Tasty, tender and juicy kebab is what anyone who takes up cooking dreams of, be it an experienced chef or a simple amateur. Experienced chefs of Armenian cuisine advise: in order for charcoal-grilled meat to turn out truly aromatic and with an interesting taste, it must be kept in a mixture of salt, spices and various additives in advance.
Today we will cook pork neck shish kebab in Armenian style. This part of the carcass resembles marbled meat – it is riddled with thin greasy veins, which, when grilled over coals, make the dish incredibly juicy. For spices, take dried basil, mustard seeds and a little ground black pepper.
Products for 3 kg of pork:
You will need one peeled medium-sized raw potato tuber, two teaspoons of dried basil, one spoon of mustard seeds, a couple of pinches of black pepper, 50–60 grams of coarse salt, 50 ml of mineral water, the same amount of olive oil, as well as 3–4 large onions.
How to cook:
Rinse fresh pork with cold water and cut into equal large pieces. Place the meat on a tray in one layer and sprinkle with salt and spices, first on one side, then on the other. Add potatoes, grated on a coarse grater. Pour in mineral water and olive oil, then carefully mix everything with your hands – preferably with gloves. Peel the onion, cut into rings and also add to the meat. Cover the tray with film and leave at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
We string the kebab onto skewers along the grain so that the pieces do not dangle over the coals, and alternate the meat with onion rings. Grill over coals preheated to medium heat, turning the skewers every 3-4 minutes. Shish kebab, which has previously been soaked in mineral water, oil and spices, usually reaches readiness in 15–18 minutes.
Place the finished meat and fried onions on a dish and serve with fresh bread (lavash or pita bread is suitable) and any vegetables according to the season and to taste. The taste of charcoal meat is perfectly complemented by spicy sauces: tomato, ketchup, chili, adjika, satsebeli, mushroom, kefir-garlic or cheese. And as a side dish you can boil potatoes with butter and finely chopped dill.
Don't forget to garnish the vegetable slices with fresh herbs: basil, arugula, parsley, coriander or fennel. And if you are making a cold appetizer from vegetables, be sure to add fresh lettuce leaves, torn by hand into medium-sized pieces, and any garden herbs to taste.
Previously, we told you how to prepare cottage cheese casserole.
Based on materials from the Zen channel “Do it yourself – with your own hands” (12+).
