Initially, shish kebabs were made from mutton, and today many people recognize just that. However, not everyone decides to fry this very meat on the coals, fearing that it will be harsh or it will be unpleasant to smell. All these concerns are groundless, if you know how to choose the right meat for shish kebab and make a delicious marinade for lamb shashlik. If the technology of preparing meat for shish kebab is well known and clear to you and you managed to find a successful marinade recipe suitable for the meat you chose, you will not have to expect unpleasant surprises.
How to Marinate Mutton
In order for lamb skewers to be tender, juicy and fragrant, it is not enough to know how to fry it on the grill. Much more important is the preparation of meat. Properly choosing and marinating lamb, you will almost certainly get an excellent kebab, which will be enjoyed by all picnic participants.
- Avoid shopping for skewers of meat that has been frozen. After defrosting, especially if it was done quickly, in violation of the rules, the meat loses its juiciness. Barbecue from it with a high degree of probability will come out dry and tough. Sometimes in the market under the guise of fresh meat they sell thawed. Under a piece of lamb you can find a bloody puddle, on the surface of the meat - traces of snow. Even if there are no obvious signs that the lamb was frozen, it makes sense to try to press a piece with your finger. If a well is being formed on it that fills with liquid, then this indicates that the meat was still frozen. There will not be a hole in fresh meat, it will quickly take on its original shape.
- It is better to take the meat of a young lamb on a kebab. It is faster prepared, it turns out more gentle, has a more pleasant smell. This meat is lighter and brighter in color than old lamb, and its fat has an almost completely white shade, whereas in the old lamb it is yellowish.
- The time that the lamb should be kept in the marinade before frying depends on the composition of the marinade and on the meat itself. Young lamb meat is usually marinated from 1 hour to 3-4 hours, the old lamb must be marinated for 8-12 hours.
- Marinades for lamb usually contain acidic foods that prevent protein folding during heat treatment, making the kebab soft. When these products come into contact with aluminum, harmful substances are formed, which is why such dishes for marinating lamb are not suitable for kebabs. It is better to choose containers for this purpose from glass, ceramic, stainless steel, and also enamelled ones.
- Salt is added to marinade only half an hour, maximum one hour before roasting meat. Otherwise, the salt will pull out a lot of liquid from mutton and the kebab will be dry.
Each type of meat combines its own set of spices and seasonings. For this reason, marinade recipes for pork are not always suitable for lamb or chicken. Therefore, for the preparation of lamb shish kebab, you should choose the marinade recipes that are suitable for this type of meat.
Marinade for kiwi lamb
Composition:
- lamb - 2 kg;
- onions - 0, 5 kg;
- Kiwi - 0, 3 kg;
- lemon - 1 pc .;
- orange - 1 pc .;
- vegetable oil (refined) - 5 ml;
- Spicy herbs, pepper, salt - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Rinse and dry the meat. Remove inedible parts. Pulp cut into pieces measuring about 5 to 5 centimeters.
- Clean onions, cut each onion into 4-8 pieces. Chop the onion in a blender or using a meat grinder. Put in a container in which you plan to marinate the meat. The onion juice released during shredding is poured into the same container.
- Wash the lemon, cut it in half. Squeeze juice from it into a container of onion puree.
- Wash and peel the orange. Divide it into slices. Cut with a knife into small pieces. Put the orange in a container of onion and lemon mass, there also drain the orange juice.
- Peel Kiwi. Chop pulp with a knife. The smaller the pieces, the better.
- Put the kiwi slices on the rest of the chopped products, mix.
- Add spices and herbs to taste, mix again.
- Dip the mutton in the resulting mass. Stir with your hands so that the marinade covers each piece of meat. Put in the fridge.
Fruit acids soften meat very effectively. Marinade from kiwi is so good that even old lamb in it is enough to hold 2, 5 hours, not longer. The meat of the young lamb will be ready in an hour. It is undesirable to keep it in a kiwi marinade more than the specified time, because if you strongly overexpose the meat in it, it will begin to split into fibers right in your hands.
Marinade with vinegar and onions for lamb
Composition:
- young lamb - 1, 5 kg;
- onions - 0, 5 kg;
- acetic essence (70 percent) - 20 ml;
- vegetable oil - 20 ml;
- a mixture of peppers, salt - to taste;
- dried basil - 20 g;
- coriander seeds - 5 g;
- water - as needed.
Method of preparation:
- Prepare the meat by washing it, blotting it with a napkin, removing the veins and cutting into pieces weighing 40-50 g each.
- Sprinkle with pepper and basil, coriander seeds, and mix with your hands.
- Free the bulbs from the husks and cut them into not too thin rings or half rings. Remember a little with your hands to put onions juice, and put to the meat. Stir to distribute the onion evenly.
