Pork shashlik is considered the most favorite andpopular throughout our country. The secret of how to cook pork shashlik lies in the simplicity of marinating the meat and the ease of its preparation. After all, meat marinated even for 30 minutes turns out to be very tender and juicy, and you can sing whole praises about the taste, because nothing can compare with a dish cooked on coals. And, of course, everyone has their own favorite recipe for how to cook pork shashlik. After all, there are a great many recipes for this dish - from a simple marinade of onions, lemon and pepper, to the most unimaginable - from wine, exotic fruits and rare spices. Showing your imagination, using such products as onions, garlic, aromatic spices, fresh herbs, adjika, juices and many other ingredients, you can give pork shashlik an unforgettable taste and aroma. However, do not think that cooking shashlik - a very easy process, it requires knowledge of some tricks and secrets. Such secrets will help protect you from failures that can disappoint you as a novice cook. Before cooking pork shashlik, you need to choose the right meat.
Choosing meat for shish kebab
When choosing meat, you need to remember that how muchfresh and high-quality it will be, so soft, juicy and tasty the dish will be. For cooking shashlik you need to choose only fresh and chilled meat, so that the dish will be juicy and aromatic. If it is not possible to buy chilled pork, then you can use it frozen. In this case, the meat should be defrosted in the refrigerator in the lower compartment at a temperature of more than 5 degrees. In order for the pork to retain its taste and nutritional qualities, it must be defrosted slowly and carefully. You should refuse to use a microwave oven when defrosting meat, since the finished meat after such defrosting will be dry, tough and not tasty enough. When choosing meat, you need to pay attention to its freshness. It is better to buy it at the market in the morning, since this is the time when it is freshest and not weathered. The selected piece must be carefully examined from all sides. High-quality pork should have an even pink color on the cut, and the cut itself should be uniform and glossy. Then you need to gently press your finger on the cut of the meat, the resulting pit should straighten out immediately. Next, you need to smell the meat, it should have a pleasant and slightly sweet smell. If you do not want to buy boar meat, ask the seller to cut off a small piece of meat, hold it over the flame of a match or lighter and then smell it. Boar meat will have a sharp and unpleasant smell of urine. You should not buy such a piece. For shashlik, it is best to choose a pork neck or neck. Ribs are very tasty. But if you choose a ham or shoulder, the dish may turn out dry and tough. When choosing pork, it is better not to take too fatty a piece, since a large amount of fat can negatively affect the taste of the shashlik.
Selection of coals and frying meat
Before you cook shashlik, you need toPrepare the coals for frying. Coals made from birch, aspen, apple, cherry, rowan and linden wood are suitable for preparing pork shashlik. Of course, you can buy ready-made coals in the store, but the coals you prepare yourself will be more aromatic. Before you start frying the meat, the coals must be well heated. The hot coals should burn over the entire surface with an even reddish heat, and the ash should only slightly cover them with a thin layer. You cannot start frying the shashlik until the tongues of fire go out. If a fire flares up during frying, it must be extinguished by sprinkling it with water, wine or the remaining marinade. When frying the shashlik, you must try to evenly and regularly turn the skewers with meat. This is necessary so that the pork is fried on all sides and a beautiful crispy crust is formed, which will protect the shashlik from burning. If it happens that the meat begins to burn or dry out, you just need to grease or sprinkle the pieces with marinade or a mixture of water and wine. With regular sprinkling, the pork will not burn, but will acquire additional aroma and juiciness, while the meat inside will remain tender and soft.
Preparing marinade for shish kebab from pork
Shish kebab simply cannot exist without marinade.exist. The taste of the resulting dish depends on how well it is prepared. There are many marinade recipes, you can find one for every taste. Those who want to cook a truly delicious shashlik pay almost as much attention to the marinade as to the choice of meat. In addition to onions and spices, which are used to marinate pork, dry wine (red or white), kvass, beer, vegetable or fruit juices are added to the marinade. Many people use kefir or mayonnaise to prepare this dish. Previously, vinegar was used to marinate meat, perhaps because it was affordable and acted quickly. However, pork marinated in vinegar is not as juicy. It can be replaced with lemon juice. You should also pay attention to salt, which should not be added to the marinade, as it will make the pork tough. You can add salt to the finished dish already on the table. Types of marinades:
- The main marinade, consisting of vegetable oil, vinegar, chopped herbs and Dijon mustard;
- an acute marinade consisting of yoghurt, cayenne pepper and lemon juice;
- sour-milk, consisting of yoghurt, garlic, turmeric, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon;
- lemon marinade, consisting of lemon juice, olive oil, lemon zest, fresh mint and oregano;
- soy marinade, consisting of soy sauce, garlic and Chinese spice mix;
- Russian marinade, consisting of kvass, onion and honey.
