Barbecue - meat, which is impossible to refuse. With what impatience we all look forward to an outing in nature to enjoy this seasonal dish. But it does not always live up to expectations. Why is the kebab sometimes dry, looks ugly, tastes like grass? It's time to discover the secrets of such a popular meat dish.
Why did the barbecue taste bad?
- The meat is of poor quality. Delicious barbecue is obtained from farm pork or lamb. Now on the shelves there is a lot of meat from artificially raised animals. They gained weight due to vitamins, antibiotics and other supplements. As a result, the kebab does not have a pronounced taste and aroma, the meat is “like grass”.
- No spices used. Meat itself (especially pork) does not have a bright taste, it must be seasoned, it is especially important not to forget about salt. With its lack, the dish is fresh, something is missing in it.
By the way, if suddenly the kebab has an unpleasant foreign smell of drugs, then we are also talking about poor quality meat. Sometimes during frying, the smell of urine starts to come out. This indicates that the pig was not neutered.
Why did the barbecue turn dry?
Sometimes the kebab seems to be tasty, it smells good, even browned to the crust, but it turned out to be incredibly dry, as people say, "it doesn’t go into the throat." Naturally, you can’t eat a lot of such meat, and your appetite disappears.
Three main reasons:
- Sweaty meat without traces of fat, fat. It is very difficult to make it juicy if it was not originally so. For this reason, dry kebab is rarely used for barbecue.
- Few coals or they are weak. As a result, the kebab is cooked for a long time, all moisture is evaporated from it, and the meat is dry at the exit.
By the way, a delicious barbecue is also obtained if old meat is used, it has already been frozen or lay on the counter and managed to dry, lost moisture.
Why was the kebab hard?
Shish kebab is cooked until tender, but the meat is tough, it is impossible to chew? Unfortunately, this happens. Many people are looking for a reason for the size of the pieces for barbecue, but this does not really matter. Fry meat with small pieces and large chunks. The best option is cubes of four centimeters.
Three main reasons why kebab is hard:
- Unsuitable meat with veins, films, developed muscles. Making these pieces soft and juicy is very difficult. Sometimes it helps to remove the films, pre-tapping with a hammer. It is not necessary to completely beat off the meat, just gently tap the muscle tissue.
- The pieces are cut along the fibers and have different sizes. For barbecue, it is important to cut the meat into cubes across the fibers.
- The meat was not marinated, the fibers did not have time to soften, soaked in spices. As a result, when hit on coals, the pieces simply shrank.
By the way! Acid makes the meat tougher, drier, so you should not abuse lemon juice, tomato, sour apples or quince, which is also sometimes added to marinades.
The best meat for barbecue
It is impossible to use meat for barbecue, which the wound was frozen. Already during thawing the juice will come out, the dish will turn out to be dry, hard. But this is not the only selection criterion. Juicy and soft skewers are prepared from pork and lamb, this beef does not work, you can use a bird.
Lamb will be tasty only if you use a young lamb, sometimes a kid is taken. If you plan to cook pork, then the best meat for barbecue is the neck. In second place is carbade, tenderloin. It is undesirable to use the legs, ham and other parts of the carcass that are involved in the movement of the animal.
Why barbecue turned ugly, unappetizing
Sometimes the kebab just does not fry until golden brown, looks faded, light or a gray crust forms. Most often this happens with lean meat without fat or when using weak coals, the meat above them begins to dry, the heat is not enough to form a golden and brown crust.
What gives a beautiful color:
- tomato paste, juice;
- soy sauce;
- honey, white or brown sugar.
All this can be added to the marinade. But also with honey and soy sauce (even better with their mixture), you can grease the kebab already on the grill, it will quickly begin to change color.
Important! In no case should you try to fry the skewers over an open fire. It is just covered with soot, meat is fried only over coals.
Marinade around the head!
You can skewer kebabs in a large number of spices, confine yourself to salt and pepper, hold for a couple of hours. This is often done in Asian countries, everything works out fine if you use fresh meat fresh from the very parts mentioned above. But often this is not possible, and I also want to play it safe. Therefore, much attention is paid to marinades, the meat is soaked in them for 8-10 hours, and sometimes for a whole day.
What can be used for marinade:
- mayonnaise, kefir, sour cream;
- wine;
- mineral water;
- soy sauce;
- pomegranate, orange or other juice.
Of course, do not forget about onions and aromatic spices. Add special mixes from the bag or collect them yourself. Sometimes, mustard is additionally introduced, adjika, which gives sharpness. This is a matter of personal taste.
We plant correctly!
It is important not only to deliciously marinate the meat for barbecue, but also to plant it on a skewer. Yes, it is he who is needed for an amazing result. You should not take the grill, it is more suitable for steaks and vegetables.
Pieces of meat should be put on the skewer one by one, like beads. That is, they should be in contact with each other, but not "sit" tightly. Also, do not leave an empty distance between them, otherwise the skewer will heat up, the kebab will dry out.
By the way, it is advisable to use a wide and thick skewer for making barbecue, the pieces will not spin on it, the meat will be evenly fried from all sides. Even better if the metal is bent by a corner.
In the end
Barbecue - meat on coals. They need to be heated to a fiery color, it is important not to save on this. Good meat can only be cooked in extreme heat. It’s good that now it’s not necessary to burn a cart of firewood to get it; you just need to buy a bag of coal and a special ignition in the store. Within half an hour, you can begin to fry the most fragrant, juicy, soft skewers. One that drools.
P. S. Yeah, vegetarians cannot understand meat-eaters.
