Shish kebab is a type of fried meat, popular in Russia and most other former Soviet republics. It is traditionally prepared on the grill - a box similar to a fire pit, using charcoal or firewood. As a rule, it uses beef, pork or lamb, previously placed in an acid marinade for the night.
Surely many were faced with such a problem that the meat for barbecue became dry and hard when frying. How to avoid this?
If we do not talk about cooking methods or equipment (professionals are more competent in this), then the correctly selected marinade plays the main role. Many of the ingredients in its composition affect the meat in such a way that its fibers become tender.
Kebab lovers fully agree that a good marinade is the key to getting a juicy and tender charcoal product. Of course, you can buy the finished mixture or processed meat in stores, but many folk recipes can offer much more interesting variations.
To make barbecue meat tasty and juicy, a variety of ingredients are used: from kefir to vinegar and pomegranate juice. Some people like to use onion puree made in a food processor, while others use onion slices on skewers.
So, how to marinate kebab so that the meat is soft? As a rule, the following components are part of marinades.
Fruit
Few people know that beef becomes very tender if you add kiwi pulp to it. It is believed that this fruit, as well as sour apples, contains enzymes that dissolve protein and connective tissue and make meat literally melt in your mouth. So you can prepare an excellent kebab of beef. To keep the meat soft, marinate it in a mixture of fruit puree and your favorite spices. You can use slices of kiwi or apples. Just make small cuts in the meat and distribute pieces of fruit in them, leave for several hours.
Citrus
Acidic citrus pulp is a key ingredient in some pickles. You can use it either alone or in combination with soy sauce. This marinade is especially good for chicken barbecue.
The only caveat is that you do not need to marinate kebabs in citrus juice for too long, otherwise the acid will destroy the fibers in the meat and change its texture.
Yogurt
When using yogurt, you can get a delicate flavorful meat that will literally fall off the bones. The combination of acid and calcium in this product activates enzymes that help break down protein. This is a great idea on how to marinate kebab meat.
Soy or Asian fish sauce
Instead of salt or brine, try using soy or fish Asian sauce - they add flavor and salinity, as well as soften the meat. For an original taste, you can marinate kebab meat in soy sauce, lemon juice and brown sugar. The taste of pork will be very original if it is kept in a mixture of fish sauce and the above components.
Carbonated drinks
Of course, sweet soda is not a traditional ingredient for marinade, but their active substances make it possible to prepare the most tender meat. For pork or chicken skewers, try using a mixture of "Cola", orange and lemon juice. Acid in foods softens meat, and sugar adds a touch of sweetness. It’s also a very good idea how to pickle kebab meat.
You can use complex marinades, which include several different active ingredients.
African style
Unlike the barbecue we are used to, South African braai is not cooked on skewers, but on a metal grill. But the process is essentially identical: first, small pieces of meat for barbecue (pork or beef) are treated with marinade, then they are fried on charcoal. The cooking process will not cause difficulties even for a beginner.
First of all, put the meat in a large dish and pierce it with a fork on both sides. Then add 5 to 10 drops of pineapple juice to each piece and pierce them again. Do not turn the meat during this time, leave it like this for 10-20 minutes. Then turn over, add pineapple juice, make holes with a fork on the other side. Wait another 10-20 minutes before proceeding to the next step.
After processing with pineapple juice, do the same with a little balsamic vinegar. This step is not essential, but it adds good taste to meat for barbecue (pork or any other).
Pineapple juice and balsamic vinegar are slightly acidic, and due to this they soften the meat. Acid helps destroy its structure. If you do not eat pineapple, then you can use any sour fruit juice, even lemon. But do not leave it in pieces for too long. Puncture with a fork allows juice and vinegar to penetrate deeper into the product.
Once you're done with the pineapple juice and balsamic vinegar, it’s time to use some spices. Add salt, pepper (black or red), coriander and other seasonings that you like. Sprinkle them on one side first, then quickly turn the meat over and process the other side. If you have more free time, rub the spices into the pieces with your fingers so that they penetrate deeper.
It is also recommended to sprinkle a little brown sugar to make the taste more interesting. This is an original way to make marinated meat for barbecue, and its essence is described below.
Seconds before you put the meat on the coals, sprinkle a few drops of olive oil (10 to 20) on each piece. This will cause a wonderful chemical reaction, which, along with pineapple juice, will make the taste of kebab perfect.
Wait until the wood burns out and coals form. Now quickly place the pieces of meat on a very hot grill with the oiled side down. At this moment, a flame may appear briefly, but this is normal. Even if it lasts for 10-20 seconds, leave the meat alone. This is necessary in order for the Maillard reaction to occur.