Recipes marinade for shish kebab from pork
Vinegar-based marinade You will need:
- 2 kg of pork meat;
- 3 medium bulbs;
- salt;
- ground black pepper;
- 100 g of 9% vinegar;
- water.
Cut the pork into pieces.Cut the onion into 0.5 cm thick rings. Mix the meat, onion, black pepper and salt well in a deep bowl or saucepan. In a liter jar, dilute the vinegar with water to make a slightly acidic solution. Pour some of the solution into the meat and mix thoroughly, and pour the remaining water onto the meat so that it is covered with the marinade. It is better to put a weight on top of the meat so that the meat marinates better. Leave to marinate for at least 4 hours. Kefir marinade You will need:
- pork meat;
- 1 liter of kefir;
- 5 medium bulbs;
- salt, spices;
- cilantro.
Cut the meat into pieces and put some on the bottomenamelware. Put chopped onion, finely chopped cilantro on top of the meat, add salt, spices and pour kefir. Then put another layer of meat, onion, cilantro, spices and kefir. So the meat should marinate for at least a day in a cool place. Marinade with mayonnaise You will need:
- 2 kg of pork meat;
- bow;
- 500 g of mayonnaise;
- salt;
- spice.
Cut the meat into pieces.Cut the onion into 1 cm thick rings. Mix the pork with the onion and pour in mayonnaise, add salt and spices. Mix everything well and marinate for a day. Mix everything well again before frying. Spicy marinade You will need:
- 1 kg of pork meat;
- 3 lemons;
- 1 tsp red pepper;
- 2 tsp. ground coriander;
- 1 crushed bay leaf;
- 0.5 tsp ground ginger;
- 5 tablespoons olive oil;
- 2 tablespoons shredded basil;
- on the tip of a knife of cinnamon and ground cumin;
- salt and ground black pepper.
Wash the meat and cut into pieces.Cut the lemon into 0.5 cm thick slices. In a separate bowl, mix cumin, coriander, ginger, basil, cinnamon, bay leaf and pepper with olive oil and pour into the pork with lemons. Mix everything thoroughly, cover and put in a cool place for about 10 hours, stirring occasionally. Quick marinade You will need:
- 2 kg of pork (neck);
- 1 kg of onion;
- 1 tsp ground black pepper;
- 5 bay leaves;
- pinch of saffron;
- salt.
Cut the pork into pieces and place in a bowlmarinating. Peel the onion and grind it through a meat grinder. Mix the resulting onion mass with the meat and add pepper, saffron, bay leaf, salt and mix again. Thread the pieces of meat onto skewers and fry for about 20 minutes. Georgian pork shashlik You will need:
- 600 g of pork;
- 3 tomatoes;
- 6 onions;
- black and red ground pepper;
- greens to taste;
- salt.
Cut the pork into pieces and mix with pepper andchopped onion. Place the meat in a marinating container and put a weight on top of the meat. Leave to marinate in a cool place for 6 hours. Thread the pork pieces onto a skewer, alternating with onion. Garnish the finished shashlik with onion, tomatoes and herbs. Beer Marinade You will need:
- 2 kg of pork;
- 250 ml of mayonnaise;
- bow;
- 0.5 liters of beer;
- salt;
- ground black pepper.
Cut the pork into pieces of equal size.Place in a bowl and mix with sliced onion rings, salt and pepper. Pour mayonnaise over the meat and mix well. Put in a cool place for 2 hours. 15 minutes before cooking, pour beer over the meat and mix. Leave for 15 minutes. Then thread onto skewers and cook. While the shashlik is cooking, you need to prepare the sauce. To do this, fry the onion that remained in the pan with the marinade until done and mix with mayonnaise and ketchup. Marinade with pomegranate juice You will need:
- 2 kg of pork;
- 3 onions;
- 0.5 l of pomegranate juice;
- 0.5 bunch coriander, parsley and dill;
- salt and black ground pepper.
Cut the pork into portions.Cut the onion into 1 cm thick rings. Finely chop the greens. Place all ingredients in an enamel pan, add salt, pepper and pour in the pomegranate juice. Put in a cool place for 4 hours.
Tips for cooking shish kebab
Cooking pork shashlik contains certain rules, following which you can achieve perfection in creating this dish.
- Shish kebab does not marinate in aluminum dishes. To do this, it is best to choose an enamel or clay tank.
- To make tender and juicy old pork meat, marinate it in wine, fresh milk or curdled milk.
- Push the meat on the skewers strictly along the fibers.