- Mix vinegar essence with oil and dilute this mixture in a glass of pure water.
- Pour meat with marinade. Add water in such quantity that it completely covers the meat.
- Store the lamb container in the refrigerator.
Young lamb pickled with vinegar and onion is not necessary for a long time, two hours is enough. If the lamb is old, then in the marinade it is worth holding it longer, 8-10 hours. Salt the meat should be about half an hour before cooking.
Marinade for lamb with mayonnaise
Composition:
- lamb - 2, 5 kg;
- mayonnaise - 0, 2 l;
- mustard - 20 ml;
- onions - 0, 3 kg;
- ground dried paprika - 5 g;
- sugar - 5 g;
- thyme - 5 g;
- cilantro (dried) - 5 g;
- salt - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Put mayonnaise in a small bowl or bowl.
- Add mustard, spices, and sugar. Stir thoroughly so that the sauce has a uniform consistency.
- Put the mayonnaise sauce in a saucepan or other container in which the lamb will be marinated.
- Peel onions, cut into thin half rings and mix with the sauce.
- Cut the prepared meat into pieces suitable for shish-kebab and put in a saucepan with sauce. Stir with your hands so that the sauce covers each slice.
- Put the lamb pan in the fridge.
Young lamb in mayonnaise is pickled for about 2 hours, the old - for about 6-8 hours, you can leave for the night. An hour before cooking kebabs lamb can be salted. In mayonnaise sauce, lamb is especially tender and juicy, with a pleasant savory taste that is given to meat by mustard and spices.
Marinade for lamb with mineral water
Composition:
- lamb - 2, 5 kg;
- carbonated mineral water - 0, 3-0, 5 l;
- tomatoes - 0.5 kg;
- rye bread - 100 g;
- lemon - 1 pc .;
- salt, spices - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Prepare the lamb for marinating by washing it, blotting it with a kitchen towel and cutting about 5 cm into pieces.
- Pour condiments into meat container, roll meat into them.
- Peel the onion and cut it into thin rings. Put them on the meat.
- Wash and slice the tomatoes, place them on top.
- Finely chop the bread, spread the bread slices on the tomatoes. You can use rye crackers - it will be even better.
- In a glass of mineral water squeeze the juice from one lemon, stir. Pour this mixture into the bowl.
- Add mineral water so that the liquid completely covers meat, vegetables and bread.
- Marinated lamb should be in the fridge.
A marinade on the basis of mineral water turns out to be quite soft, so it takes a long time to pickle meat in it. Usually young lamb is kept in it for 2, 5-3 hours, the old - from 10 to 12 hours. But in the end, the kebab is very tender and juicy.
Marinade for lamb with wine
Composition:
- lamb - 2, 5 kg;
- soy sauce - 150 ml;
- dry red wine - 150 ml;
- onions - 0, 5 kg;
- lemon - 1 pc .;
- garlic - 1 clove;
- sugar - 5 g;
- spices - to taste.
Method of preparation:
- Wash a piece of lamb, dry with a kitchen towel, cut into pieces of 40-50 g.
- Sprinkle with spices and finely chopped garlic, mix.
- Free the onions from the husks and cut them into half rings. If the bulbs are not too large, you can cut into rings.
- Divide the onion with your hands and place it over the meat, stir, spreading the onion evenly.
- In a separate container, mix the soy sauce, wine and juice squeezed from one lemon.
- Fill the lamb with marinade.
Marinate the meat in the fridge for 2-4 hours, depending on how young the lamb to which it belonged was. Half an hour before cooking the kebab, add some salt.
With this recipe, you can marinate lamb chops. You can fry them both on skewers and on a wire rack.
Honey marinade for lamb shashlik
Composition:
- lamb - 2, 5 kg;
- onions - 0, 3 kg;
- dried barberries - 5 g;
- dried basil - 20 g;
- honey - 20 ml;
- soy sauce - 100 ml;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- vegetable oil - 100 ml.
Method of preparation:
- Prepare the lamb and cut it into pieces of the desired size.
- Crush the garlic with a special press, mix it with basil, soy sauce, butter and honey melted to a liquid state.
- Peel the onions and cut them into small pieces, mix with the marinade.
- Put the lamb pieces in the marinade, mix well.
Marinate lamb in honey sauce for 2-4 hours. Delicate taste of kebab from such meat is unlikely to leave anyone indifferent.
Choosing a suitable recipe for the marinade for lamb and marinating it correctly, you will certainly be able to cook a delicious kebab, juicy, tender and aromatic. Serve it with adjika or another spicy sauce, pickled onions and fresh vegetables. Instead of bread, it is advisable to submit pita bread.