The chemical process is named after the chemist Louis-Camille Mayard, who first described it in the 1910s, trying to reproduce the synthesis of biological protein. The sugar you added to pineapple juice reacts with the amino acid in the meat and forms a complex mixture, very similar to caramel. This reaction is widely used in the food industry.
However, this only happens at a temperature of 150 ° C and above, so the coals must be very hot. The purpose of adding olive oil is to briefly ignite the coals, raising the temperature above 150 ° C for 10-30 seconds.
Do not flip meat too often. In general, you should not topple it from one side to the other more than four times before shooting. The more you move it, the harder and denser it will become, since the juice will flow out.
Asian option
This recipe for meat marinade (kebab) is traditional in Uzbekistan, and it is very simple, compared to some other cooking options. Despite the fact that, according to the Eastern tradition, lamb should be used, you can take any meat. For 3.5 kg tenderloin, you will need 4 large onions.
Cut the meat into cubes measuring 3 by 4 cm. Remove any excess fat from them. Otherwise, they may catch fire on coals. Peel the onions and use a food processor or sharp knife to cut into rings. Add 1 tablespoon (tea) salt, your favorite seasoning (you can use a storey mixture of spices for meat), 0.5-1 tsp. ground red pepper and sweet paprika, squeeze the juice of half a lemon and pour 20 ml of vegetable oil.
Mix all the ingredients by hand and put the meat in the mixture. Leave it in the marinade for at least four hours. This will subsequently make delicious lamb shish kebab. To make the meat soft sometimes, as you can see, you need to make some efforts.
Then put the mutton cubes on the skewers, dividing them among themselves with pieces of onion. Clean all excess marinade leftovers as they will burn during cooking. Such barbecue is usually cooked in an open flame. Unlike the previous recipe, it is often necessary to rotate skewers here to ensure uniform cooking of meat.
Greek version
In Greece, barbecue is called souvlaki, and there it is popular no less than here. There are many traditional recipes that make an excellent charcoal dish.
So, how to marinate kebab so that the meat becomes juicy? First of all, use the best cut of meat that you can afford, and pickle it with the addition of a large amount of onion. Add herbs, spices and finally water.
Adding water allows all the ingredients to interact better with each other and soak into the meat, keeping it juicy. Salt added to onions releases its juices. In addition, it contains an acid that can soften protein fibers.
You can add more acidic foods to the marinade, but if you use good meat, you won’t need it. Finally, it is recommended to sprinkle the kebab with hot paprika directly on the coals. If all this seems too simple to you, use carbonated mineral water instead of tap water.
So, to cook a barbecue on the above tips, you will need:
- 2 kg of lamb or any other meat (tenderloin);
- 4 bay leaves torn in half;
- 4 chopped onions;
- 2 tablespoons tea salts;
- 2 tablespoons tea peppers;
- 2 tablespoons olive oil;
- 1 ½ cup of water;
- hot paprika.
How to marinate meat for barbecue in Greek and fry it
In a large bowl, combine meat, chopped onions, bay leaves, salt, oil and water. Mix well and rub the components with your hands, put in the refrigerator for several hours.
After, put pieces of meat for barbecue on metal skewers of 6-7 pieces each. Prepare the barbecue. Put coal in it and let it warm up for about 30 minutes or until it turns white. Place the skewers on the grill and fry the meat until cooked. Cooking time depends on the temperature of the hot charcoal. Do not let the meat burn! Sprinkle the slices with paprika during cooking.
Georgian version
Shish kebab is especially popular in Georgia, and there are many ways to pre-cook meat. Traditionally, it is made from lamb, beef or pork, slowly frying it on hot coals. Some of the recipes require processing the meat right before cooking, but the perfect marinade is done in advance. For him you will need:
- 2 kg of pork shoulder or other meat;
- 3 white onions (chopped);
- salt and pepper;
- 3 lemons;
- 5 bay leaves;
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander;
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme;
- finely chopped dill greens;
- 1 liter of beer or water.
The process of cooking Georgian kebab
Prepare the meat for marinating. Wash it and remove the veins and excess fat. Cut it into cubes measuring 3 x 3 x 3 cm.
In a volumetric and deep enameled or porcelain bowl, sprinkle meat with plenty of salt and pepper, add bay leaf. Arrange the slices in layers separated by onion rings. Pour each layer with the juice of one lemon. Store in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours, but no more than two days. So you get a good pickled meat for barbecue.
