There is an opinion that only men can make a good kebab. But it is not so. Gender has nothing to do with it. To make this dish really tasty, you must correctly perform each stage of the cooking process. Particular attention should be paid to how to cut meat into a barbecue. There are many points on this issue that you should know about before you get to work.
Useful Tips
The process of cooking barbecue includes several mandatory steps:
- selection of key components;
- grinding products (slicing);
- preparing them for work (pickling);
- planting blanks on skewers;
- direct frying.
Each of them is important in its own way and requires corresponding attention. However, some believe, for example, that it is absolutely not important how to cut meat into a barbecue. Nevertheless, this process has its own subtleties.
Not every severed piece is suitable for barbecue. Real professionals pay special attention to the shape of the workpiece. Ideally, if the pieces are cut in the form of cones. This will facilitate their attachment to the skewer and will further contribute to good frying. But before deciding how to cut meat into barbecue, you need to prepare for this all the necessary tools. Usually in such cases it is required:
- Sharp knife. It is advisable if he has a wide, even blade without any notches. Tools with a corrugated cloth are not suitable for this.
- Wooden cutting board with a special groove for collecting liquid. After all, when cutting meat, juice will necessarily stand out from it. It is undesirable for it to accumulate on the surface. If this is not available, then you can take an ordinary wooden board. In any case, it must first be doused with cold running water. So it will absorb less meat juice.
Having everything you need, you can safely get to work.
Main ingredient
Before deciding how to cut meat into a barbecue, it is imperative to consider which product will be used for this. For example, beef is best to choose tenderloin or sirloin. The situation with pork is different. Here, for barbecue it is better to use collars. This is meat located along the ridge. It is necessary to take exactly the part that is in the neck area. What goes below the back, of course, is also suitable. But in this case, you will have to spend extra time to cut a large amount of fat, which is located nearby. The back is better not to take at all. From the lean meat that is located there, the kebab will turn out dry and not juicy. This must be understood and not made mistakes. Lamb is a completely different story. Here, from the whole carcass for making barbecue, only tenderloin, loin or back leg are suitable. But it’s better to save a popular shovel for another dish. When the issue of meat is finally resolved, it will be possible to proceed to the next stage.
The secret of pickling
It is known that the use of fresh meat does not guarantee that the kebab is soft and juicy. Even inexperienced housewives know that previously the main product must be subjected to additional processing. This refers to the pickling process. First you need to understand why it is needed. It is worth recalling the lessons of chemistry. After all, it is known that meat mainly consists of proteins (elastin, collagen and reticulin). During heat treatment, it partially softens. But best of all, this process proceeds under the influence of acid. In such an environment, the protein gradually becomes loose, which means that it can hold the juice and after frying it turns soft. In practice, use marinades prepared on the basis of:
- kefir;
- wine
- mayonnaise;
- vinegar
- mineral water.
Everyone chooses an option to their taste. But most often they use the method for which it is necessary: for 1.2 kilograms of meat (for example, pork) 8 grams of sugar, 3 onions, salt, 60 grams of vinegar and any spices.
Everything is done very simply:
- First, rinse the pork and lightly dry it with a napkin to remove excess moisture.
- Then we cut the meat into a barbecue, taking into account the advice of professionals regarding the shape and size of individual pieces.
- Workpieces must be sprinkled with spices and left for 10 minutes so that the meat can be thoroughly soaked with them.
- Add chopped onion, sugar and vinegar, diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 2.
In such a marinade, the meat must lie for at least 9 hours. Only after that it will be possible to start frying.
Important details
Experienced housewives know how to cut meat into kebabs. Beginners who want to learn the art of cooking this dish need to pay attention to a few important points:
- Use only sharp tools. You can correctly divide the meat into pieces, having a well-sharpened knife in your hands. With its help, it will be possible to cut off excess fat, films and hard tendons without much difficulty.
- Workpieces should be of optimal size. Any deviations in one direction or another negatively affect the quality of the finished product.
- For all types of meat, use one method of cutting. The exception is beef. Due to the stiff long fibers, it requires an individual approach.
- Remember that a kebab of six pieces of meat is considered ideal. Practice shows that such an amount for this dish is considered optimal.
If all these points are taken into account, then you can not worry about the quality of the finished dish. It remains only to comply with all the rules of frying meat on an open fire.
Cutting rules
Each dish has its own subtleties. For barbecue, they mainly relate to the method of cutting the main product. Here the same question always arises. Very often, beginner cooks are interested in how to cut meat into barbecue: lengthwise or transversely. The answer to this question is ambiguous. It would seem that everything is clear here. Separation into pieces should be done taking into account the bite line. Therefore, almost all types of meat intended for barbecue, cut exactly across. Then they put it on a skew along the fibers. Only in this way can the finished product turn out to be quite juicy and truly soft.
If you do the opposite, it will then be difficult to bite off a whole piece, since the meat itself will gradually cringe during the frying process. Barbecue will turn out tough and tasteless. Although, using preliminary marinating, meat can be chopped in any direction. An exception to this rule is beef. It must be cut only across.
Piece size
In order to ultimately achieve the desired result, you must also know what pieces of meat to cut into barbecue. As practice shows, size in this matter plays an important role.
Experienced chefs are sure that a piece of 3 to 5 centimeters in size is considered optimal. By weight, it will be approximately 30 grams. If you make the workpiece finer, then when cooked on an open fire, it will quickly roast and become dry. Large pieces are also undesirable to take. For the allotted time, they will not have time to properly fry from the inside and remain raw. If you hold them on the fire a little longer, then the surface layers can be very charred. Such a barbecue will not please anyone. In addition, you must try to keep the pieces as even as possible. Thin hanging edges will immediately burn and spoil not only the appearance, but also the taste of the finished product. Also, when grinding a whole piece, it is necessary to cut off the lard. Under the influence of high temperature, it gradually shrinks, releasing fat out. As a result, an additional dense fabric will appear on the piece of meat, which will be difficult to chew.