The classic meat for barbecue is pork. How to choose it correctly so that the dish is a success - this is what we will talk about in today’s article.
Most chefs adhere to the stereotype - we use meat pulp for preparing second courses, and meat on the bone is perfect for preparing first courses. To some extent, this is correct; why go into the anatomical features of the animal and choose for which dish this or that piece of flesh is suitable. But it’s in vain, because if you know what part of the carcass is at your fingertips for cooking, then you can say that the issue of success has been resolved by itself.
Preparing any dish begins, first of all, with a choice - and you can make it correctly and thoughtfully not only in the market in a wide assortment, but also in the nearest store. For example, the most precious part of pork, the tenderloin, is not suitable for preparing a rich meat broth for aromatic soup. And not at all because this part of the carcass is bad - the whole point is that this cut has a completely different purpose.
Also, if you know that pork ham is perfect for baking in the oven, it would be foolish to use it for cooking chops or beef stroganoff. But the pulp of the shoulder blade, on the contrary, loves long stewing in sauce, and you can make an excellent gravy from it.
Of course, all these tips only work if the meat is fresh and has not been subjected to repeated freezing. But the freshness itself must be correct - the meat needs to ripen for 3 - 4 days before it turns into appetizing pieces in the skillful hands of the butcher. And then you can choose exactly what you need to prepare a specific dish.
Which part of pork is best to use for barbecue and what is absolutely not suitable?
For pork kebab, the best parts are: neck, tenderloin, loin. The shoulder and ham need a marinade that can soften the fibers of the tendons and veins. Chin, brisket and ribs will not work for this dish.
Fresh meat in a kebab will be tough, since the muscle fibers are in a compressed state. Before marinating, the pork should lie in the refrigerator for 5-8 hours at a temperature of +1 to +3°C so that the muscles are completely relaxed. After this, the meat is well marinated, dissolving all the veins, and cooked quickly, providing excellent taste and a soft structure to the finished dish.
Why pork?
An interesting marinade, natural surroundings and warm company only add to the atmosphere of the dish, the success of which primarily depends on the right meat. Experienced chefs often choose pork, as it has many advantages over other types:
- pork meat is quite fatty, and therefore it is difficult to dry it out during cooking;
- pork does not have a bright, often not very pleasant odor that needs to be masked;
- properly chosen pork is always soft and tender, and therefore cooks quickly;
- Pork meat, due to its neutral taste and smell, goes well with a variety of spices and marinades;
- It is much easier to buy good quality pork, as it is more common and also costs less than lamb or beef.
Compared to pork, lamb hardens much faster when cooling, and it also has a specific smell that not everyone likes. Beef, although it is a more dietary product, is also much tougher.
Which pork makes the best barbecue without difficulty, and which one needs to be marinated well?
The best part of pork for barbecue is the neck. It has layers of fat, and the meat is tender without streaks. It is very important that the animal carcass weighs no more than 50 kg, otherwise the meat may be old, tougher and fattier. It is enough to marinate the neck in pure onion marinade or with the addition of vinegar to obtain a tasty and aromatic dish.
Tenderloin is the soft part of the carcass with a web of fat. The tenderloin dish turns out to be a bit dry, to correct this, pieces of meat are alternated with lard. And one more feature of this kebab is that it needs to be eaten hot, because as it cools down, it becomes harsh.
The loin should be taken with lard so that it is rendered over the fire, soaks the meat and gives it juiciness. The loin should be cut crosswise and threaded onto a skewer so that the meat alternates with lard for better soaking.
The shoulder blade has a relatively soft muscle fiber structure, a small amount of tendons and ligaments, and very little fat. After marinating the shoulder meat, the result is a soft dish with a good crust.
The ham is the meatiest and juiciest part of the pork, which contains little fat. Meat does not require a complex marinade and a long process. Enough sauce with the addition of dry wine and onions. The ham dish turns out tasty and tender.
Kebab should be cooked on burnt wood, and not on an open fire, so the dish is baked inside and out, and does not burn, remaining raw inside. Coals from fresh dry wood from fruit trees, linden, birch or oak will add an incomparable aroma to the dish.
Pork tenderloin
The most delicate part of the mascara without layers. It is believed that it produces the most tender kebab.
You should also pay attention to the fact that there is no film on the cutting. Since when frying it will quickly dry out and become rough
Tenderloin is, of course, just the perfect meat for grilling over charcoal. Suitable for both skewers and grill grilling.
Also very soft meat with the least amount of fat. Fat is of course present and at high temperatures it begins to melt and drain, which does not allow cooking dry meat.
The neck marinates well and remains juicy and soft.
