Kebabs will never be soft and juicy unless the meat is marinated. Vinegar is the best-known product that allows you to marinate meat quickly, but it is not among the beneficial ones. The marinade for shish kebab with lemon is much softer, giving any kind of meat a delicate flavor. It is no coincidence that more and more kebab lovers prefer this particular marinade option, especially since there are enough of its recipes to choose according to your taste.
Cooking Features
Even if the marinade recipe seems simple, you need to know a few rules for cooking and marinating meat in it. Otherwise, the result may not be what you expect.
- First of all, you need to choose the right meat for shish kebab. If you get the old meat, and even the former in the freeze, you should not expect that the kebab will turn out delicious, even if you cook the perfect marinade. Preference should be given to the meat of a young animal. Frozen product for kebabs is not suitable at all, because when defrosting the structure of the meat is broken and it becomes less juicy.
- It is not possible to pickle meat in a lemon marinade in any container. Aluminum-made dishes are not suitable for this, since this material forms harmful substances in contact with acid. It is necessary to use ware from glass, ceramics, stainless steel or enameled.
- The time that meat should be kept in a lemon marinade depends on various factors. The main one is the type of meat. The beef is marinated the longest — at least 10 hours, a little less is required to pickle lamb — it is pickled 7-9 hours. Pork will be ready for roasting on the coals, lay in a marinade with lemon for 6-8 hours. The fastest marinated poultry meat - in just 3-4 hours. In any case, put the meat in the marinade should be on the eve of the day when the kebabs are planned. Stand all this time, it should be in the refrigerator.
- The recipe for marinade besides lemon most often includes onions. In addition, various spices and other ingredients may be included. Some of them are designed to contribute to the softening of meat, others - to give the future dish a unique taste and aroma. The marinade time of meat may depend on the composition of the marinade, as some components accelerate this process.
- Salt is added to the marinade last. This is due to the fact that it is capable of pulling the liquid out of the products, and if you add salt to the meat immediately, the kebab from it will turn out less juicy.
- To speed up the marinating process, meat should be marinated under pressure.
Knowing these rules of marinating meat in a marinade with lemon will make it possible to cook a tasty kebab even for an inexperienced cook.
Classic marinade for shish kebab with lemon and onion
Composition:
- pork neck - 2 kg;
- lemons - 8 pcs .;
- onions - 0, 5 kg;
- garlic - 4 cloves;
- seasoning for kebabs, salt - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Wash, pat dry and chop the meat. The optimal size of pieces for making kebabs is 4-5 cm.
- Peel the onions and cut them into wide enough rings (3-4 mm each).
- Pour in spices to meat, mix. Add onions and mix again.
- Finely chop the garlic with a knife, put in a container with meat. Re-stir everything.
- Wash lemons, cut in half. Squeeze the juice out of them, you can directly on the meat. If desired, rub the zest and add a couple of teaspoons to the meat container - this will give the kebab an even more pleasant flavor.
- Stir the meat with your hands to distribute the lemon juice evenly.
- Cover the meat container with a plate and place something heavy on top, such as a jar of water.
- Put everything in the fridge overnight.
The classic marinade recipe for shish kebab with lemon is simple, but this marinade not only copes well with the task, but also gives the meat a pleasant aroma. Especially well it will be noticeable if you add to it spicy herbs.
Spicy marinade for kebab with lemon
Composition:
- meat (pork, chicken or turkey) - 2 kg;
- onions - 0, 3 kg;
- lemon - 2 pcs .;
- dry red wine - 0, 2 l;
- soy sauce - 100 ml;
- sour cream - 100 ml;
- honey - 40 ml;
- curry - 5 g;
- nutmeg - a pinch;
- dried ginger - 5 g;
- pepper - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Prepare the meat by washing it out, blotting it with a towel and cutting it into pieces of the right size.
- Mix the spices and sprinkle the meat with them, stir.
- From the lemons in a clean bowl, squeeze the juice, put the grated zest from them.
- Add wine and soy sauce, stir with a spoon.
- Melt the honey and mix it with the resulting liquid.
- Peel and cut the onion into thin half-rings, shake it to make the juice stand out. Transfer to the meat.
- Place the sour cream in a bowl of meat, mix it with your hands so that the sour cream and onions are distributed evenly.
- Fill the meat with marinade and mix again.
It is necessary to marinate pork in a spicy marinade with lemon for about 6 hours, chicken - 3 hours. This marinade is ideal for pork and poultry, for other types of meat it is better to take traditional or cognac, the recipe of which is given below.
Marinade for shish kebab with lemon and brandy
Composition:
- meat - 2 kg;
- onions - 0, 5 kg;
- lemon - 2 pcs .;
- cognac - 100 ml;
- soy sauce - 80 ml;
- vegetable oil - 100 ml;
- dried basil - 20 g;
- nutmeg - 5 g;
- coriander - 5 g;
- black pepper (ground) - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Rinse the meat well, cut into pieces suitable for kebabs.
- Mix basil, nutmeg, coriander and pepper. Pour the spicy mixture into the meat, mix it with your hands so that the seasonings are distributed evenly, covering each piece.
- Peel and cut the onion into thin half-rings. Remember him to put the juice, and put it to the meat. Stir it with your hands again.
- In a small bowl squeeze the juice from the lemons. Pour oil, brandy and soy sauce. Stir as much as possible.
- Pour the marinade over the meat and mix in a cool place.
Meat is best left to marinate overnight. Marinade is suitable for pork, beef, lamb.
Marinade for shish kebab with lemon is a classic. It is not less known than the traditional marinade with vinegar, but is softer and more fragrant. You can marinate in it any kind of meat.
