Everyone loves to go outdoors in warm weather, make a bonfire and grill meat, but not everyone knows how to make barbecue juicy. Indeed, the preparation of this dish is a real art that only a few own. To get soft and juicy meat, it is not enough just to fry it on charcoal - first you need to choose the main ingredient and pickle it correctly. Kebab will turn out really tasty only if all the nuances that directly depend on the choice of the product are observed.
Beef skewers
Making a decent beef dish is not so simple. Not even every experienced cook can tell how to make a shish kebab out of this meat. The most minimal violations in the technological process lead to the fact that as a result, the meat is practically not chewed, it turns out to be too dense and almost tasteless. Such consequences can be avoided only if you know how to make juicy beef skewers by properly preparing and pickling the most capricious meat.
Cooking secrets
To create a delicious dish, you should adhere to elementary rules. Thanks to them, money for food and cooking time will be well spent. Among the basic rules:
- Most cooks soak the meat in vinegar in advance to soften the fibers. A couple of tablespoons of the product will not be enough to evenly work out the pieces, so it is best to take boiled water and vinegar in a 2: 1 ratio. Thanks to this solution, the acid will be evenly distributed, and the texture of the finished kebab will become pleasant and uniform.
- Most often, people cook traditional marinades from kefir, ordinary spices or tomato sauce, but in reality they cannot guarantee that the final result will be tender and juicy. Experiments of this type will only be relevant in the case of young meat. In order not to take risks, you should use marinades, which are based on vinegar, red wine or citric acid.
- Beef in itself is a tender meat, the taste of which can easily be interrupted by spices. Therefore, when answering the question of how to make kebab soft and juicy, you should immediately pay attention to this nuance. In the case of beef, any spices are best replaced with aromatic herbs.
- When cutting pork or lamb, you don’t have to be very zealous, but you won’t be able to do this with beef. It must be cut with the sharpest knife possible, which does not spoil the texture of the fibers, which is very important. And you can establish the most optimal piece size with a pair of matchboxes folded together.
- The ideal time for aging the meat in the marinade is from 5 to 8 hours. If the product is held for more than this time, it will acquire a not very pleasant sour taste.
- Pepper and salt are by no means added to the marinade, because they must be grated pieces of meat in advance. Also, many novice cooks are wondering about how to make kebab juicy, enhancing its taste. The answer is simple - you need to use apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or wine.
- Having decided to cook beef skewers, in no case should you use frozen meat. Such a product cannot be made tasty and aromatic in any way.
Beef Kebab Marinades
Due to the observance of the above rules, it is already known how to make juicy beef skewers, but even more this dish can please with juiciness, aroma and softness if you creatively approach the preparation of marinade. There are many ways, but not all of them are available to novice chefs. Although there are also many clear and simple recipes:
- Acetic. Having asked people who often choose nature, how to make a juicy kebab, you can immediately hear the answer: "Pickle meat in vinegar." Indeed, this method is the most common and beloved by all, and most importantly - simple. For 2 kg of meat you will need to take 5 onions, red and black pepper (one teaspoon each), salt and 3 tablespoons of vinegar. Beef must be cut into large pieces, beat off, and then cut into portions. Then they should be rubbed with salt and a mixture of two peppers, put in a bowl, sprinkle with chopped onions, sprinkle with vinegar and leave for 5-6 hours. Preparing such a marinade in advance and storing it in the refrigerator is not recommended, as this will significantly increase the risk of damage to the workpieces.
- Wine. Quite often, people are interested in how to make meat juicy for barbecue, without using vinegar. It seems to many that this is impossible, but in fact there is a way out. Thanks to the main ingredient, wine marinade pleases kebab lovers even more than the previous "vinegar" version. For 2 kg of meat you need to take 3 large onions, no more than one teaspoon of Provence herbs, a glass of dry red wine, and also salt. The first step is to combine the meat with coarsely chopped onions, and then mix by hand. Next, add the remaining components (wine last), mix thoroughly again. After that, the container with the future barbecue should be removed to the refrigerator for 8 hours.
- Exotic. The two previous recipes have been familiar to people since ancient times, but sometimes you want variety, so more experienced chefs ask: "How to make kebab soft and juicy using unusual ingredients?" At first glance, this recipe may seem strange and unacceptable to many, but in fact, thanks to it, the kebab will gain a new taste and attract the attention of not only exotic lovers. Again, about 2 kg of meat should take about 6 large onions, a couple of glasses of sparkling water, 1 kiwi, black pepper and bay leaf. The meat will need to be mixed with onion rings and pepper, then add the peeled and chopped kiwi fruit there, pour soda and lay out the bay leaf. Insisting the workpiece is recommended for at least 3 hours.
Any of these blanks can be used both outdoors and at home. It is worth noting that even when cooking meat in the oven with such marinades, it will turn out delicious and will be remembered for a long time.
Lamb skewers
As you know, a traditional barbecue is prepared from lamb. This product is not too moody, but quite specific. You can count on an ideal result only if the rules are followed. In the cooking process, there are many nuances, but every culinary specialist can cope with them.
