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A real shish kebab is scalding hot, delightfully smelling and dripping with juice, which you can’t eat a little, and you don’t need to – just such a shish kebab requires a great mood, great company, fresh meat and the right, proven marinade. And in order for the marinade to become a proven one, you need a choice of several options. Let’s try to offer the most interesting and not the most ordinary marinades for meat and poultry, so that the barbecue always turns out – regardless of the weather!
So, the most important ingredient in almost any marinade is onions. We will not cut the onions and wipe away the tears, but try to speed up the process.
Onion pickle
Ingredients:
- Onions – 4-5 pcs.
- Ground black pepper – 2 tsp
- Pork, beef – 1 kg.
Peel the onions and grind them into crumbs, almost “into dust” (a blender will help us, but you can also in the old fashioned way, on a grater, remembering grievances, so as not to just shed tears, but on the occasion), mix with pepper and chopped meat, you can add bay leaf or lemon. The minimum marinating time is 2-3 hours. Shake the onion as much as possible before cooking to avoid burning.
An example of such a marinade can be found in the recipe for Pork Barbecue.
Marinade with mineral water and lemon
Ingredients:
- Sparkling mineral water – 1/2 l.
- Lemon – 1 pcs.
- A mixture of dry herbs (parsley, basil) – 2 tsp.
- Zira, barberry – 1 tsp
- Pork, chicken – 2 kg.
- Salt – to taste.
Place the sliced meat in a bowl or pan (it is convenient to use a spacious plastic container for transportation right away), cover with herbs and spices, squeeze the juice out of the lemon (or cut it into thin slices), pour in mineral water. Mix well or shake well. The meat is ready for cooking in just an hour, but if it was dry, let it marinate a little longer.
An example of such a marinade can be found in the recipe “Marinade for kebab on mineral water”.
Marinade with kefir
Ingredients:
- Kefir 2,5% – 1 l.
- Onions – 5-6 pcs.
- Black peppercorns – a small handful
- Hops-suneli – 1 tbsp.
- Pork, beef – 2 kg.
Cut the peeled onion into half rings or medium-sized cubes, mix with pepper and seasoning, add to the chopped meat, stir. Pour in kefir and shake well. It is best to leave the meat to marinate overnight in a cool place, but the formula: in the morning – marinade, in the afternoon – kebab also works.
An example of such a marinade can be found in the recipe “Pork kebab on kefir”.
Mayonnaise marinade
Ingredients:
- Mayonnaise – 250 gr.
- Onions – 2 pc.
- Barbecue spices – to taste
- Pork, chicken – 1 kg.
Chop onion and meat, cover with spices and mix with mayonnaise. Leave in the cold for at least 3 hours, stir again before cooking.
Beer Marinade
Ingredients:
- Dark beer – glass
- Olive oil – 3 tbsp. l.
- Balsamic vinegar – 1 tbsp. l.
- Salt, pepper – to taste
- Beef – 1 kg.
Combine the liquid ingredients for the marinade, mix the meat with pepper and salt, pour over the marinade. Stir after an hour and you can cook.
Marinade with mustard
Ingredients:
- Mustard – 1 tbsp. l.
- Orange (zest) – 1 pc.
- Honey – 1 tbsp. l.
- Ground cumin – 1 tsp.
- Ground black pepper – 1 tsp
- Lamb – 1 kg.
Combine all ingredients (except meat) and beat in a blender until smooth. Coat the prepared pieces of lamb and fry until tender. Suitable for both kebabs and lamb on the ribs.
Tomato marinade
Ingredients:
- Tomato paste – 2 Art. l
- Onions – 2 pc.
- Garlic – 4 prongs
- Bulgarian pepper – 1/2 pc.
- Greens – 1/2 bunch
- Ground red pepper – 1/2 tsp.
- Salt – 1 tsp.
- Chicken meat – 1 kg.
Cut the onion and bell pepper into thin half rings, chop the garlic and herbs, mix with tomato paste, salt and pepper. Combine with chopped meat (this option is also suitable for a whole piece of meat) and leave in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours. If desired, tomato paste can be replaced with tomato juice (1/2 liter), and chicken meat with beef.
Wine Vinegar Marinade
Ingredients:
- Wine vinegar – 100 gr.
- Onions – 1 pc.
- Bay leaf – 2-3 pcs.
- Cloves, nutmeg – a pinch
- Pomegranate – 10 gr.
- Beef, pork – 1 kg.
Chop the onion and carrots into thin rings, chop the garlic, break the bay leaves. Place the meat on the bottom of the container in one layer, add vegetables and spices, put the meat and again the spices with vegetables. Add a little water to the vinegar and pour the meat. In order for the meat to become soft, it is enough to soak it in the marinade for 2 hours, it does not take longer so that the vinegar does not destroy the meat fibers.
Marinade with pomegranate / grape juice
Ingredients:
- Pomegranate / grape juice – glass
- Onions – 1-2 pcs.
- Ground red pepper – 1/2 tsp.
- Coriander, cumin – a pinch
- Salt – to taste
- Beef, lamb – 1 kg.
Cut the onion into half rings, mix with meat, spices and seasonings, add juice and shake well. Put in the cold for at least 3-4 hours.
An example of a similar recipe on a grapefruit marinade can be found in the recipe “Meat in a grapefruit marinade with vegetables”.
Note that the less salt you add to the marinade, the softer and healthier the meat will be. It is much tastier to taste barbecue with various sauces – tkemali, tomato or mayonnaise. Also traditionally salt is replaced by spices – marjoram, oregano, cumin, sumac, red and black pepper. Soy sauce is the main ingredient in our unusual marinades.
Marinade in Chinese
Ingredients:
- Milk – glass
- Soy sauce – 150 ml.
- Honey – 3 tbsp. l.
- Fresh mint – 2 sprigs
- Lime leaves – 2 pcs.
- Sichuan pepper – 1 tsp
- Pork, beef – 2 kg.
Rinse the mint, cut off the leaves and chop, chop the lime leaves (can be replaced with zest). Mix all the ingredients, marinate the chopped meat, leave for 3-5 hours.
Marinade in Japanese
Ingredients:
- Fresh ginger – 50 g.
- Lime – 1 pcs.
- Kinza – 1/2 beam
- Soy sauce – 150 ml.
- Chili pepper – 1/2 pc.
- Sesame oil – 2 tbsp l.
- Beef – 1 kg.
Peel and grate the ginger, wash the cilantro and chop coarsely, cut the chili pepper into thin half rings, squeeze the juice out of the lime. Mix everything and add to the meat, shake and let it brew for 2-3 hours.
Spicy marinade
Ingredients:
- Mustard – 100 g.
- Honey – 3 tbsp. l.
- Soy sauce – 50 ml.
- Vegetable oil – 100 gr.
- Beef, lamb, pork – 1 kg.
Stir chopped meat with mixed liquid ingredients. Leave for 1-1,5 hours and fry with pleasure.
It is usual to think thoughtfully about the process of cooking barbecue and prepare in advance, but sometimes a spontaneous decision to gather in nature dictates its own rules – while the coals are being prepared, the meat will have time to marinate and give indescribable pleasure and unforgettable moments of joy from good company and amazing food. A selection of our marinades will help out in any case, when there is time to prepare, and when you need to be in time in an hour.
For more recipes for the holidays, see our recipe section.