Peace, labor, May, barbecue – this is the modern slogan of the May Day holidays. Even the first leaves on the trees did not cut through, but were already drawn by the appetizing smoke from the braziers. And surely in every company there is an expert who assures that he has the world’s only best recipe for marinating meat, and everyone else just wanders in the dark and does everything wrong. We urge: do not listen to others, become an expert yourself!
Modern chefs, food bloggers and just connoisseurs of good cooking unanimously repeat: pickling kebabs in vinegar is a huge mistake. This is what is now called “old school” with a tinge of disdain.
The fact is that pickling pieces of pork in a mixture of table vinegar, onions and ground black pepper was customary in Soviet times. At that time, it was difficult to get the perfect steamed pork, so they tried to improve the product that they managed to get with the marinade. It was believed that the vinegar acid would soften harsh or sinewy meat, make it more tender, but, in all honesty, it turned out the other way around. Vinegar softens only the top layer of the piece, but makes the kebab itself dry and harsh, “rubbery”.
Soaking kebabs in vinegar was so popular in the USSR and in the 90s because this method ensured the long shelf life of meat. It was more of a preservative than a marinade.
But here’s the funny thing: many people born in the Soviet Union claim that for them kebab is primarily the smell of haze, mixed with the sour taste of vinegar. Otherwise, they say, this is not a kebab at all. Such is the result of a habit established over the years and some idealization of the past.
Balsamic or apple, but in small quantities and always mixed with olive oil. You can add onions, garlic, your favorite spices for frying meat to this marinade.
Balsamic vinegar has a more delicate and delicate taste than table vinegar. In addition, when frying, it caramelizes, forming an appetizing crust. Olive oil will keep the meat pieces dry and help keep the food juicy.
You can also use dry grape wine instead of vinegar.
If the meat you got is still not from the category of ideal for barbecue, we will try to bring it to mind. To add juiciness to lean meats, fat-based marinades are used.
For example, mayonnaise. But keep in mind that this option is considered too primitive, “common”, not related to the noble cuisine. But for lack of the best, mayonnaise can also be used: it contains a little acid in the form of vinegar and a lot of fat. When frying, it gives a beautiful golden brown crust, which, by the way, kind of “seals” the meat juice in the pieces and prevents them from leaking onto the coals.
A more delicate and “healthier” option is to prepare a marinade based on olive oil.
Lemon juice, chopped garlic, dry wine are asked to join him.
We offer this option for the marinade: beat with a blender a mixture of olive oil, soy sauce and apple cider vinegar, add a little mustard and a spoonful of honey, mix again. Add the mixture to the chopped pork in a saucepan. You can add a little salt, but be careful: soy sauce plays the main role here. In such a marinade, you should keep the meat from 2 to 5 hours.
Kefir with a high percentage of fat and other similar fermented milk products are also loved for the “2 in 1” option: acid for softening, and fat to preserve juiciness.
Fatty marinades are ideal for making poultry kebabs
Many are accustomed to seeing onion rings in pickled kebabs, and then them on skewers, between pieces of meat. Nowadays, the fashion has changed: many marinate pork in mashed onions. Actually, ideally we only need onion juice – it perfectly softens pieces of meat.
You can try this cooking option: chop onion equal in weight to meat in mashed potatoes, take 200 grams of ready-made mustard per 1 kg of meat to it. In this mixture, you can marinate chopped pork overnight, but salt should only be closer to the beginning of frying, otherwise the meat will give the juice to the marinade. You do not need to be afraid of the mustard taste, it will evaporate after cooking on charcoal.
Tomato juice and other alkaline marinades
Many people like charcoal-fried meat soaked in tomato juice. This is one of the popular types of alkaline marinades used to soften meat. Tomatoes, onions, salt, spices, herbs – for many, this is the perfect combination for making barbecue. This method has been proven and it works.
Alkaline marinades also include mineral water, the aforementioned onion juice, lemon juice, fruit purees. For example, you should be careful with this type of alkaline marinade like kiwi pulp: if you overexpose it a little, and the meat breaks down into fibers. And pineapple can almost dissolve pork in a few hours. You can use kiwi and pineapple, but you can keep the meat in their juice for no longer than half an hour.
In pursuit of new taste sensations, all sorts of notes and shades, people came up with the idea of combining meat and beer into a single whole. Lovers assure that beer and caramelized crust gives, plus the flavor of malt and hops.
To do this, they take “live” unfiltered beer and marinate only pork with onion rings in it; this method is not suitable for lamb and poultry. To prevent the beer from fermenting while interacting with raw meat, it is better to keep pickled meat in the refrigerator.
And now about the main thing. We adopted such a dish as shashlik from the peoples of the Caucasus, and there we never heard of any marinades. The main thing is meat of the highest quality, fresh, fresh, from a young animal.
In addition to salt and pepper, nothing is needed for good meat: chopped, strung on skewers and grilled on coals
In the traditions of the peoples of the Caucasus and related nations, the best shish kebab is made from the meat of a young lamb, mainly from the back, where there is more pulp.
Russians prefer to grill pork on coals. The ideal choice for grilled dishes is fatty pork neck and ribs. A shoulder blade is also acceptable, but the ham is not very suitable for barbecue – this meat is too lean to be juicy.