How to choose a product
If you do not know how to make kebab juicy and memorable, then first of all remember that you should buy only high-quality meat for him. When choosing a product, you must follow simple rules:
- Ideal is the meat of an animal whose age does not exceed a couple of months. In finished form, it will be tender and juicy, and most importantly - without a specific flavor.
- If you still use adult meat, you should pay attention to the fat content. It should not be more than 15%, although it is not worth completely abandoning it, because it is precisely the fat that gives the kebab juiciness and an appetizing aroma.
- The color of the available fat on the surface of the meat should be pure white or milky, but not yellow at all (which indicates the impressive age of the product).
- It is not recommended to buy products that slip out of your hands or bleed.
- For barbecue, you can take the spinal part, hind leg or tenderloin.
Really quality meat will not cause rejection. It smells good, does not give off fat, but only surprises with sweet notes. Professionals recommend using chilled lamb.
How to make a juicy mutton skewers: classic
If you want to cook a gentle and delicious classic barbecue, you need to take about 5 onions per kilogram of meat, a full glass of dry white wine, pepper, salt and herbs to taste. Slices of future barbecue should be mixed with onion rings, vegetable oil and salt. Then you need to pour this mass of wine and insist for about 30 minutes (lamb) and about 4 hours (adult animal).
Soaking meat, regardless of its type or composition of the marinade, is prohibited in metal bowls / pans. Otherwise, the metal will begin to oxidize, which will contribute to the production of spoiled dishes. It is best to use glass or plastic containers.
Other gas stations
In addition to the classic recipe, you can consider other options for marinades:
- Yogurt. To make a barbecue of 1.5 kg of meat, you need to take a little more than a glass of natural yogurt, about 5 onions, dried basil, mint, pepper and salt. Onions need to be coarsely chopped and mixed with chopped mint. Then, meat and other components should be added to this mixture. Having mixed the composition with your hands, it must be placed in a cold place for 10-12 hours.
- Tomato. Per kilogram of meat you will need to take a liter of natural tomato juice (without any additives), not more than 5 large onions, half a gray loaf, as well as salt and spices. Pieces of lamb should be mixed with chopped onions, spices and leave for 5 minutes. Then you should grind the pulp of the loaf with your hands, add it to the workpiece, mix thoroughly and insist for at least 7 hours.
Features of cooking pork dishes
Rumor has it that only an experienced chef can cope with pork, who has already seen many varieties of meat and knows how to work with them. But how to make juicy pork skewers to lay people? Easy! Only for this you will need to follow all the rules. In fact, it is very difficult to spoil pork, but it is not easy to make it ideal kebab.
Meat selection
The first step is to choose the right meat. There are elementary tips for this:
- the product should be slightly chilled, but not frozen or paired, since in this case the texture of the fibers will be loose;
- you should not spend money on already chopped meat - you need to pay attention to larger pieces;
- excellent kebab will turn out if you take a pork loin, shoulder blade or ham;
- in pieces of meat must be a layer of fat.
Marinating rules
If you do not know how to make juicy pork skewers, first of all, deal with the basic rules of marinating meat:
- pieces should be made large in order to preserve their juiciness;
- for pork a large amount of onions will not be superfluous;
- it is necessary to cut the product across the fibers so that the meat is better fried and chewed well;
- mayonnaise and vegetable oil are strictly forbidden to use for marinade.
Compared to other types of meat, pork requires long pickling. The ideal time for this is more than 10-12 hours.
How to make soft and juicy pork skewers
For such meat, you can use time-tested marinades (recipes are designed for 2.5 kg of meat):
- Tomato. You should take small bunches of dill, parsley, one onion, a spoonful of paprika, a couple of spoons of a store of tomato paste, pepper and coriander. All components must be crushed, mixed with meat, pour water to cover the mixture and leave for 10 hours.
- Champagne pouring. For the original marinade, you need to take a bottle of dry champagne, 4-5 onions, as well as spices. Onions should be chopped coarsely, mixed with pork, then sprinkled with spices and add alcohol. It is necessary to insist such a marinade for 10 hours, stirring it every 3-4 hours.
Chicken kebab
Now it's time to learn how to make a juicy chicken skewers. This meat is very unpretentious and is saturated with marinade almost instantly. Only 30 minutes are enough for the chicken to absorb all the necessary.
Before dipping into the marinade, the meat must be thoroughly washed in cool water, then dried and divided into several pieces. It is recommended to use only certain parts (breast fillet, hips, wings).
Unusual marinade recipes
Chicken can be pickled in interesting ways that will appeal to all meat lovers. The recipes below are designed for 2 kg of product:
- Vegetable oil based marinade. The meat should be salted and soaked in spices, then add about a third of a glass of oil and a couple of tablespoons of wine vinegar. It is necessary to insist it no more than an hour.
- Beer option. In this case, the pieces of meat are simply soaked in 0.5 liters of unfiltered beer for 20 minutes.
Thanks to the above recipes, now you know how to make chicken kebab juicy, and you can cook it without much effort.