It sells out very quickly, so in order to grab it at the market you should wake up earlier. Great for both skewers and grills. Date: January 28, 2014
How to choose pork for barbecue? What should you pay attention to?
Chosen correctly, shish kebab meat is the basis of a delicious dish. The meat must be fresh, from the carcass of a young animal and cut from the desired part of the pork.
The meat of a young animal is pink in color, it is lighter than the rest. The smell of fresh meat should be pleasant and not pungent. The color of the fat is white. Yellow fat comes from an old animal, which means the meat will be tough and difficult to chew.
If the meat returns to its shape when pressed, it means it is fresh. When water or blood leaks from the pork, it is an indication that it has been frozen or has had water pumped into it.
To avoid accidentally purchasing meat from an old wild boar that was used for breeding, you need to cut off a small piece of meat and set it on fire. A pungent odor indicates that the suspicions are confirmed.
It is better to buy meat for shish kebab in one large, even piece, so that it can easily be turned into portioned pieces for skewer.
For barbecue it is better to use fresh meat. If this is not possible and the pork needs to be prepared in advance, it is important to follow several rules. It is better to defrost meat on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, but not in the microwave or in hot water. Do this only once, otherwise the protein structure is destroyed, causing the product to become fluffy and tasteless.
How to marinate lamb?
Dmitry Pogorelov: “I marinate lamb kebabs in tandoori yogurt, you can add the same Georgian adjika to the yogurt, you can add your favorite spices.”
Sergey Navasartov: “You don’t have to marinate the lamb at all. If you like its taste and want to get a pure taste of meat, then you can simply sprinkle the kebab with coarse salt during the frying process. Juice will be released and the salt will dissolve. The meat will absorb as much as it needs, and you will shake off the rest.
If you like the taste of marinated meat, then you can take onions, rosemary, a little cilantro, red and black pepper. And sparkling water. But not mineral water, because it contains microelements, it can give off an off-flavor and be slightly bitter, but regular unsweetened carbonated water. Sprinkle the kebab with this water enriched with carbon dioxide. And we leave it for a couple of hours.”
Ready and marinated: how to preserve kebab for as long as possible? More details
Bonus: 3 universal marinades for soft kebabs
In addition to everyone’s favorite classic marinades based on dry wine or vinegar, two universal sauces are used to thoroughly soften the meat. These sauces are used for long-term marinating.
Kefir
A marinade based on kefir and sour cream softens the tendons well. To the chopped meat (2-3 kg), add onion, cut into rings (1.5 kg), sour cream (60 g) and kefir (500 g), spices and salt. Mix thoroughly and press lightly. Leave to marinate for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.
Wine vinegar marinade recipe
Add spices, salt, wine vinegar (10 g), olive oil (30 g) and beer (1 l) to the prepared meat (2 kg) and onions (0.5 kg). Stir and place in the refrigerator for three hours.
The best marinade for kebab is classic or close to it, based on onions and a sour component. Since the main thing in the dish is the meat, it is important not to spoil it, but to emphasize its merits. It is recommended to marinate meat in an enamel or glass container.
How much to weigh in grams
We have chosen the ideal meat for barbecue, but the question is: how much to take? How much meat should you take per person? A lot depends on what other food there will be. Are there also cold appetizers, salads, and pita bread? After eating a lot of cold dishes and bread, most likely there won’t be much shish kebab.
And yet, on average, the calculation is as follows (depending on body size): 350-500 g for children and women, 600-800 g for men. Too much? Well, firstly, the appetite is always excellent in nature, and secondly, you probably went out for the whole day.
Life hack: on the Internet there are special calculators for calculating meat for large companies - try to use it and compare the results, making the appropriate conclusions.
Recipe:
This recipe makes the meat soft even if it was very tough. You can even take the meat frozen. Let the meat thaw. Then cut the beef into matchbox-sized pieces.
Sprinkle a layer of allspice on the bottom of the pan. Cover it with a layer of bay leaf on top. Place a layer of onion cut into rings, a layer of meat on top, salt and pepper with red ground pepper, again add a layer of onion and so on alternate. The last layer should be onions. Place a layer of bay leaf on top of it.
On top of the bay leaf layer, place a finger-thick layer of tomato paste and vinegar (put 1 spoon of vinegar per 1 kg of meat). Cover all this with an inverted plate and place about 10 kg of pressure on top. Leave for a day. After a day, drain the yushka, discard the top layer of bay leaves and transfer the meat to another bowl, leaving the bottom layer of bay leaves and peppercorns in the old one.
Then squeeze lemon into the meat and add dry white wine. After 2 hours, you can fry using skewers in a grill with hot coals.