A few hours before roasting, remove the meat from the refrigerator and season it with coriander, thyme and dill. Then put the meat cubes on the skewers, placing between them the rings of onion from the marinade. If you do not have skewers, you can replace them with thin branches of hardwood.
Place the skewers on the grill. Coal should be hot, but there should be no flame. Turn the skewers gradually so that the meat is fried from all sides. In the process of cooking pour kebabs with beer or water and lemon juice. When the meat becomes rosy, make a small cut with a knife on the largest piece. If its middle has a light pink (not red) color, and the juice flows transparent (without blood), your kebab is ready.
Estonian version
Often, when preparing meat for barbecue, many argue about whether to use vinegar. This option involves adding it. Vinegar slightly dries the meat, so you need to add a lot of onions to the marinade. It is also not recommended to use a tenderloin that does not contain fat streaks. These are the basic rules for making pork skewers to make the meat soft.
The traditional side dish will consist of freshly boiled potatoes and a salad of cucumbers and tomatoes with the addition of sour cream, as well as ketchup. To prepare a barbecue according to the Estonian recipe, you will need:
- 1 kg of pork with streaks of fat;
- 4 large onions;
- 2-3 cloves of garlic;
- 2 tablespoons of vinegar;
- 2 teaspoons of finely divided salt;
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper;
- 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Cooking Estonian Kebab
Cut the pork into thick slices, then into small pieces about 4 by 4 cm in size. Place in a large bowl.
Peel the onion and cut into thin rings. Add to a bowl with chopped garlic, salt, pepper and sugar. Pour vinegar on top.
Now put on rubber gloves and grind the meat and onion rings for about 10-15 minutes so that the onions let out juice and seasonings soak into the pork. The meat should change its dark red color to a lighter shade. Cover the bowl and let the skewers marinate for 24 hours.
Paste pieces of meat on skewers and fry on hot coals until cooked.
Turkmen version
Turkmenistan is probably one of those countries where they began to prepare such a dish as barbecue for the first time. It can be safely considered native to Central and West Asia. The main technique for its preparation here also involves preliminary marinating the meat in an acidic liquid several hours before frying. Lamb is traditionally used for barbecue, but you can take beef or pork, chicken or even fish.
Pieces of onion or bell pepper are often added to meat for skewers. Thanks to this neighborhood, it remains juicy and acquires a variety of taste shades. So, for Turkmen beef or lamb shish kebab you will need:
- 500 grams of mutton or beef without bones, cut into cubes (5 x 5 x 5 cm);
- 1 large onion, chopped;
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar;
- ¼ glasses of dry red wine;
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced;
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander;
- ¼ teaspoon chopped pepper (optional);
- ½ bunch parsley (chopped finely);
- ½ teaspoon of tea salt;
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper;
- ¼ cup vegetable oil.
Cooking Turkmen food
Combine all the ingredients in a glass bowl. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for several hours to one day.
Then drain the marinade and wipe the meat with paper towels. Remove marinade and onion from it. Evenly distribute the pieces into four skewers and fry on the grill (preferably use charcoal) for about 15 minutes, turning them periodically. Put the prepared meat skewers on the dish and serve immediately. As a side dish, put hot tortilla and vegetable salad.
Option with Tomatoes and Red Wine
Grated onions in garlic marinade on red wine help soften the meat, which can sometimes become tough during the frying process. This recipe is an original answer to the question of how to marinate kebab so that the meat is juicy. To implement it, you will need:
- 4 garlic cloves (minced);
- 4 tomatoes, grated on a coarse grater;
- 1 medium onion, grated on a coarse grater;
- 1 cup dry red wine;
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro;
- 1 teaspoon chopped red pepper;
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano;
- 1 teaspoon of paprika;
- 2 kg of boneless meat (pork or any other), cut into cubes 5 x 5 x 5 cm;
- vegetable oil;
- salt and freshly ground pepper;
- pita bread for serving.
Cooking Meat in Red Wine
In a large bowl, combine garlic, tomatoes, onions, wine, chopped cilantro, red pepper, oregano, and paprika. Add the meat and stir well with your hands. Cover and leave overnight.
Spread the meat on eight metal skewers, leaving a small distance. Sprinkle it with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.Fry at a moderate temperature, turning from time to time, about 30 minutes. Serve with sprigs of greens and a hot tortilla. You can also use this recipe to make meat in the oven, like barbecue. To do this, marinate the pork or beef according to the above instructions, then spread on a baking sheet, slightly oiled, and bake slices for 30-40 minutes.