error lies, which leads to disappointment when dry, tough and tasteless pieces of overcooked meat appear on our table. But in the sacrament of cooking barbecue, every detail, every movement is important. It is necessary to choose the right meat, marinate it correctly, kindle the coals correctly, fry it correctly and even eat the shish kebab 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 turn on all their senses while cooking barbecue, they not only follow it with their eyes, not only trust their sense of smell, but even listen to the hiss of fat and juice on the coals in order to accurately capture the very moment when it is time to turn the skewer over or sprinkle the meat and coals marinade or wine. And what about those who have not yet had time to gain experience and do not know how to cook a barbecue, but really want that even the first cooked barbecue could bring joy and pleasure? Don't despair!

It is for those who feel not quite confident when cooking barbecue, for those who cook barbecue for the first time, "Culinary Eden" has collected and recorded the most important tips and secrets on how to cook barbecue, following which you will definitely be able to please your friends and loved ones with a real, juicy, tasty and fragrant shish kebab.

1. Cooking barbecue begins with the choice of meat. And here it is very important not to make a mistake. After all, the juiciness, taste and aroma of the finished dish depends on how correctly you chose the meat. Meat for barbecue should be chosen the freshest, from a young animal. Take a close look at the selected piece. On the cut, pork should be gently pink, and beef and lamb should be red. Too dark meat will tell you about the venerable age of the animal; soft barbecue from 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. Fresh meat of a young animal has a very pleasant, slightly sweet flavor. Any sharp, unpleasant odors, the smell of ammonia, sour or musty smell will tell you about the stale meat or the respectable age of the animal, it is better to refuse to buy such meat. Of considerable importance is the cut of meat. The best kebab is obtained from a tender, slightly fat-covered neck, loin or saddle. However, you can use a ham or even a shoulder blade, but cooking these parts of the carcass will require more marinating time.

2. It is very important to approach the choice and ignition of coal with special care. Not only the frying temperature, but also the taste and aroma of the finished kebab will depend on its quality. It is best to use birch or alder charcoal. The light, unobtrusive aroma of smoke from coals from these woods is best combined with the taste of meat, poultry or fish, without interrupting, but only complementing the own flavor of the products. If you burn the coal yourself, then it is best to do it in a separate fire, transferring the finished coals to the grill using tongs. This will allow you to avoid getting ash and coal dust on your barbecue. 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 ignition, but spoil the taste of meat. Also, if possible, try to avoid various lighter fluids. Even a faint aroma of paraffin is unlikely to add charm to your kebab.

3. When igniting the coals, make sure that all the coal burns with an even scarlet color. If black spots remain on the coals, it means that they have not flared up enough, give them a little more time. Distribute well-burned coals evenly over the brazier, break large coals into pieces no more than 3 - 5 centimeters. Gently level the coals, placing a little more of them on the sides and corners of the barbecue. After that, let the coals rest a bit and be covered with a light layer of fluffy white ash. This will even out and normalize the combustion 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 dry out instantly and become tough. But too large pieces are also not good - they will reach for a long time in the middle and can burn at the edges. The optimal size of pieces of meat is 5-7 centimeters. Pieces of shish kebab of this size are perfectly baked inside and do not burn on the outside. String shish kebab pieces on a skewer should be tight enough. In the event that you are not completely sure of the quality and softness of the meat, thin pieces of bacon or juicy vegetables (tomatoes, onions, etc.) can be strung between its pieces.

5. While searing, turn the skewers frequently to ensure the meat cooks evenly on all sides. Be careful not to let dripping fat from the meat ignite the coals. As soon as this happens, immediately sprinkle the burning coals with marinade, wine or just water. Watch carefully for 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 frying a kebab is 10 - 12 minutes. It is this frying time that will allow the meat to bake well, without burning or drying out, and your kebab will turn out juicy and tender, covered with a fragrant crispy crust.

6. Let's try to cook the simplest pork neck skewers. Cut into 2 kg. pork pieces of medium size. Cut three large onions into rings, add 1 teaspoon of coarse salt and carefully remember the onion with your hands so that it releases the juice. Add ½ teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of coriander and the juice of half a lemon to the onion. Mix the finished marinade with pieces of meat, mix everything together thoroughly and leave to marinate for 3-5 hours. Thread the cooked meat onto skewers and sprinkle on top with a mixture of finely chopped hot peppers, leeks and garlic. Grill 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. spoons 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 medium-sized pieces, mix with marinade and leave to marinate for 5-6 hours. String the finished meat on skewers, carefully coat with the remaining marinade and bake on coals for 10-15 minutes until tender.

8. Duck kebab in orange marinade turns out to be unusually tasty. To prepare the marinade, mix 50 ml of orange juice, 2 tbsp. spoons of soy sauce, 2 tbsp. tablespoons dry white wine, 2 tbsp. spoons of honey. Add 1 finely chopped fresh chili and 50 gr. chopped tarragon or basil. 800 gr. cut duck meat into small pieces, mix with marinade and leave to marinate for 2 hours. Thread marinated duck pieces onto skewers, arranging them with orange slices. Grill 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 sweet peppers, 5 chopped garlic cloves and ½ kg. chopped tomatoes. Add 2 tbsp. spoons of water and 2 tbsp. tablespoons of olive oil. 1 ½ kg. chop lamb ribs with a layer of meat in portions and add to the pan with vegetables. Add two bay leaves and 1 teaspoon of zira or cumin. Bring vegetables with meat to a boil, cover and simmer on the smallest fire for an hour. Remove the prepared ribs to a separate dish, and strain the vegetable broth through a colander. Thicken the broth in a saucepan over a fire and add one finely chopped chili pepper and 50 gr. green cilantro. Mix thoroughly. Thread the ribs onto skewers and brush with the resulting sauce. Grill over coals for 5 to 8 minutes.

10. Nothing superfluous should be served as a side dish for barbecue. After all, your barbecue is unusually good and tasty in itself and should remain the only king on your table. It is best to serve fresh vegetables or vegetable salad, salsa and a lot of fresh herbs to the barbecue. Juicy, crunchy vegetables perfectly set off the taste of tender, hot, aromatic meat. In addition, some vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, can be strung on skewers and baked over coals with vegetable oil. Such a simple, tasty and fragrant side dish for barbecue is sure to please everyone. 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