Barbecue marinade from a variety of ingredients
The key to the perfect kebab is meat and marinating. A marinade for a kebab is like water for a fish: one cannot exist without the other. What products can and cannot be used? What recipe will make a kebab not just good, but divine?
Choosing quality meat
Important criteria when choosing meat are:
- freshness;
- fat content;
- color;
- consistency;
- smell;
- humidity.
Between steamed and chilled meat, we give preference to the second. The taste of such a product will be much brighter and more harmonious.
Frozen meat is also good for barbecue. But, if it was frozen only once.
Meat, which animal or bird, is better for barbecue? Individual preference and diet are decisive factors.
The right and wrong tips for making a marinade
Does vinegar perfectly complement meat? Yes, it softens the structure of the product, but do not forget that the acid overrides the natural taste and aroma. Therefore, we refuse from the supposedly compatible component.
Mineral water is also considered a great addition to a kebab marinade recipe. In fact, by softening the meat and making it outwardly more juicy, it sucks out the juice during heat treatment. At the same time, the shish kebab not only dries up, but also does not turn out to be rosy.
But the tips for salt are the same everywhere: no salt when pickling. She sucks out juices. We add only simple spices and herbs to the barbecue marinade.
We add salt only after the marinating process is completed before stringing the meat on a skewer.
Onions can be called a must. The vegetable plays an antibacterial role. The meat is not only stored longer, but also undergoes a kind of processing. Well, the juiciness is added at times.
The procedure time is not fixed. But there are also their own standards. So chicken should be kept for at least 2 hours, pork for at least 4, and the duration of marinating beef and lamb is about 6 hours.
Classic barbecue marinade
Classic recipes are not obsolete or boring methods. These are the ways with which you can marinate meat for barbecue without problems and fear. They have been tested over the years. The dishes are brightly saturated with a haze aroma, but without foreign impurities.
For the simplest marinade, the usual ingredients are used:
- pepper and salt;
- table vinegar;
- onion.
The onion is cut into thin rings and the more, the better. Usually, this is half of the meat used for barbecue. Equally cut pieces of meat are laid out in layers in the dishes. Each layer is covered with onions and sprinkled with a little vinegar.
To improve the taste of the kebab and its better roasting, a little vegetable oil is added to the marinade.
The marinated meat should be infused for at least 4 hours. Salt and pepper are added just before stringing the ingredients onto the skewer. The onion is also strung on a skewer.
Alternative recipe using wine
If you need to give up vinegar, what should you use as a substitute? Dry wine is an excellent alternative that does not overlap the naturalness of the dish and does not cause it to dry out.
For 2 kg of meat you will need:
- onions - 1 kg;
- dry red wine - 200 ml;
- spices for barbecue - 2 tbsp. l.
Stir the onion cut into half rings with the meat.Pour the wine next, while adding spices.
Pickling time: night in the cold.
Salt should be added after marinating. So juiciness is preserved!
Onion marinade for kebabs
A simple kebab marinade is created from almost nothing: onions and spices. The set of the latter can be different, but we give preference to calm, harmonious shades.
For 1.5 kg of meat you will need:
- onions - 600 g;
- ground red pepper - 0.5 tsp;
- paprika - 0.5 tsp;
- cilantro dried - 50 g.
Many people mistakenly think that onion rings will give the meat all the juiciness of the vegetable. To marinate meat for barbecue in onions, and not just with its addition, the root vegetable must be chopped well. Simple slicing won't work. You need to puree the vegetable with a blender or grater.
Now there are two ways of development of events:
- squeeze the juice from the resulting mass.
- use the obtained onion gruel.
In any case, you will get an excellent dish. When heated, the gruel immediately grasps and "seals" all the juice. Marinating in juice has another positive side: there is no need to worry that the onion crust will start to burn.
And of course, spices - you shouldn't forget about them.
It takes about 4 hours for the marinade to turn the meat into food for the gods.
Onion marinade is considered the best marinade for kebabs, as the juice secreted by the root vegetable is a good softener.
Marinade for barbecue with mayonnaise
The fat structure of mayonnaise has long been appreciated by chefs. It has a positive effect on meat when pickled.
For 2 kg you will need:
- mayonnaise - 500 g;
- onions - 400 g;
- spices to taste.
Grate meat, cut into pieces, 15 minutes before marinating with spices without using salt. After that, each piece is coated with mayonnaise separately and together. The onion is added after the mayonnaise and mixed with the total mass of the prepared dish.
Marinating will take 12 minutes if stored cold.
Original recipes for barbecue marinade with simple products
Mixing different tastes, sometimes opposite, will make the kebab more piquant
Variants that are time-tested, but unlike the classic ones, have both their admirers and opponents. Barbecue marinade recipes with a strong personality in taste and aroma.
Honey mustard marinade for barbecue
The combination of bitterness and sweetness, although it is a classic, is not accepted and understood by everyone, therefore it is more related to unconventional.
1.5 kg of pork will require:
- honey - 1 tbsp. l .;
- mustard - 1 tbsp. l .;
- onions - 500 g;
- seasonings to taste.
A couple of hand movements and honey, mustard and spices are already mixed. It is better to take liquid honey, and Russian mustard, table. Mix pork and onion, already prepared and chopped, then “massage” with the prepared mixture.
We keep the pork for no more than an hour, so as not to get excessive spice.
Pork marinade with soy sauce
Is pork selected for barbecue? A very good solution if you have soy sauce in your arsenal.
For pork kebabs, soy sauce marinade will be a spicy addition. Simplicity of preparation will be a bonus.
For 1 kg of meat you will need:
- soy sauce - 150 ml;
- ginger root - 1 tsp;
- basil - 1 tsp;
- ground black pepper - 0.5 tsp.
A little honey can be added to add a pleasant, subtle sweetness.
The way to prepare a simple barbecue marinade is to cut and then pour the pork with a mixture of soy sauce, grated ginger and spices. Grate it on all sides, and then send it to the cold for 3-4 hours.
Video recipe for Armenian barbecue marinade
Fruit marinades for kebabs
What to marinate a kebab, if there are no usual products for this? It turns out that fruits are also a great help for kebabs, giving it a peculiar flavor. What kind? Each fruit has its own tonality, which they share with the kebab.
Kiwi as the best marinade ingredient
The acidity in kiwi perfectly softens the texture, while maintaining its juiciness and softness.
For 2 kg of meat you will need:
- kiwi - 3 pcs.;
- onions - 1 kg;
- ground black pepper - 10 g.
The main fruit in our recipe should be finely chopped: a blender or grater is perfect for this purpose. Cut the onion into half rings. Mix the resulting mixture with meat.
Marinating in just 40 minutes thanks to the intense yet gentle kiwi juice.
Marinating in pomegranate juice
Can be marinated very well in pomegranate juice. The result is a kind of homemade narsharab that envelops each piece.
For 4 kg of meat you will need:
- pomegranate juice - 1 l;
- onions - 500 g;
- ground red pepper - a pinch;
- paprika - a pinch;
- coriander - a pinch.
Grate the onion. Grind coriander kernels. Grate the pieces of the future kebab with this. Pour everything over with pomegranate juice and leave for 8 hours. It turns out a shish kebab that tastes bright.
When making a marinade, remember that not a single component will save if there is negligence towards the very mystery of cooking. Follow the cooking rules and you will always get the perfect dish.